What is the Purpose of Lockout Tagout: Advantages & Disadvantages
The purpose of the Lockout Tagout programme is to increase the workplace’s safety. Working with machinery may be hazardous, but taking the necessary precautions can significantly reduce the danger.
Safeguards against being crushed or injured by moving components are examples of protective measures that may implement. They may also incorporate measures to prevent electrocution from occurring.
One of the main purpose of lockout tagout programme has become so significant in many facilities’ safety systems because it gives multiple advantages to a large number of people at the same time.
What Is Lockout Tagout (LOTO) and How Does It Work?
The purpose of LOTO (Lockout Tagout) is to ensure that equipment is switched off, rendered unusable, and de-energized before it may use again.
This makes it feasible to repair and maintain the system in a safe and secure environment. The Lockout Kit is one of the most useful safety equipment collection kits that is helpful in many dangerous situations.
Lockout/Tagout procedures must follow in any workplace where equipment may unintentionally discharge potentially hazardous energy if not properly maintained.
Advantages of Lockout Tagout Products
When a person incorrectly assumes that a machine has been properly switched off, it may be a serious incident. LOTO is a means of shutting down all computers, machinery, and equipment simultaneously to protect yourself and others.
If accidents and fatalities can prevent, it is possible to decrease production time losses while increasing overall profits. The following are some of the advantages of lockout.
- Reduces the likelihood of injury occurring if machines are accidentally triggered by a mistake.
- The risk of injury or death from hazardous energy releases such as steam blasts, corrosive chemicals, and electrical arc flashes is minimized to the lowest degree possible.
- This approach saves the lives of people.
- Reduce the possibility of legal action.
- Benefits and reductions in workers’ compensation insurance premiums are offered in several counties if a firm has fewer accidents.
- Making safety a high priority at work has the effect of creating confidence and trust in people.
- Profitability
Disadvantages of Lockout Tagout
Lockout/Tagout rules and standards have been established by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to protect employees, equipment, and the workplace while performing maintenance and repairs.
Read More: Importance of OSHA Standards
Unfortunately, several cases of deaths persist after considerable guidance and inspection, including shocks and missing fingers and the end of a person. The following are examples of disadvantages of lockout that might be fatal.
- Failure to de-energize the system
- The inability to remove residues from a location.
- Repeating the same mistake over and over
- Inappropriate training
- There is a shortage of equipment-specific lockout methods.
- Keys and locks that are synchronized
Moreover, make use of the Lockout Tagout system in your organization right now. When used properly, it may be a life-saving technology. It is important to protect employees from the release of hazardous energy when maintaining machinery or equipment by following the lockout Tagout procedures.
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Five Most Cited Serious Violations As Per OSHA – II
Scaffolding: OSHA asks every scaffold and scaffold component to be able to support without any failure not just its own weight, but at least four times the maximum load intended to apply to it. There are of course exceptions to this rule, such as suspension ropes, used on suspension scaffolds that are non-adjustable. These should be capable of supporting at least six times the maximum weight intended to be transmitted to it.
Respiratory Protection: OSHA asks for preventing atmospheric contamination, so that occupational respiratory diseases are not caused by inhaling any harmful vapor, spray, smoke, gas, mist, fume, fog and dust. This is to be achieved by using materials that are less topic, conducting operations in an enclosed area, ventilation and other engineering control measures. If such measures are not feasible, respirators are to be provided to the workers.
Lockout Tagout: Appropriate LOTO devices must be used to prevent unexpected energization/ release of stored energy from machines.Equipment must be tested to verify the effectiveness of lockout tagout products and other energy control measures. The employer is to provide training so that the function of the energy control program is understood by the workers. This section covers the servicing of machines and equipment.
As the top manufacturer of LOTO devices, Safety House provides products like lockout tagout kit and key cabinet at reasonable prices.
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Five Most Cited Serious Violations As Per OSHA – I
Readers of the blog of New Delhi, India-based manufacturer of Lockout products, ‘Safety House’ would know that our wide range of products is as per OSHA. In the last bog post, we gave you an insight into top violations as cited by the federal agency of the United States Department of Labor. Today, we discuss five serious violations in detail. (For those unaware, OSHA releases a list of top serious violations every year.)
Fall Protection: Employers must provide fall protection systems. Like all other points, this is vast, but employees need to determine if walking surfaces have the strength to support employees. Walking surfaces that are over 6 feet above a lower level must be protected through guardrail/ safety net/ personal fall arrest systems. Same goes for every worker constructing a leading edge 6 feet or more above a lower level. The only exception to this rule is when an employer can ‘demonstrate’ that using these systems, on the contrary, poses greater harm. The employer in this case would be required to develop an alternate fall protection system.
Hazard Communication: This is concerned with chemical safety at workplaces. Of prime importance is the fact that hazards by chemicals must be identified, and available to/ understood by workers. Signs and right-to-know placards should be used. The requirements of the hazard communication section by OSHA are consistent with UN’s GHS, i.e. Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals. lockout supplier
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Lockout Tagout And OSHA
Posted On: February 3, 2016
Categorized In: Lockout/Tagout
Written By: Lockout India
At Safety House (LOTO), we adhere to OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) guidelines while manufacturing lockout tagout/ workplace area safety/ site management products. Our range of products includes key cabinet, This blogpost would give you an insight into what OSHA is, and why following it is imperative for the safety of your employees. lockout supplier
The main federal agency of the US Department of Labor, OSHA was established in 1971 by the Congress under the Occupational Safety and Health Act. The mission of the agency is to “assure safe and healthful working conditions for working men and women by setting and enforcing standards and by providing training, outreach, education and assistance”.
OSHA’s health and safety standards are aimed at preventing accidents and accidental use of energy. The federal agency enforces the development, documentation, implementation, and enforcement of energy control procedures. It recommends that only lockout/ tagout devices authorized for a particular machinery or equipment are used, and that these devices are durable, standardized and substantial. It also asks to ensure that lockout tagout devices identify individual users. OSHA further recommends the establishment of a policy that permits only the employee who applied a LOTO device to remove it. Energy control procedures need to be inspected at least annually. Furthermore, effective training is to be provided for all employees.
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Lockout Procedures to Follow
Posted On: January 19, 2016
Categorized In: Lockout/Tagout
Written By: Lockout India
Lockout means shutting out machines. An industrial machine shuts for maintenance and servicing activities. It is carried out as a safety measure. The maintenance workers might injure themselves by their sudden startup. There is a certain lockout procedure implemented during the whole process. This process is undertaken by following every known guideline as given by OSHA.
As Lockout India creates safety equipment for such processes, we believe that you, our beloved readers should have an idea of the procedures followed during the process. Please note that the steps we are about to mention are general guidelines or sample steps. In reality, something very close to them is followed because admit it, “field work is much different”.
We need to understand 3 main criteria’s while learning the procedure.
- System – refers to the machines/equipment
- Authorized Employee – refers to the expert who carries out the full procedure
- Affected Employee – includes the workers, various staff members etc. who aren’t qualified to carry out the process
Lockout Procedures
Shutdown
1. The first step is to turn off all the energy sources from the operator’s panel. However, the authorized employee has to make sure that none of the affected employees are still operating as sudden power loss could lead to major accidents.
2. After power shut, notifying the affected employees is the next step. They are to leave their stations immediately and await further instructions.
3. The third step now is to shut down the whole system using normal stopping procedures like powering down, stoppers etc.
Lockout/Tag out
1. Firstly, isolate the system from any energy source. This process is called energy isolation.
2. Lockout and Tag out the system with appropriate safety products.
3. Release any stored energy from the springs, capacitors, hydraulics etc. This is very important as the residual energy in these parts could release automatically during maintenance and harm the crew.
4. Confirm that isolation has actually taken place by trying the equipment.
5. If system doesn’t start means it’s in lockdown mode.
Maintenance
Let the crew carry out maintenance and servicing.
In the meantime, continue your verifications through inspections, observations and tests.
Restarting the System
- After maintenance, remove all the locks and tags.
- Clear out all personnel and unnecessary items from the area.
- The main system shall be then restarted.
- Check whether all machines are working as they should.
- Finally, notify all the employees to resume their work.
One main thing to be kept in mind is that sometimes the work scale is too big meaning multiple authorized employees are involved. However, the procedure is more-or-less ‘the same’. It is unfortunate to say that despite several listed Lockout Tag out procedures, every year thousands of work infringements take place due to non-compliance of appropriate protocols. We, thereby urge all those who are reading this and work in the industry to go through the guidelines provided by OSHA in detail. In case you need further help regarding Lockout Tag out and safety-insured products, ping us!
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- Scaffold Tag
- MCB Lockout
- Lockout Padlocks
- Lockout Kit
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