Facilities Management

Lockout/Tagout Program

General

This written lockout/tagout protection program has been established in accordance with the requirements of OSHA Standards and Interpretations 1910.147.

Purpose

This program shall be used to ensure that the machine or equipment is stopped, isolated from all potentially hazardous energy sources and locked out and tagged out before Physical Plant employees perform any servicing or maintenance where the unexpected energization or start-up of the machine or equipment or release of stored energy could cause injury.

Compliance

All Physical Plant employees are required to comply with the restrictions and limitations imposed upon them during the use of lockout/tagout. The authorized employees are required to perform the lockout/tagout in accordance with this program. All employees upon observing a machine or piece of equipment which is locked/tagged out to perform servicing or maintenance shall not attempt to start, energize, or use that machine or equipment.


Definitions

  1. Affected employee: A Physical Plant employee whose job requires him/her to operate or use a machine or equipment on which servicing or maintenance is being performed under lockout or tagout, or whose job requires him/her to work in an area in which such servicing or maintenance is being performed.
  2. Authorized employee: A Physical Plant employee who locks out or tags out machines or equipment in order to perform servicing or maintenance on that machine or equipment. An affected employee becomes an authorized employee when that employee's duties include performing servicing or maintenance covered under this section.
  3. Capable of being locked out: An energy isolating device is capable of being locked out if it has a hasp or other means of attachment to which, or through which, a lock can be affixed, or it has a locking mechanism built into it. Other energy isolating devices are capable of being locked out, if lockout can be achieved without the need to dismantle, rebuild, or replace the energy isolating device or permanently alter its energy control capability.
  4. Energized: Connected to an energy source or containing residual or stored energy.
  5. Energy isolating device: A mechanical device that physically prevents the transmission or release of energy, including but not limited to the following: A manually operated electrical circuit breaker; a disconnect switch; a manually operated switch by which the conductors of a circuit can be disconnected from all ungrounded supply conductors, and, in addition, no pole can be operated independently; a line valve; a block; and any similar device used to block or isolate energy. Push buttons, selector switches and other control circuit type of devices are not energy isolating devices.
  6. Energy source: Any source of electrical, mechanical, hydraulic, pneumatic, chemical, thermal, or other energy.
  7. Hot Tap: A procedure used in the repair, maintenance and services activities which involves welding on a piece of equipment (pipelines, vessels or tanks) under pressure, in order to install connections or appurtenances. It is commonly used to replace or add sections of pipeline without the interruption of service for air, gas, water, steam, and petrochemical distribution systems.
  8. Lockout: The placement of a lockout device on an energy isolating device, in accordance with an established procedure, ensuring that the energy isolating device and the equipment being controlled cannot be operated until the lockout device is removed.
  9. Lockout device: A device that utilizes a positive means such as a lock either key or combination type, to hold an energy isolating device in a safe position and prevent the energizing of machine or equipment. Included are blank flanges and bolted slip blinds.
  10. Normal production operations: The utilization of a machine or equipment to perform its intended production function.
  11. Servicing and/or maintenance: Workplace activities such as constructing, installing, setting up, adjusting, inspecting, modifying, and maintaining and/or servicing machines or equipment. These activities include lubrication, cleaning or unjamming of machines or equipment and making adjustments or tool changes, where the employee may be exposed to the unexpected energization or startup of the equipment or release of hazardous energy.
  12. Setting up: Any work performed to prepare a machine or equipment to perform its normal production operation.
  13. Tagout: The placement of a tagout device on an energy isolating device, in accordance with an established procedure, to indicate that the energy isolating device and the equipment being controlled may not be operated until the tagout device is removed.
  14. Tagout Device: A prominent warning device, such as a tag and a means of attachment, which can be securely fastened to an energy isolating device in accordance with an established procedure, to indicate that the energy isolating device and the equipment being controlled may not be operated until the tagout device is removed.

 Sequence of Lockout

  1. Notify all affected employees (see definition A) that servicing or maintenance is required on a machine or equipment and that the machine or equipment must be shut down and locked/tagged out to perform the servicing or maintenance. Fill out the Lockout/Tagout form.
  2. The authorized employee shall identify the type and magnitude of the energy that the machine or equipment utilizes, shall understand the hazards of the energy, and shall know the methods to control the energy.
  3. If the machine or equipment is operating, shut it down by the normal stopping procedure (depress stop button, open switch, close valve, etc.).
  4. De-activate the energy isolating device(s) so that the machine or equipment is isolated from the energy source(s).
  5. Lock out the energy isolating device(s) with assigned individual lock(s) and tag out with an all-environment-tolerant nylon cable tie and all-environment-tolerant warning tag with the proper warning legend (Do Not Start, Do Not Energize, Do Not Operate, etc.).
  6. Stored or residual energy (such as that in capacitors, springs, elevated machine members, rotating flywheels, hydraulic systems, and air, gas, steam, or water pressure, etc.) must be dissipated or restrained by proper methods such as grounding, repositioning, blocking, bleeding down, etc.
  7. Re-check to ensure that the equipment is disconnected from the energy source(s) by first checking that no personnel are exposed, then verify the isolation of the equipment by operating the push button or other normal operating control(s) or by testing to make certain the equipment will not operate. CAUTION: Make sure to return operating control(s) to neutral or "off" position after verifying the isolation of the equipment.
  8. The machine or equipment is now locked out.

Restoring Equipment to Service

  1. Check the machine or equipment and the immediate area around the machine or equipment to ensure that nonessential items have been removed and that the machine or equipment components are operationally intact.
  2. Check the work area to ensure that all employees have been safely positioned or removed from the area.
  3. Verify that the controls are in neutral.
  4. Remove the lockout/tagout devices and re-energize the machine or equipment.  NOTE: Only that person locking/tagging out may restore the equipment to service.
  5. Notify affected employees that the servicing or maintenance is completed and the machine or equipment is ready for use.

Employee Training Program

  1. A training session with required attendance will be conducted by the supervisor or other qualified personnel to ensure that the purpose and function of the Lockout/Tagout Control Program are understood by all affected and authorized employees.
  2. The employer shall certify that employee training or retraining has been accomplished and is being kept up to date. Upon completion of training or retraining each employee will sign and date a certificate of training.
  3. As part of the training program, the following limitations should be noted when tagout
    1. Tags are essentially warning devices affixed to energy isolating devices, and do not provide the physical restraint on those devices that is provided by a lock. systems are used.
    2. When a tag is attached to an energy isolating means, it is not to be removed without authorization of the authorized person responsible for it, and it is never to be bypassed, ignored, or otherwise defeated.
    3. Tags must be legible and understandable by all authorized employees, affected employees, and all other employees whose work operations are or may be in the area, in order to be effective.
    4. Tags and their means of attachment must be made of materials which will withstand the environmental conditions encountered in the workplace.
    5. Tags may evoke a false sense of security, and their meaning needs to be understood as part of the overall energy control program.
    6. Tags must be securely attached to energy isolating devices so that they cannot be inadvertently or accidentally detached during use.
    7. Tagout devices, where used, shall be affixed in such a manner as will clearly indicate that the operation or movement of energy isolating devices from the "safe" or "off" position is prohibited.
    8. Where tagout devices are used with energy isolating devices designed with the capability of being locked, the tag attachment shall be fastened at the same point at which the lock would have been attached.
    9. Where a tag cannot be affixed directly to the energy isolating device, the tag shall be located as close as safely possible to the device, in a position that will be immediately obvious to anyone attempting to operate the device.
  4. Whenever outside servicing personnel (contractors, etc.) are to be engaged in activities covered by the scope and application of this standard, the on-site employer and the outside employer shall inform each other of their respective lockout or tagout procedures.
  5. The on-site employer shall ensure that his/her employees understand and comply with the restrictions and prohibitions of the outside employer's energy control program.

Protective Materials and Hardware

  1. Lockout and tagout devices shall be standardized within the facility. In the case of tagout devices, print and format shall be standardized. Lockout devices will be of the same color, shape, or size. Only those lockout/tagout materials and hardware provided by the employer will be authorized.