From "Russian Roulette" to Modern Safety Systems

The IMPORTANCE of the LOTO lockout system and how to use it correctly.

Have you ever taken your car to a service center for an oil change? I do this periodically, at least two or three times a year. The first thing the service advisor will ask you to do is remove the key from the ignition and place it on the dashboard. It won't be enough for the technician to visually confirm that the car isn't moving — before anyone puts their hands near the oil pan, they must ensure there is no chance the engine can be started. In this way, the service advisor protects themselves — and you as well — by eliminating the possibility of human error. The same principle applies to equipment in the workplace, whether it's an HVAC system or production machinery. Lockout/Tagout (LOTO) refers to specific practices and procedures to safeguard employees from the unexpected energization or startup of machinery and equipment, or the release of hazardous energy during service or maintenance activities.

Today, "business" understands the need to implement modern lockout/tagout procedures and best practices to guarantee the life and health of its personnel.

Analysis of industrial accidents, injuries, and occupational diseases shows that their main cause is non-compliance with safety requirements, ignorance of the nature of technological threats, and methods of protection against them. According to Rostrud, 40 to 50% of industrial injuries with severe health consequences in Russia are caused by the human factor. At the same time, 20-25% of all accidents are related to the incomplete disconnection of equipment from energy sources during repair and maintenance. Workers are most often injured due to the release of residual energy, as well as due to erroneous activation or violation of the equipment shutdown sequence.

Employers often establish procedures for disconnecting the energy source from equipment and installing appropriate devices on them to prevent unexpected startup or re-energization. An employee must also account for any stored energy the machine may have. For such purposes, there is special LOTO equipment designed specifically to avoid workplace injuries.

Lock it and Tag it!

The name of the "Lockout/Tagout" system literally translates from English as "Blocking/Hanging warning tags." In Russian, the names "protective lockout systems" and "blocking systems" have taken root. The common English abbreviation "LOTO" is also used. Its primary purpose is to protect a person from interacting with energy sources at industrial facilities where electrical, gravitational (gravity), hydraulic, pneumatic, thermal, and other types of energy can pose a danger to a person if released uncontrollably.

Why should you use a lockout system?

If lockout rules are not followed, employees can be seriously injured or fatally harmed by the machines or equipment they are working on or near.

Seems like a good enough reason, right?

If you need more convincing, you will also have to pay quite large fines if you choose not to follow the rules, as an employee injury in the workplace is an additional liability that can lead to undesirable consequences.

Hazardous Energy Control

Workplace safety is always important, and one can hope that equipment operators and those near them will follow appropriate safety measures and receive training on how to behave during normal routine operations. But what about non-standard actions, such as the need to repair something? We've all heard the horror stories: a worker sticks a hand into a machine (pinch point) to clear a jam, or enters the zone of some equipment component to adjust its operation, and an unaware colleague turns on the power. LOTO lockout systems are designed to prevent such disasters.

The LOTO system is designed to control hazardous energy. This, of course, includes electricity, but also everything else that could hurt someone, including air, heat, water, chemicals, hydraulics, and so on. During typical operations, most equipment is fitted with physical safeguards for operators, such as the machine's own safety mechanisms. But during service and repair, it may be necessary to remove or disable these safety devices to perform the work. Before this happens, it is vital to control and dissipate hazardous energy.

Important steps of the LOTO system that you need to know:

1. Prepare for shutdown. An important component is undergoing appropriate training and knowing all hazardous energy sources and methods for their control.
2. Notify all affected employees. Ensure that workers in the affected area are fully aware of the impending lockout.
3. Shut down the equipment. This must be performed in a safe and orderly manner in accordance with the procedure or operating manual for the specific equipment.
4. Isolate energy sources. For example, a circuit breaker or valve that supplies energy to the equipment.
5. Apply LOTO equipment to energy sources. For example, a LOTO lockout lock physically prevents the equipment from being turned on. Each person involved in the lockout will have their own lockout device, and it will display a tag showing who locked it, when, and why. Often, multiple lockout devices are used on one piece of equipment depending on the level of access.
6. Release/control all stored energy. For example: compressed air, capacitors that hold an electrical charge, or stored mechanical energy such as compressed springs.
7. Verify the lockout. This is the most important step and the easiest to overlook. It is vital that personnel double-check that all hazardous energy is disconnected.
8. Maintain the lockout. Ensure that the equipment remains in a locked-out state until maintenance is safely restored.

It is equally important not only to perform these steps but also to ensure compliance with appropriate LOTO protocols and restoration after work is completed. This means ensuring that workers and materials are removed from hazardous areas, that all lockout devices are removed and equipment is checked, and that appropriate personnel have been informed that the LOTO lockout system is deactivated. No equipment should be re-energized until these actions are taken, after which workers can be notified that the equipment is ready for use.

A potentially dangerous form of hazardous energy that can be taken for granted is gravity. If you've ever climbed under a car in your garage for repairs, you were probably well aware of the two tons of metal hanging over you. And if you are aware of the safe use of jacks, you won't leave the car on just one jack. You will also use jack stands in case the jack's hydraulics fail. After all, gravity cannot be turned off.

Safety Priority of the LOTO Lockout System

Regardless of your role in the organization — maintenance personnel, HSE specialist, or CEO — it is useful to know these common-sense best practices for a LOTO lockout program and equipment-specific procedures:

• Simplicity. Focus on the user, not the LOTO system standard. You can develop the most detailed and thorough written procedure in the world, but if the user doesn't understand it, it's useless;
• Consistency. Facilities may have hundreds or thousands of pieces of complex equipment, each with its own protocols. Aim to simplify things by ensuring consistency in equipment labeling and procedure descriptions;
• Ensure accountability. If an employee has not been properly trained on equipment and procedures and ends up harming themselves or someone else, it is not only their fault but yours as well. Ensure that safety training is conducted and requirements are met at all levels of the organization;
• Control. There have been real situations where initial LOTO procedures were carefully followed, but failure to follow the last step — verifying that all energy sources are under control — damaged or destroyed equipment, caused serious injuries, and even caused many fatalities that still happen every year;

Lockout/tagout procedures do not have to be unnecessarily complex, and I hope this has cleared up some of the mysteries surrounding this vital safety practice. When you hear of a workplace injury or death involving equipment or energy, chances are LOTO lockout steps were missed. By ensuring the effectiveness and compliance of programs and training everyone on what to do and how to do it, we can keep ourselves and others safe.

What is a LOTO lockout system?

The term "LOTO" refers specifically to procedures used to ensure that equipment is shut down and inoperable until maintenance or repair work is completed. They are used to protect employees from equipment or machinery that could injure or kill them if handled incorrectly. For example: a pneumatic press could fall while it is being cleaned, or while an electrician is fixing the wiring, the power switch is turned on.

How do you know if you need to implement a LOTO system at your facility?

If your organization has employees who maintain equipment that could potentially cause injury, then you likely need to use lockout systems to avoid injuries and fatalities at the facility.

Every time an employee at your facility must install, set up, adjust, inspect, modify, or maintain equipment or a piece of equipment, a procedure for safely performing these actions must be agreed upon. Even tasks such as lubrication, cleaning, troubleshooting, or changing attachments must be performed following the proper lockout procedure using LOTO lockout systems.

If your people work on machines that can cause injury, cut, trap, burn, or otherwise harm an employee, you'd better use a lockout program.

There are a few cases where this does not apply, such as routine maintenance required during normal production use of the equipment.

Lockout procedures do not apply to agriculture, construction, and shipping, as well as oil and gas well drilling and servicing. However, other methods are used there to ensure employee safety. And if you are interested in your subordinates going home without injuries or mutilation, it is necessary to implement and apply LOTO lockout systems.

How to create and implement a lockout program at a facility?

Implementing a lockout program at a facility consists of several steps that, once completed, will protect your personnel from injury and damage resulting from the release of hazardous energy. It is very important to focus on the user, not the LOTO lockout system standard. You can develop the most detailed and thorough written procedure in the world, but if the user doesn't understand it, it's useless.

Steps:

1. Create a detailed lockout procedure/standard.
2. Make procedures easily accessible.
3. Conduct training for your personnel.
4. Follow the developed procedures.
5. Train personnel and explain the importance of following the procedure.
6. Establish access levels for all employees.
7. Regularly check and re-check procedures.

After developing and implementing a lockout program, it is necessary to ensure that your employees understand how to use it correctly. Regularly train them and even remind them of how important it is to use LOTO lockout systems.

Do you need a LOTO lockout system at your facility?

Truth be told, this is a decision you need to make for yourself, but here are some things to consider. If you want your job to be easier, if you like saving time and money, and you care about the safety of your personnel, then the conclusion is obvious.