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Eliminating Lockout Tagout Mistakes
When it comes to protecting people while working on machines within a facility, few things are as effective as following lockout/tagout (LOTO) procedures. If you are not already using this safety method, it is a process in which the person (or people) who are going to be working in a hazardous location will physically remove the power from the machines in the area, and place a lock on the power source.
Along with the lock, highly visible tags are placed, letting people in the area know that they have done this intentionally, and that the power will be restored once the work is completed. A LOTO program’s goal is to make it impossible for the machine that is being worked on to accidentally be re-energized while the person or people are working in a dangerous area.
When done properly, this safety procedure can virtually eliminate the risk of electrocution or other injury related to the machine activating. When not implemented or followed correctly, serious injuries or even death can occur.
According to OSHA –
“Compliance with the lockout/tagout standard prevents an estimated 120 fatalities and 50,000 injuries each year. Workers injured on the job from exposure to hazardous energy lose an average of 24 workdays for recuperation.”
This article highlights some of the common LOTO mistakes and how to avoid them to help improve the safety of your facility:
6 Common Lockout Tagout Mistakes and How to Eliminate Them
1. Failing to Test the Controls
People who use the lockout tagout system can become overly confident in its ability to keep them safe. The fact is, however, that one of the biggest lockout tagout mistakes is assuming that the entire process is complete once the power has been removed, locked and tagged.
In reality, operators must go back and test the controls on the machine to make sure they don’t engage. In some cases, a machine will have a backup power supply available, or some sort of energy stored within the machine. If you don’t take the time to confirm that the power is entirely removed from the machine, it could result in a major incident.
This is why it is so important to always remember that the locking out and tagging out of the power is just the first step in the overall safety process.
2. Having Someone Else Perform the Lockout Tagout Steps
People are often in a hurry when getting ready to perform any type of work on a machine. This can lead to people wanting to take shortcuts. One dangerous shortcut to avoid is having someone not involved in the maintenance process perform the physical lockout process.
When this is done, the person in the machine does not hold the key to the lock, which exposes them to a higher level of danger. Even if given the key to the lock, they won’t know for sure that the right machine was locked out, or that it was locked out properly.
To avoid this type of lockout tagout mistake, the person or people who are going into the dangerous area should always be the responsible for the actual lockout tagout process. This is the only way to be entirely sure that power won’t be restored before it is safe.
3. Only Locking the Control Circuit
Another common mistake that is made is when someone decides that it is acceptable to just lock out the control circuit rather than the main power source to the machine itself. This is often done because it may be easier to access or closer to the area where the work is being done.
While it may sound safe at first to just remove the power to the control panel, it is not. Even without power to the control, the machine can activate due to a short circuit or other system malfunction. In addition, the power in the machine may still be there, exposing the maintenance team to a risk of electrocution.
To avoid this mistake, workers should know that it is only acceptable to enter a machine when the lockout tagout process has been completed on the main power source for the machine itself, and no shortcuts will be accepted.
4. Skipping the Process for Quick Jobs
One of the most dangerous, and unfortunately, most common lockout tagout mistakes is made is skipping the process altogether for quick jobs. Someone may need to step into the machine to check on something, or to replace a small part. The individual may think that because they will only be in the area for a brief moment that it is not necessary to go through the entire procedure.
Even one second in these dangerous areas can lead to a potentially deadly accident. It must be made absolutely clear that it is never acceptable to go in these areas without first completing the LOTO process.
One way to remind people about this policy is to print off safety labels on your LabelTac ProX industrial label printer. These labels can be customized to can say something like, “Do Not Enter without Completing the Lockout/Tagout Process.” Whatever you choose to have it say, LOTO labels can be a effective final reminder to anyone entering the area to ensure they have taken the proper precautions.
5. Unaware of the Hazard Area
One risk that some people don’t think about when looking at keeping machine areas safe is that some people won’t know that the hazard exists. This can happen with exceptionally large machines where some of the risk areas are big and easy to walk into.
In these instances, someone may walk into the area without realizing that they are going into danger. To protect people from this, it is important to make it clear that each entrance or exit area to the machine is clearly marked.
Ideally, this should be done by physically locking a gate so people can’t get in unintentionally. You can also use floor marking tape to draw attention to the fact that the area they are approaching is restricted. Adding safety labels on any walls or gates in the area is also a good idea. The more you can do to draw attention to the danger, the better.
6. Improperly Follow Procedures for Multiple Lockouts
There are many times when more than one person has to enter the machine to complete the job. When this is done, the lockout tagout procedure requires that each of the individuals puts their own lock on the power source so that they all must be out before power can be restored.
Unfortunately, a common lockout tagout mistake is to only have one person’s lock in place, assuming that everyone will come in and out of the machine together. Even if this is the plan, it is never an acceptable practice. Every person in the machine must have their own lock in place, so that there is no risk of someone being left in the machine alone and the power being restored. LOTO hasps enable multiple locks to be placed on one power source, while keyed-different, variable color padlocks can help improve safety when multiple people need to operate in or on the equipment.
Strict Adherence to the Procedure
As you can see, the most common lockout tagout mistakes are all centered on occurrences when people don’t strictly follow the procedure. It is almost human nature to try to find shortcuts, and this is often a good thing. When it comes to safety procedures, however, this is never acceptable.
This is why all training and enforcement of the LOTO process, and any other safety processes, must focus on strict adherence at all times. When done properly, your facility will be able to virtually eliminate accidents and injuries caused by working within a machine.