Lockout Tagout

How to Build a Lockout/Tagout Program: The Complete Equipment Checklist

Every facility that services powered equipment needs a lockout/tagout (LOTO) program; it’s a direct requirement from OSHA 1910.147. But a binder of written procedures only works if your team has the right hardware and training to carry them out. If you’re standing up a new program or truing up an outdated one, this checklist walks through every category of equipment you’ll need, what each device does, and…

CSS Editorial Staff | August 4, 2026 | Product Spotlight, Safety Products, Safety Solutions | Lockout Tagout, Regulations & Compliance, Safety, Workplace Safety

Robots, Automation, and Workplace Safety: 7 Common Hazards

It’s been more than thirty years since OSHA published Guidelines for Robotics Safety in 1987. Since then, automated systems and are robots are used in all kinds of industries to complete all types of jobs – from material handling to fabrication to security. Robotics have given companies the chance to dramatically increase operational efficiency while ensuring a high level of quality control. Automation is often used to…

Jesse Allred | January 21, 2020 | Safety Solutions | Electrical Safety, Lockout Tagout, Regulations & Compliance, Safety, Workplace Safety

Addressing Lockout/Tagout for National Electrical Safety Month

Since May is National Electrical Safety Month, it’s the perfect time to address common electrical hazards in your workplace. One of the most important components of electrical safety is the control of hazardous energy, known as lockout/tagout (LOTO). This article defines LOTO, why it’s important to your facility, and how it can help prevent dangerous accidents. What is LOTO? Lockout tagout is the practice of controlling energy…

Jesse Allred | May 13, 2019 | Safety Solutions, Visual Safety | Electrical Safety, Equipment Labeling, Lockout Tagout, Regulations & Compliance, Safety, Workplace Safety

Electrical Safety Month: Tips for Electrical Hazard Safety

National Electrical Safety Month has been recognized every May since the early 1990s, remaining a staunch tradition to this day. The Electrical Safety Foundation International (EFSI) takes special initiatives to promote electrical safety at home and the workplace. Last year, the Electrical Safety Foundation International ran a campaign that featured e-mobility, lithium-ion battery safety, and disaster safety. You can expect similar themes this year, as well. To…

Jesse Allred | May 15, 2018 | Safety Solutions | Arc Flash, Electrical Safety, Lockout Tagout, OSHA, Safety, Workplace Safety

Five Common Safety Blind Spots

Improving workplace safety is a challenging task, and one that is never ending. When done properly, however, it can help to avoid accidents and even save lives. Many businesses focus on implementing safety standards, and ensuring equipment is properly maintained to avoid safety issues. While these are both very good things to do, it can leave employees at risk to common safety ‘blind spots.’ These blind spots…

Tony Ferraro | June 19, 2017 | Safety Solutions | Blind Spots, Floor Marking, Forklift Safety, Lockout Tagout, Safety, Workplace Safety

15 Epic Safety Fails & How to Avoid Them

Workplace safety is extremely important and it’s something most people reading this page think about on a regular basis. Those who work in this industry often get to a point where they don’t see very many egregious safety failures because companies that employ safety managers typically have at least some standards in place. Every day throughout the world, however, people make incredibly dangerous (and alright, we’ll say…

Tony Ferraro | May 8, 2017 | Safety Solutions | Electrical Safety, Fire Safety, Forklift Safety, Ladder Safety, Lockout Tagout, OSHA, Safety, Workplace Safety

The Recipe for Complete Lockout Tagout

When looking to improve the safety of employees and the overall facility during maintenance and other work on machines, there are few things better than developing a lockout/tagout (LOTO) system. This system is designed specifically to prevent accidents and injuries when personnel are working in and around potentially dangerous machines. For example, if someone is going to be replacing a part on a large machine, it is…

Tony Ferraro | March 17, 2016 | Safety Solutions | Electrical Safety, Lockout Tagout, Regulations & Compliance, Workplace Safety

Lockout Tagout Mistakes – 6 Ways to Eliminate Them

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,…

Tony Ferraro | October 28, 2014 | Safety Solutions | Facility Marking, Labeling, Lockout Tagout, Regulations & Compliance, Safety, Workplace Safety

10 Construction Safety Facts that May Surprise You

Make Construction Safety a Priority Everyone knows that construction sites can be very dangerous. The more you know about the types of danger you will face, however, will help you to take steps toward keeping everyone safe. Look over the following 10 safety facts and see what you can learn about how to improve the overall safety of your facility. In addition to using this information to…

Tony Ferraro | October 20, 2014 | Safety Solutions | Crane Safety, Electrical Safety, Labeling, Lockout Tagout, OSHA, PPE, Safety

10 Items for Your Safety Hazards Checklist

Get Started with a Safety Hazards Checklist Keeping a facility safe is extremely important, and as a safety manager or other leader in the facility it is often going to be your responsibility to ensure there are no unnecessary hazards. One of the best ways to do this is to make a safety hazards checklist that you can use to make sure nothing is overlooked during inspections…

Tony Ferraro | September 8, 2014 | Safety Solutions | Electrical Safety, Facility Marking, Fire Safety, Labeling, Lockout Tagout, Safety, Safety Signs

General Machine Guarding – 1910.212

Basic Overview of Machine Guarding Standard – 1910.212 When it comes to facility safety, few things are as important, or as despised, as machine guarding. Employees often look at general machine guarding as something that gets in the way of doing their job, and slows them down more than anything. While it is certainly true that it can be a hindrance, machine guarding also helps to prevent…

Tony Ferraro | July 3, 2014 | Safety Solutions | Lockout Tagout, Machine Guarding, OSHA, Regulations & Compliance, Safety

Top 6 Losses in OEE

OEE and Understanding the Most Common Areas of Loss Tracking your facility’s productivity is an important way to keep up to date on how efficient your business is operating, and how to make improvements. The OEE standard helps manufacturing companies keep track of how things are going, and identify where they are experiencing excessive downtime or other inefficiencies. While every company is unique in many ways, virtually…

Tony Ferraro | June 30, 2014 | Lean | 5S, Facility Efficiency, Lockout Tagout, OEE

Facility Safety Frequently Asked Questions

Facility Safety Questions and Answers When it comes to improving safety in a facility, people have all sorts of questions. In many cases the questions are about specific situations related to their own facility. These questions often require very detailed answers and looking at how the laws or regulations apply to a specific situation. For most questions, however, the answers will be the same for all facilities.…

Tony Ferraro | May 28, 2014 | Safety Solutions | Arc Flash, Electrical Safety, Facility Safety, Fire Safety, GHS, Labeling, Lockout Tagout, OSHA, Safety, Safety Signs, Safety Standards, Workplace Safety

How to Train Employees on Lockout/Tagout Systems

Maintenance workers have dangerous jobs; when crawling around inside machinery for repairs, there’s always a risk that someone will come along and start a piece of equipment without knowing that there’s someone inside. This is true whether the risk comes from shock/electrocution, crushing, or any other kind of hazard. In order to minimize this risk, the Lockout/Tagout, or LOTO, system was developed. Basically, this is a system…

Tony Ferraro | April 24, 2014 | Safety Solutions | Lockout Tagout, OSHA, Safety

Go for the Gold: Create an Accident-Free Work Environment

What is one of the leading causes of production loss within a company? If you guessed accidents, you are correct. Accidents, whether they are big or small take a toll on nearly everyone in the company. When an accident happens, employees may be injured, equipment or processes must be paused, accident reports must be filed, human resources may become involved if the employee must miss work, and…

Tony Ferraro | July 11, 2013 | Safety Solutions | Fire Safety, Lockout Tagout, Safety, Safety Signs