ASHLAND UNIVERSITY

LOCK OUT/ TAG OUT

(THE CONTROL OF HAZARDOUS ENERGY)

JANUARY, 2006

Purpose

To establish guidelines to be followed while an employee is servicing equipment which is subject to unexpected machinery movement, energization, or release of stored energy.

Machinery must be rendered inoperable by a lock. If the machine cannot be locked, a prominent warning tag shall be used in accordance with standard procedure to indicate that the equipment may not be operated until the tag is removed.

The energy sources covered by the OSHA standard 29 CFR 1910.147, entitled The Control of Hazardous Energy include chemical, electrical, hydraulic, gravity, pneumatic, spring, thermal, stored, battery and reciprocal.

Policy

Training about the purpose and function of the energy control program is required.

Introduction

Some examples of accidents that lock out/tag out procedures could prevent would be; electric shock, electrocution, burns, scalding injury (hot liquid, steam), toxic chemical exposures, crushing injuries, amputations, entrapment and confined-space accidents.

General

Protective materials and hardware.

Locks, tags, chains, wedges, key blocks, adapter pins, self-locking fasteners, or other hardware provided for isolating, securing or blocking of machines or equipment from energy sources.

Procedure

The following steps shall be taken when working on electrical, hydraulic, or pneumatic systems:

  1. Think about safety before every job or task.
  2. Know the type and magnitude of the energy, the hazards of the energy to be controlled and the methods to control the energy.
  3. Notify all affected departments and employees that a lock-out or tag-out system is going to be utilized and the reason for this.
  4. If the machine or equipment is operating, shut it down by the normal stopping procedure.
  5. Make a survey to locate and identify all devices to be certain which switch or other devices apply to the equipment to be locked or tagged out. More than one source of power may be involved. Each energy source must be identified and either locked out or tagged out.
  6. Lock out or tag out the power source devices with assigned individual lock(s) or tag(s).
  7. After ensuring that no personnel are exposed and as a check on having disconnected the power source, operate the controls to make certain the equipment will not operate.

    CAUTION: Return operating control to neutral or off position after the test.

Release from lock out or tag out:

Before lock out or tag out devices are removed and energy is restored to the machine or equipment, procedures must be followed and actions taken by the authorized employee(s) to ensure the following:

  1. The work area is to be inspected to ensure nonessential items have been removed and to ensure that machine or equipment components are operationally intact.
  2. The work area must be checked to ensure all employees have been safely positioned or removed.
  3. Verify all controls are in neutral.
  4. After lock out or tag out devices have been removed and before a machine or equipment is started, affected employees must be notified that the lockout device(s) have been removed.
  5. Remove the lock out device and re-energize the equipment. Notify affected employees that the servicing is complete and the equipment is ready for use.

Each lock out or tag out device must be removed from each energy isolating device by the employee who applied the device.