Benefits of Graphical LOTO Procedures
With innovative graphical LOTO procedures replacing outdated text-based procedures, authorized personnel are now able to detect breakers for remote disconnects in far less time. In many cases, when an authorized worker was assigned with locking out equipment infrequently serviced, merely identifying the accurate electrical disconnect could take hours, prolonging equipment downtime, and the administrative burden, tracing disconnects and then verifying the disconnects until arriving at the proper one.
With the new LOTO procedures, lockouts for even uncomplicated equipment such as conveyors can be condensed from 1 hour to a mere 5 minutes on average. For more intricate equipment such as a printing press, a 4.5-hour lockout procedure can be condensed to only 30 minutes. As well, employees are often more assured it’s completed correctly.
With detailed graphical procedures in place, training new personnel takes a fraction of the time with easy to understand procedures that are simple to follow and visual aids such as energy source identification tags that are mounted at each corresponding energy source isolation point.
A Successful LOTO Program
Every year, lockout-tagout compliance continues to show up on OSHA’s Top 10 Cited Standards list. The largest portion of those citations are due to an absence of appropriate lockout procedures, safety documentation, regular inspections or other procedural elements. Fortunately, the subsequent outlined key essentials for a lockout tagout program will support you in keeping your employees safe and avoid becoming a statistic due to non-compliance.
Develop and Document a LOTO Program
The first and foremost task in developing a LOTO program is developing and documenting an equipment energy control program. A written lockout document creates and clarifies the elements of your program.
It’s imperative to consider not only OSHA’s guidelines, but also custom specifications for your personnel to guarantee they can comprehend and use within their everyday work.
A program is not a singular fix; it should be revisited on a yearly basis to confirm it’s still pertinent and successfully protects workers. Producing a lockout program should be a collective project from all levels of the company.
Write Task Specific LOTO Procedures
Lockout-Tagout procedures should be properly documented and plainly recognize the equipment detailed. The procedures should specify the precise steps essential for isolating, shutting down and securing equipment to control hazardous energy, in addition to steps for the placement, removal and transfer of LOTO devices.
Even beyond compliance, we advocate generating best practice procedures that contain machine-specific photographs categorizing energy isolation points. These photos should be displayed at the point-of-use to provide personnel with defined and visually intuitive directions.
Label Energy Isolation Points
Pinpoint and recognize all energy control points — valves, switches, breakers and plugs — with permanently positioned and standardized tags. Bear in mind that these labels should be standardized and matched with the equipment-specific procedures from the previous steps.
LOTO Training and Audits
Be sure to effectively educate your workforce, convey processes and perform periodic audits to confirm your program is functioning successfully. Your training program should not only contain OSHA requirements, but also your own detailed program essentials, such as your machine-specific procedures.
When OSHA assesses an organization’s LOTO compliance and performance, it scrutinizes employee training programs in the subsequent groups:
- Authorized employees. Those who execute the LOTO procedures on equipment and machinery for maintenance.
- Affected employees. Those employees who do not complete LOTO requirements, but utilize the equipment that is receiving maintenance.
- Other employees. Any worker who does not utilize the equipment, but who is within the area where equipment is being maintained.
Provide Appropriate LOTO Devices
With so many products in the marketplace constructed to help keep your personnel safe, choosing the most suitable software solution for your application is the key to LOTO effectiveness. Once chosen, it’s imperative to document and use devices that best fit each LOTO point.
Sustainability
Your LOTO program should always be constantly improving, which means it should contain regularly scheduled reviews. By regularly revisiting your program, you are establishing a culture of safety that preemptively addresses LOTO performance, permitting your organization to concentrate on continuing a first-rate program. It also saves time because it eliminates the need to re-write the process from the beginning each year and responding only when something goes wrong.
Not sure if you can afford the sustainability costs? Programs that lack sustainability tend to have increased expenses in the long term, because the LOTO program must be reinvented each annual cycle. By the simple act of sustaining your program through the year, you’ll improve your safety culture and utilize less resources because you won’t be required to rebuild the process.
Next Steps
Take your LOTO program to the next level with standardization. Standardizing your program can go a long way in safeguarding the safety of your personnel and the complete compliance of the regulation.
A standardized LOTO program is a benefit to your organization by:
Creating consistent expectations
Decreasing manhours spent on audits
Enhancing usage and safety
Streamlining training
Boosting accountability
Developing a reliable safety culture
TK Procedures delivers an end-to-end solution, which means we can join in and assist at any period of your LOTO program development. Trust in our team of industry professionals to work with you to generate a maintainable and compliant safety program aided by:
- Our insights — Field engineers from diverse industries deliver a range of viewpoints and discover possible safety gaps others won’t
- Our services — Industry-leading development in LOTO and safety permitting to keep you and your crew protected.
- Our products — Safety permitting products and software developed by experts and designed to perform
Partnering with Stilwell & Associates means that you will have access to the most current and up to date product on the market that will not let you down. Unlike other well-known software solutions, TK Pro® and SafeTK™ have the cross-functionality between modules that saves our clients a substantial amount of time. You can issue a full work package within a few minutes (or less if utilizing an authorized procedure or standard) and includes the printing of the tags.
