Lockout / Tagout Program

Photograph accredited to OR-OSHA.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), in 2018 there were a total of 1,560 reportable injuries related to occupational exposure to electricity. The top three sources include machinery (310), parts and materials (850), and hand tools (210).

Electrical energy is just one source of hazardous energy that may be dangerous to employees. Other hazardous energy sources include mechanical, hydraulic, pneumatic, chemical, and thermal energies.

OSHA estimates following proper lockout / tagout procedures prevents an estimated 120 fatalities and 50,000 injuries each year.

Lockout / Tagout (LOTO) is used to control hazardous energy and protects workers by preventing others from turning on, or from a release of energy while working on or servicing, equipment and machinery.

The PSU Lockout / Tagout Program ensures that machinery or equipment is stopped, isolated from all hazardous energy sources, and properly locked and/or tagged-out prior to work. The program applies to all employees and contractors who may be exposed to stored hazardous energy during service or maintenance work.

Disconnect switch, circuit breaker, and line valve — Examples of locked out and tagged out energy-isolating devices

Identify Energy Sources

Identify equipment in your workplace that needs service or maintenance. Determine the types of energy that powers the equipment, including potential energy that may remain when the energy sources are disconnected. There may be more than one type of energy.

Main disconnect switch, motor disconnect, line valve, and truck wedges — Energy-isolating devices

Forms of Energy

Potential: Stored energy that can be drawn upon to do work. Potential energy can be viewed as motion waiting to happen based on an object’s position, such as the energy found in elevated, suspended, compressed, or coiled materials. Potential energy can be converted to kinetic energy to do work.
Kinetic: Energy resulting from moving objects, such as released loads, uncoiling springs, and moving machinery. When these objects are released, their potential energy is converted to kinetic energy.

Forklift being lifted for repair and a forklift lifting a load — Forklifts have potential energy and use kinetic energy

Types of Energy

Chemical: Liquids, such as gasoline, diesel, benzene, acids, and caustics. Gases, such as propane, natural gas, and methane. Solids, such as fertilizer, wet and dry cell batteries, and combustible dust.
Electrical: Alternating (AC) and direct (DC) currents. Includes equipment and conductors at both household and industrial voltages, photovoltaic systems, circuit breakers, transformers, capacitors, inverters, motors, and hybrid vehicles.
Gravitational: Objects such a hoisted vehicles, raised dumpster lids, objects supported by a crane, and elevated dump truck beds.
Hydraulic: Pressurized hydraulic systems, including hoses, pumps, valves, actuators, and reservoirs such as those on a forklift, in an automotive vehicle hoist, power press equipment, or an injection molding machine.
Mechanical: Sources such as a breeze rotating a wind turbine, water moving a paddle wheel, vehicle/mobile equipment movement, and a spring under compression. Extreme sound is also a hazardous mechanical energy.
Pneumatic: Pressurized air or gas systems, including pipes, pumps, valves, actuators, and pressure vessels such as those found in coating or pesticide sprayers, air compressors, and tank and pipe purging systems.
Radiation: Visible light, infrared, microwave, ultraviolet, and X-rays. Non-ionizing radiation includes lasers, radio frequency (RF), and microwave (MW). Ionizing radiation includes computed tomography (CT) and X-rays.
Thermal: Hot water, heated oil, steam, and equipment need time to cool, while liquefied gases, such as nitrogen, need time to warm to safe thermal levels.

Controlling Hazardous Energy

To control hazardous energy, you must prevent it from being transmitted from its source to the equipment that it powers. You can accomplish that by doing the following:

Identify energy sources and energy-isolating devices
De-energize equipment
Secure energy-isolating devices in a safe position
Dissipate or restrain potential energy that can’t be isolated
Verify equipment isolation

Energy Control Procedures

Each piece of equipment or machinery with potential sources of hazardous energy should have a corresponding energy control procedure. These procedures include:

Intended use of the procedure, including types of energy sources
Steps for shutting down, isolating, blocking, and securing the equipment or machinery
Steps for placing, removing, and transferring lockout devices
Equipment-testing requirements to verify the effectiveness of the energy-control procedure

These specific energy control procedures are stored in the Facilities and Property Management (FPM) Systems crew office and, where feasible, posted on or next to the equipment itself. These may also be requested by contacting EHS.

Locked out device and locked out and tagged out device

Authorized Employee

An Authorized LOTO Employee is someone who performs LOTO procedures on equipment or machinery to do service or maintenance work.

These employees must receive the Authorized Employee training and are responsible for complying with the LOTO program and energy control procedures.

Affected Employee

An Affected LOTO Employee is someone who uses equipment or machinery that may be serviced under LOTO procedures and/or someone who works in an area where equipment or machinery is being serviced.

These employees must receive the awareness level Affected Employee training and are responsible for identifying and adhering to LOTO procedures, including prohibition against starting machines that are locked or tagged out.

Resources

PSU Lockout/Tagout Program
Oregon OSHA Fact Sheet - The Control of Hazardous Energy (Lockout/Tagout)
Oregon OSHA Control of Hazardous Energy (Lockout/Tagout) Regulations
Oregon OSHA Lockout/Tagout Guide