Why Lockout Tag out is Important in the Workplace

The number of times that we have heard of job-related casualties in the construction industry is nothing short of worrying. In fact, while most of these casualties were victims of bad luck, some of the accidents could have been easily prevented had the employers put in place certain measures to ensure their employees’ safety. In this article, we are going to explore what the lockout tag out is and why it is a vital addition in the workplace.

What is Lockout Tagout?

The lockout tag out is a measure that is put in place with the intention of preventing accidents that happen on the job site as a result of coming into contact with machines that are not turned off. The lockout tag out ideally keeps the machines from unexpectedly turning on by ensuring that they stay either temporarily or permanently turned off. According to the standards of the lockout tag out, hazardous energy sources such as hydraulics, pneumatics, thermals, chemicals and forces of gravity need to not only be isolated but also rendered inoperative prior to any servicing and maintenance.

The lockout tag out procedure

1. Think, plan and check

In the think plan and check stage, the ones in charge are required to carefully think through the entire process before hand. This is then followed by a recognition of the parts in that particular system that needs to be turned off and making a decision on who and which switches and machines need to be included in the process. After this has been sorted out, the next thing is to have a clear plan on how the machine will be restarted.

2. Communicate

This step essentially involves informing people before hand about the lockout tag out that is about to occur and recognizing all power sources regardless of their proximity to the site.

3. Ensure that you neutralise power at the source

The neutralizing stage basically involves:

• Disconnecting electricity.
• Blocking movable parts.
• Releasing spring energy.
• Draining hydraulic and pneumatic lines.
• Lowering suspended parts to positions of rest.

4. Lockout power sources

In locking out power sources, you need to ensure that you use a lock that has been specifically designed for such a purpose as this. In addition to that, employees need to have their own personal locks.

5. Tag out all power sources and machines

This step basically involves tagging starter switches, suspended parts, machine controls and pressure lines. It is vital to remember that all tags need to contain your name, department, time and date of the lockout, the reason for the lockout as well as how people can contact you.

6. Do a complete test

The step involves:

• Double checking all the steps again to ensure that you didn’t miss out anything.
• Personally, checking out everything for quality assurance.
• Pushing the operate valves, start buttons and test circuits to test the system.

7. Restart the machines

When you are done with maintenance and servicing, you need to ensure that you follow the steps set aside for restart and then remove your locks and tags. When you have ascertained that the equipment is ready to go and all the employees are safe and sound, only then can you switch the power back on.
Seeing as the importance of the lockout tag out cannot be overlooked any longer, it is vital to ensure that employees are well trained on the steps that need to be taken. This will not only increase safety standards in the job area but it will also save companies the terror of having to deal with related casualties.