#lockouttagoutprogram

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OSHA Lockout Tagout Standard - 1910.147(c)(6) Periodic inspection

To ensure that the energy control procedures in place are adequate and being properly and consistently applied, a Lockout Tagout program must be reviewed/inspected periodically and revised if needed. Section (c)(6) of the OSHA Standard sets forth specific requirements for conducting the periodic inspection.

The periodic inspection provisions of the standard 1910.147(c)(6)(i) require that energy control program be reviewed at least annually to ensure compliance. The intent of this requirement is to ensure that energy control program is updated, accessible, and being implemented properly, and that the employees remain familiar with their responsibilities under those procedures. The periodic inspection also serves as an essential check to verify the continued proficiency of the employees in the safe application, use, and removal of the energy controls.

Under section (c)(6)(i)(B) The periodic inspection must be designed to correct any deviations and inadequacies observed, and the employer must certify that the periodic inspections have been performed.

Further, under Section (c)(6)(i)(C) of the standard requires that the inspector reviews the responsibilities of each authorized employee under the procedure with that employee.

Under Section(c)(6)(i)(D) the standard requires that when tagout alone is used, both authorized and affected employees must review the use of the tagout system as part of the annual inspection. This additional review is necessary because of the shortcomings of the tagout system. Tags can be removed or bypassed, and provide limited protection when compared to locks. To ensure proper implementation of Tagout, it is also important to periodically review responsibilities with affected employees and remind them of the restrictions imposed on them under the program. When Tagout alone is used, the annual inspection must also include a review on the limitation of tags with each affected and authorized employee.

Certifying the Inspection - 1910.147(c)(6)(ii)

Under the Standard 1910.147, the employer shall certify that the periodic inspections have been performed. In addition to the equipment, date of the inspection, name of the inspector, the employees included in the inspection and the person performing the inspection must also be documented. This document is intended to ensure that the involved employees have had the opportunity to review their responsibilities and demonstrate their performance under the procedure.

The inspection must be able to determine:

·  Whether the steps in the energy control procedure are being followed

· Whether the employees involved know their responsibilities under the procedure

· Whether the procedure is adequate to provide the necessary protection, and what changes, if any, are needed.

Check OSHA Guidelines - https://www.safetylock.net/learn-lockout-tagout/osha-documentation/

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Avail Lockout Tagout Solutions for Different Industries | E-Square

E-Square provides the comprehensive Lockout Tagout (LOTO) solutions to various industries for their workplace safety and enhancing productivity. We offer different types of LOTO services and Lockout Tagout products which can be beneficial to them.

E-Square understands the importance of industry-specific LOTO products and strives to suggest appropriate solutions that address the unique safety concerns of different industries.

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Online Lockout Tagout Training and LOTO Courses | E-Square Training Academy

To support your workplace LOTO safety training needs, E-Square Training Academy offers variety of online lockout tagout training courses and programs. Our 20 years of experience in Lockout Tagout makes us experts at enabling you to gain insight into your LOTO program and into your business.

Training is an essential part of every employer’s health and safety program and several studies highlight that effective training and re-training for Lockout Tagout plays a pivotal role in preventing lockout tagout related injuries and fatalities.

We help health and safety practitioners, business owners and workers to stay safe, compliant and productive through our extraordinary, high impact, and experiential breakthrough training programs. E-Square Training Academy offers a variety of innovative and friendly training programs. Our training programs are based on internationally accepted most stringent standards on hazardous energy management to ensure optimum safety levels.

All of our training programs are based on OSHA’s Resource for development and delivery of training recommended ADDIE model for training development.

We offer: On-site Lockout Tagout Training Virtual-Live Training Online LOTO Courses Industry Specific LOTO Training

For more information about Lockout Tagout Training and Online Courses, visit - https://www.lototrainingcourses.com

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OSHA Lockout Tagout Standard - Lockout Tagout devices must be Standardized & Identifiable

Under section (B) of (c)(5)(ii) of the OSHA Standard 1910.147, requires that Lockout Tagout Devices must be standardized in either colour, shape, size, print or format. The requirement of the standardized devices is meant to ensure that they are readily identifiable, unique, and distinguished from other similar devices found in the workplace. The intent of these provisions is to elevate the importance of Lockout Tagout devices and ensure that all the employees understand their distinct and exclusive purpose - to protect services & maintenance employees from accidental start-up or the release of stored energy. Section (c)(5)(ii)(D) of the standard requires that Lockout Tagout devices identify the employees who apply them. This requirement adds a degree of accountability to the LOTO program. Once the involved employee is identified, he/she can be located when needed. This identification is also essential as it enables the employer to quickly determine the identity of the employee who forgot to remove his lockout Tagout device. Check OSHA Guidelines - https://www.safetylock.net/learn-lockout-tagout/osha-documentation/

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OSHA Lockout Tagout 1910.147(c): Protective Materials and Hardware

To perform service or maintenance safely and effectively under Lockout Tagout, employees must be provided with protective equipment, hardware and appliances for isolating, securing, or blocking of machines & equipment from their energy sources. Under paragraph (c)(5) of the OSHA Standard, it is the employers’ responsibility to provide necessary devices. Protective material and hardware that may be needed include locks, tags, cable ties, chains, breakers and valve lockouts, wedges, blocks, blinds, pins, fasteners and other hardware.

When launching a lockout tagout program, a survey of the workplace is needed, not only to identify the machines, equipment and processes that are covered by the program, but also to become familiar with the configuration of the equipment. When ordering the necessary hardware, the employer must also ensure that the hardware meets specific requirements for design & construction.

Under paragraph (c)(5)(ii) it states that the Lockout & Tagout devices should be singularly identified. Which means- the best suitable device should be placed on the isolating point and should not be used for any other purpose apart from Lockout Tagout on machines & equipment.

Section A-D of paragraph (c)(5)(ii) specifies certain requirements of lockout Tagout devices, i.e. The device must be durable, Standardized, Substantial and Identifiable.

In paragraph 1910.147(c)(5)(iii), OSHA requires that the major message printed on the tag “warn against hazardous condition of the equipment is re-energized. Five examples of acceptable warnings are provided, including Do Not Start. Do Not Open. Do Not Close. Do Not Energize. Do Not Operate. In all cases, employees must know and understand the meaning of the Tag.

Check OSHA Guidelines - https://www.safetylock.net/learn-lockout-tagout/osha-documentation/

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OSHA 1910.147(c)(4)(i) - Exceptions to Energy Control Procedures

Energy Control Procedures or Machine Specific Procedures need to be developed, documented & utilized always for full employee protection. If the total employee protection is obtained without ECP, then the need for developing ECP can be exempted. But all the essential elements required for complete safety of the employees have to be fulfilled.

The exemption is mostly for the simple equipment, when the Lockout device is under the exclusive control of the authorized employee, there is no potential for inadvertent release of stored or residual energy, and a single lockout device can achieve a locked-out condition. But in industries, even the complicated machines do not have the ECP. Many times when there are replicas of the same equipment, then the generic or common ECPs are used which leads to a lot of confusion & adequate energy control is not achieved, resulting in serious accidents.

So, ECPs are required for the isolation of hazardous energies & absence of ECP is the most common violation as per OSHA Standard 29 CFR 1910.147.

Check OSHA Guidelines - https://www.safetylock.net/learn-lockout-tagout/osha-29-cfr-1910-147-explained/

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OSHA 1910.147(c)(4) Energy Control Procedure

Most of the OSHA Violations are due to the unavailability of Energy Control Procedures (ECP) or Machine Specific Procedures (MSP) in organisations. Companies buy Local products, just to become LOTO compliant, but they do not know the correct procedure for safe isolation and control of Hazardous energies. Successful implementation of Energy Control Program requires an understanding and awareness of Hazardous energy types and magnitude, the methods, techniques, and devices used to control that energy.

To provide guidance to employees for putting the program into practice, written Energy Control Procedures should be developed. These procedures must define the purpose, scope, and application of the program, deploy the responsibilities of the managers, supervisors, and employees for implementing a systematic Lockout Tagout program.

A written Energy Control procedures (ECP) / Machine Specific procedures (MSP) needs to be developed, documented as it clearly and specifically outlines the steps to be followed, techniques to be used, and measures to be applied for the control of potentially Hazardous Energy.

This includes specific steps to shut down, isolate, block, secure, place, and remove lockout or tagout devices, and to determine the effectiveness of those devices by following verification steps.

The written ECP/MSP must have pictorial representation for isolation, installed images of LOTO devices that specifies procedural steps for the placement, removal and transfer of Lockout Devices or tagout devices.

Lack of compliance can lead to serious disciplinary actions. Industries need to mention the consequences in case of non-compliance of Lockout Tagout due to any reason, whatsoever.

Periodic inspections are mandatory to help ensure that the energy control procedures and the requirements of the standard are being followed.

Services of LOTO can be taken for developing ECPs/MSPs as they have vast industrial knowledge to prescribe the proper steps for the safe isolation by the correct use of Lockout Tagout.

Check OSHA Guidelines - https://www.safetylock.net/learn-lockout-tagout/osha-documentation/

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What is Machine Specific Procedure (MSP) and its Benefits

Machine Specific Lockout Tagout procedures are an integral part of any Energy control program. E-Square customized MSP procedures are the most sought after by its customers who value the life of their workers and safety of their establishments.

A Machine Specific Procedure (MSP) is a customized procedure drafted for each individual piece of equipment / machine that shows the location of isolation point, instructions for the isolation, energy sources & proper methods for isolation along with prescribed Lockout devices.

MSP will have pictorial representation for isolation, installed images of LOTO Device for making it easier to understand regular & the new workers.

Inadequate awareness of isolation process can lead to big hazards & many lives could be affected by the resulted accidents. MSP helps to eliminate such possibilities of incidences by providing instruction in written format.

Periodic inspections are mandatory to help ensure that the energy control procedures and the requirements of the standard are being properly followed.

E-Square is dedicated in providing Lockout Tagout procedure services for all the establishments & industries. On the basis of the onsite evaluations and analysis conducted by our engineers - procedures are drafted. The company provides the MSPs and the related products like the Energy Source Tags, supply of complete range of LOTO solutions, Tags with required Text / Graphics / languages, etc. are designed to fit to the requirements & budgets and at the same time meet the OSHA standard requirements.

Get more details about machine specific procedures and how to create those - https://www.safetylock.net/services/loto-machine-specific-procedure-msp/

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LOTO Services - Energy Source Identification and Hazard Isolation

The most essential task associated with launching a Lockout Tagout Program includes, performance of a workplace survey and hazard assessment to identify the equipment and machines with Hazardous Energy, along with their isolation points.

LOTO can be accomplished easily and effectively if the surveyors study all the types of energies present, the hazards to be controlled, and the method of energy control, including the stored energies as well.

·  Survey of the workplace should be performed to identify the machines and equipment that could accidentally energize, start up or release hazardous energies. Also, check that the machines are capable of being locked out.

· Access the Hazards and the Hazardous points of the equipment to be serviced or maintained.

· Understand the input of the employees, as they are the most affected ones, and they are often the ones most familiar with the equipment.

· Hazards should be labelled properly. Labelling of the isolating points & isolating devices is also of great benefit to the employees in assuring that energy control devices can be quickly and properly applied.

· Communication with and feedback from employees should be sought continuously to identify deficiencies and to detect opportunities for improvement.

· Right kind of Lockout Devices for different isolation points like electrical switches, isolators, ball valves, gate valves, butterfly valves, etc. need to be assessed carefully by someone who is experienced & is well aware of all kinds of Lockout devices available.

· A comprehensive report needs to be made and presented before the management, defining all the hazards with their locations & methods of their energy isolation, along with the prescription of Lockout Tagout Devices required.

A thorough study of all Hazard Isolations and the complete documentation is the base of a Successful LOTO System. So, it is essential that we seek the help of a LOTO Expert or get professional guidance for the same.

For professional Lockout Tagout hazard isolation at your premises, please send your request - https://www.safetylock.net/lockout-tagout-services/