Workplace Safety
Lockout / Tagout
The Boston University Hazardous Energy Control Program establishes the minimum requirements for the Lockout and Tagout (LOTO) of energy-isolating devices to prevent an undesirable release of hazardous energy during any servicing, maintenance, or modification activity. LOTO will be used to ensure that the affected equipment or system is isolated from all potential hazardous energy and is locked/tagged out before authorized employees perform any maintenance activities where the unexpected startup or release of stored energy could cause a serious personal injury or a fatality.
The University has prepared a written Energy Control Program (ECP) to provide personnel with procedures for isolating equipment during servicing or maintenance. Personnel are trained in accordance with their classification under the ECP. Periodic reviews of the written LOTO procedures are done to identify any changes that must be made to the procedures and to verify personnel are correctly performing LOTO procedures.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has established employee classifications within the control of hazardous energy (Lockout/Tagout) standard, 29 CFR 1910.147. Depending on their role, personnel are provided training so they can perform their duties under the Boston University Energy Control Program. The classifications of employees are Authorized, Affected, and other.
Authorized Employee
An 'authorized employee' is defined as a person who locks out or tags out machines or equipment in order to perform servicing or maintenance on that machine or equipment. An affected employee becomes an authorized employee when that employee's duties include performing servicing or maintenance covered under this section.
Affected Employee
An employee whose job requires him/her to operate or use a machine or equipment on which servicing or maintenance is being performed under lockout or tagout, or whose job requires him/her to work in an area in which such servicing or maintenance is being performed.
Other Employee
Other employees are those whose work operations are or may be in an area where energy control procedures may be utilized.
Lockout/Tagout Links
FAQs
Lockout/tagout is a means of isolating a system from hazardous energy during servicing or maintenance. A lockout involves the application of a physical lock to an isolating device (i.e. a knife switch or valve) to physically isolate a system. Tagout is the application of a warning tag to an isolating device and does not ensure the same degree of safety that a lockout procedure would provide. In addition to device application, a lockout/tagout procedure could also involve the application of blocking and blanking techniques to ensure complete isolation from hazardous energies.
Other standards that require lockout/tagout include:
- Permit Required Confined Space Entry- 29 CFR 1910.146
- Powered Industrial Trucks- 29 CFR 1910.178
- Hoisting Equipment- 29 CFR 1910.179
- Woodworking Machinery- 29 CFR 1910.213
- Welding 29- CFR 1910.252
- Electrical Standard- 29 CFR 1910.333
Specific challenges are present when conducting a group lockout/tagout. Safety for all workers involved in the maintenance/repair project must be taken into consideration prior to work commencement. In order to ensure employee safety, one member of the group lockout team is designated as the Supervisor. The Supervisor is responsible for ensuring each individual applies his/her own lock onto the isolating device. At the end of the work, the Supervisor directs each worker to remove his or her lock from the isolating device and to leave the area prior to starting the equipment. Only the person who applied a lockout/tagout device can remove the device.
Employees must receive lockout/tagout training before performing service or maintenance on equipment or machinery. Lockout/tagout training provides employees with an understanding of the methods for isolating equipment from hazardous energies including electricity, hydraulic and pneumatic energies outlined in the University's written Lockout/Tagout program. The training also reviews specific written energy control procedures for the systems and equipment serviced and maintained by each trades group.
Established lockout/tagout procedures have been developed in the Boston University written Energy Control Program. The Energy Control Program establishes a specific process for powering down equipment, informing affected people about the servicing and/or maintenance, and for verifying equipment isolation. Procedures for bringing equipment back into service are also established through the energy Control Program. Specific lockout/tagout procedures have been prepared for equipment powered by more than one source of hazardous energy. Authorized employees are trained in the application of the procedures they will be utilizing in the course of their work.
