
A moment of carelessness and being inattentive can lead to a work-related accident, resulting in serious injury or death. These accidents don’t happen on purpose and usually it is not the fault of one individual. The result of such careless moments can be serious and costly.
Workers servicing or maintaining machines and equipment may be seriously injured or killed if hazardous energy is not properly controlled. Each year, failure to control hazardous energy accounts for nearly 10 percent of the series accidents in many industries. ABUS offers many industrial safety products from padlocks to lockout devices, hasps and labels.
The OSHA standard for The Control of Hazardous Energy (Lockout/Tagout), Title 29 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 1910.147, addresses the practices and procedures necessary to disable machinery or equipment, thereby preventing the release of hazardous energy while employees perform servicing and maintenance activities.
With over 3,000 violations in 2018, Lockout/Tagout was one of OSHA’s Top 10 Most Cited Violations. Lockout/Tagout is a planned safety procedure that involves turning off the energy supply of industrial machinery and equipment while maintenance work or repairs are carried out. This procedure protects workers from the risks posed by live machinery or electricity.
• Safety while performing maintenance, cleaning or repairs
• Prevention of injuries
• Prevention of damage
• Helps prevent errors
• Clearly communicates risk in the workplace
There are established requirements that employers must follow to ensure employees are protected when exposed to hazardous energy through maintenance and equipment work. Facilities must:
Durable: manufactured with materials that withstand usage environment
Standardized: cannot be removed unless considerable force is applied
Substantial: clearly differentiated from other devices by color, shape or size
Identifiable: indicates the authorized employee that applied the device
If you have any specific questions about safety lockout or want to get a quick overview of the topic, maybe our lockout/tagout FAQ can help.