- Failure to stop equipment
- Failure to disconnect from the power source
- Failure to dissipate residual energy
- Accidental restarting of equipment
- Failure to clear work areas before restarting
The Importance of LOTO Procedures
To comply with OSHA standards, companies must maintain LOTO plans when hazardous energy is present in the workplace.
Proper LOTO procedures and training help prevent the five main causes of LOTO injuries including:
- Track equipment-specific LOTO procedures
- Create forms to capture lockout and release processes
- Complete LOTO operator process documentation from any device
- Automatically notify employees when a lockout is started or released
- Automatically assess LOTO performance with scored operator assessments
- Centralize LOTO event tracking and status communication
In addition to LOTO procedures for each piece of equipment identifying all energy sources and energy isolation devices, employees must be trained on LOTO procedures, use correct tags and locks, work under their own locks, and communicate to ensure that other employees and shifts know that work has been finished and it is safe to resume using the equipment.
When working in a busy production environment, excuses for not following LOTO procedures are prevalent - whether an employee forgot a step, couldn't find equipment-specific procedures, or didn't fill out or submit the proper paperwork in order to save time mistakes and misses in the process can be deadly.
See FAQs about LOTO on OSHA's Lockout/Tagout Factsheet and get a start on documenting LOTO procedures and checklists with OSHA's LOTO "Print to Fill" Forms.
Simplifying Tracking LOTO Processes
Introducing LOTO tracking from Reliant EHS - Take your LOTO compliance tracking to the next level by digitizing LOTO forms, improving accessibility, reducing excuses, automating communication, and identifying breakdowns in LOTO processes to reduce accidents.
Let us show you why EHS managers choose Reliant EHS.