Energy Control Program
Employers must ensure written LOTO procedures are developed, documented and used for the control of potentially hazardous energy when employees are engaged in activities covered by 1910.147.
Written Procedures
Employers must develop, document, and make sure authorized employees use specific written LOTO procedures to control potentially hazardous energy when they perform servicing or maintenance. Well-written energy control procedures accurately instruct authorized employees to do all of the following:
- Inform all affected employees of equipment shutdown
- Shut down equipment in the proper order
- Identify and engage energy-isolating devices or block hazardous energy
- Lockout or tagout the energy-isolating devices
- Remove, drain, neutralize, or block any potential (stored) energy
- Verify the equipment is isolated from hazardous energy and rendered inoperative
Best Practice: It is considered a best practice to have a written program, or policy, to support the energy control program, in addition to clearly outlining expectations and accountability.
1910.147(c) General
1910.147(c)(1) Energy control program: The employer shall establish a program consisting of energy control procedures, employee training and periodic inspections to ensure that before any employee performs any servicing or maintenance on a machine or equipment where the unexpected energizing, start up or release of stored energy could occur and cause injury, the machine or equipment shall be isolated from the energy source, and rendered inoperative.
1910.147(c)(2) Lockout/tagout:
- 1910.147(c)(2)(i): If an energy isolating device is not capable of being locked out, the employer's energy control program under paragraph (c)(1) of this section shall utilize a tagout system.
- 1910.147(c)(2)(ii): If an energy isolating device is capable of being locked out, the employer's energy control program under paragraph (c)(1) of this section shall utilize lockout, unless the employer can demonstrate that the utilization of a tagout system will provide full employee protection as set forth in paragraph (c)(3) of this section.
- 1910.147(c)(2)(iii): After January 2, 1990, whenever replacement or major repair, renovation or modification of a machine or equipment is performed, and whenever new machines or equipment are installed, energy isolating devices for such machine or equipment shall be designed to accept a lockout device.
The following simple lockout procedure is provided to assist employers in developing their procedures so they meet the requirements of this standard. When the energy isolating devices are not lockable, tagout may be used, provided the employer complies with the provisions of the standard which require additional training and more rigorous periodic inspections. When tagout is used and the energy isolating devices are lockable, the employer must provide full employee protection (see paragraph (c)(3)) and additional training and more rigorous periodic inspections are required. For more complex systems, more comprehensive procedures may need to be developed, documented and utilized.
Lockout Procedure
Lockout procedure for ________________________
(Name of Company for single procedure or identification of equipment if multiple procedures are used)
Purpose
This procedure establishes the minimum requirements for the lockout of energy isolating devices whenever maintenance or servicing is done on machines or equipment. It shall be used to ensure that the machine or equipment is stopped, isolated from all potentially hazardous energy sources and locked out before employees perform any servicing or maintenance where the unexpected energization or start-up of the machine or equipment or release of stored energy could cause injury.
Compliance With This Program
All employees are required to comply with the restrictions and limitations imposed upon them during the use of lockout. The authorized employees are required to perform the lockout in accordance with this procedure. All employees, upon observing a machine or piece of equipment which is locked out to perform servicing or maintenance shall not attempt to start, energize or use that machine or equipment.
________________________
Type of compliance enforcement to be taken for violation of the above.
Sequence of Lockout
- (1) Notify all affected employees that servicing or maintenance is required on a machine or equipment and that the machine or equipment must be shut down and locked out to perform the servicing or maintenance.
________________________
Name(s)/Job Title(s) of affected employees and how to notify.
- (2) The authorized employee shall refer to the company procedure to identify the type and magnitude of the energy that the machine or equipment utilizes, shall understand the hazards of the energy, and shall know the methods to control the energy.
________________________
Type(s) and magnitude(s) of energy, its hazards and the methods to control the energy.
- (3) If the machine or equipment is operating, shut it down by the normal stopping procedure (depress stop button, open switch, close valve, etc.).
________________________
Type(s) and location(s) of machine or equipment operating controls.
- (4) De-activate the energy isolating device(s) so that the machine or equipment is isolated from the energy source(s).
________________________
Type(s) and location(s) of energy isolating devices.
- (5) Lock out the energy isolating device(s) with assigned individual lock(s).
- (6) Stored or residual energy (such as that in capacitors, springs, elevated machine members, rotating flywheels, hydraulic systems, and air, gas, steam, or water pressure, etc.) must be dissipated or restrained by methods such as grounding, repositioning, blocking, bleeding down, etc.
________________________
Type(s) of stored energy - methods to dissipate or restrain.
- (7) Ensure that the equipment is disconnected from the energy source(s) by first checking that no personnel are exposed, then verify the isolation of the equipment by operating the push button or other normal operating control(s) or by testing to make certain the equipment will not operate.
Caution: Return operating control(s) to neutral or "off" position after verifying the isolation of the equipment.
________________________
Method of verifying the isolation of the equipment.
- (8) The machine or equipment is now locked out.
Restoring Equipment to Service
When the servicing or maintenance is completed and the machine or equipment is ready to return to normal operating condition, the following steps shall be taken.
- (1) Check the machine or equipment and the immediate area around the machine or equipment to ensure that nonessential items have been removed and that the machine or equipment components are operationally intact.
- (2) Check the work area to ensure that all employees have been safely positioned or removed from the area.
- (3) Verify that the controls are in neutral.
- (4) Remove the lockout devices and reenergize the machine or equipment.
Knowledge Check Choose the best answer for the question.
2-1. Authorized employees must be provided _____ when they perform servicing or maintenance.
You forgot to answer the question!