Office of Environmental Health & Safety www.moreheadstate.edu/ehs 606-783-2584 Lockout Tagout Policy PURPOSE To establish procedures for the de-energization and isolation of energy sources or the lockout of machinery and equipment for the protection of the employees during construction, maintenance, repair, testing, and associated activities. DEFINITIONS 1) Lockout - The placement of a lock on the energy-isolating device or lock/tag on machinery and/or equipment in accordance with established procedures, indicating that the energy-isolating device or machine/equipment shall not be operated until removal of the lock/tag in accordance with an established procedure. 2) Lock - A device that utilizes a lock and key to hold an energy-isolating device in the safe position for the purpose of protecting employees. Each employee required to use a lock shall be issued a specific-type lock, distinguished by the same color, shape, or size. At no time is this lock to be confused with the MSU locks that are utilized with a common key. A lock with a long shackle may be needed with lockouts designed for certain type of power sources such as disconnects, switches, or valve operators. On occasion, numerous employees must lockout the same device. To permit enough positions for installing locks, multiple lock hasps should be utilized which will be retained by supervisor the use as required. Lockout of piping systems and valves require special equipment such as chains or stainless-steel wire ropes which can be wrapped around valve handles and locked to prevent movement. 3) Tag - A prominent warning device that is capable of being securely attached and that, for the purpose of protecting employees, forbids the operation of an energy-isolating device, equipment or machine and identifies authority that has control of the procedure. DANGER accident-prevention tags described in OSHA Standard 1910.145 is to be utilized in tagging equipment. Tags should be plastic sealed,
all-weather with heavy-duty metal grommet. Special tags for pen notations may be used where appropriate to convey special instructions. 4) Energy Source - Any electrical, mechanical, hydraulic, pneumatic, chemical, nuclear, thermal, or other energy source that could cause injury to employees. 5) Energy-Isolating Device - A physical device that prevents the transmission or release of energy, including, but not limited to, the following: a manually-operated electrical circuit breaker, a disconnect switch, a manually-operated switch, a slide gate, a slip blind, a line valve, blocks, and similar devices with a visible indication of the position of the device. (Push buttons, selector switches, and other control/circuit-type devices are not energy-isolating devices.) 6) Authorized Employee - An employee who locks out or tags out machines or equipment in order to perform servicing or maintenance on the machine or equipment. 7) Affected Employee - An employee who does not perform the servicing or implement the energy-control procedure, but hose responsibilities are performed in an area in which the energy-control procedure is implemented and servicing operations are performed under that procedure. PROCEDURE It is the responsibility of each supervisor to identify sources where lockout/tagout procedures apply. These procedures apply to all employees while performing activities where the unexpected energization, start-up, or release of stored energy of the equipment/process could cause injury. The supervisor is responsible for providing employees with the required equipment to effectively lock and tag equipment/process where necessary. NOTE: It is recognized there may be alternate means of de-energizing and locking out equipment other than specified. TRAINING AND ENFORCEMENT All MSU employees affected by this guideline are to be properly educated and trained in lockout/tagout procedures. Safety rules and procedures concerning locking and tagging shall be reviewed with new employees and routinely reviewed with experienced employees.
Training should include hazard recognition. Supervisors are responsible for monitoring assigned operations and employees to ensure that safety rules are followed. All authorized employees are to be trained in the University s Lockout/Tagout Training Program. Authorized employee is a person who locks out or tags out machines or equipment in order to perform servicing maintenance on that machine or equipment. All affected employees are to be trained in the University s Lockout/Tagout Training Program. Employees are to be retrained at intervals not to exceed five years. An affected employee is an employee who does not perform the servicing or implement the energy-control procedure, but whose responsibilities are performed in an area in which the energy-control procedure is implemented and servicing operations are performed under that procedure. SEQUENCE OF LOCKOUT PROCEDURE Notify all affected employees that a lockout/tagout is required and the reason therefore. Tagout is to be utilized only in situations where the energy-isolating device is not capable of being locked out. The authorized employee shall have knowledge of the type and magnitude of the energy, the hazards of the energy to be controlled, and the method or means to control the energy. If the equipment is operating, shut it down by the normal stopping procedure. Operate the switch, valve, or other energy-isolating device so that the energy source(s) is disconnected or isolated form the equipment. Stored energy such as that in capacitors, springs, elevated machine members, rotating flywheels, hydraulic systems, and air, gas, steam, or water pressure, etc., must also be dissipated or restrained by methods such as grounding, repositioning, blocking, bleeding down, etc. Verify that the energy sources are disconnected. Lockout/tag-out the energy-isolating devices with a lock/tag.
After ensuring that no personnel are exposed and as a check on having disconnected the energy sources, operate the normal operating controls to make certain the equipment will not operate. CAUTION: Return operating controls to neutral position after the test. The equipment is now locked/tagged out. Procedure involving more than one person or group lockout or tagout shall be coordinated by an authorized employee designated to coordinate affected work forces and ensure continuity of protection. If more than one individual is required to lockout or tagout equipment, each shall place his/her own personal lockout device or tagout device on the energy isolating device(s). Each person will be responsible for the removal of this own lock and tag. When an energy isolating device cannot accept multiple locks or tags, a multiple lockout or tagout device (hasp) may be used or some other method acceptable to multiple locking. However, if this is not possible, a single lock may be used to lockout the machine or equipment with the key being placed in a lockout box or cabinet which allows the use of multiple locks to secure it. Each employee will then use his/her own lock to secure the box or cabinet. As each person no longer needs to maintain his or her lockout protection, that person will remove only his/her lock and tag from the box or cabinet. The authorized employee designated to perform lockout/tagout procedure will inform the contractor or the University personnel to be affected to the lock and tag implementation. Multiple lock and tag implementation will be coordinated by the designated authorized employee and contractor or the University s designated person. Specific procedures shall be utilized during shift or personnel changes to ensure the continuity of lockout or tagout protection between of-going and oncoming employees to minimize exposure to hazards from the unexpected energization or start up of the machine or equipment or the release of stored energy. WORK SITUATIONS REQUIRING LOCKOUT AND TAGOUT Primary work categories are: 1. Equipment installation, maintenance, lubrication, and repair.
2. Electrical installation and repair. 3. Hydraulic and pneumatic system installation and repair. 4. Special functional areas requiring consideration of lockout/tagout. When performing installation or maintenance work which requires employees to be exposed to moving parts that could inflict injury, the following guidelines apply. Examples are: Remote or Automatic Starting Controls, Suction, Discharge, Bypass, and Blow-Down Valves. Close the suction and discharge valves and open the bypass and blow-down valves, secure as follows: 1) Manually-Operated Valves 2) Lock and tag each valve Valves Equipped With Electric Operators 1) Lock and tag each valve operator hand wheel or other means of manual operation. 2) Shut off the electric power supply to the operator and lock the disconnect switch in the Off position. 3) Tag the disconnect switch. Valves Equipped With Pneumatic Operators 1) Lock and tag each valve operator hand wheel or other means of the manual operation; and 2) Shut off the power gas or power air to the operator by locking the valve in the supply line closed or by disconnecting the supply line to the operator tag. Starting Air or Gas Shutoff Valve Close the starting air or starting gas shutoff valve and (1) install a blind plate, or (2) remove a portion of the piping downstream of the valve, or (3) lock and tag the starting air valve. Attention should be given to assure that any gas or air trapped between the shutoff valve and any other control valves downstream is vented.
Fuel Gas Shutoff Valve Close the fuel gas shutoff valve and (1) install a blind plate, or (2) remove a portion of the piping downstream of the valve, or (3) lock and tag the valve. Electrical-Generating Equipment In addition to the procedure outlined to secure compressor prime movers, confirm that the main generator breaker is open. If it can be manually closed, it shall be locked open and tagged. Electrically-Powered Equipment The power disconnect switch shall be locked open and tagged at each open switch. Hydraulic and Pneumatic Systems When a hazard exists during maintenance, the equipment must be shut down and all power locked and tagged out. All moving parts are blocked to prevent movement. RESTORING EQUIPMENT TO SERVICE The work area shall be inspected to ensure that nonessential items have been removed and to ensure that machine or equipment components are operationally intact. The work area shall be checked to ensure that all employees have been safely positioned or removed. All affected employees shall be notified that lockout or tagout devices have been removed. To help ensure a safe return to service, each lockout or tagout device shall be removed from each energy isolating device by the employee who applied the device. PERIODIC INSPECTIONS A periodic inspection of the energy control procedure shall be performed annually by an authorized employee other than the ones utilizing the energy control procedure being inspected.
Where lockout is used for energy control, the periodic inspection shall include a review, between the inspector and each authorized employee, of that employee s responsibilities under the energy control procedure being inspected. Where tagout is used for energy control, the periodic inspection shall include a review between the inspector and each authorized and affected employee, of that employee s responsibilities under the energy control procedure being inspected.