The lockout-tagout (LOTO) program is one of the most important ways that companies can improve safety when working on electrical system. The concept behind LOTO is that anyone who will be working on an electrical system has to physically remove the source of electricity, and place a lock on it so that it can’t be plugged in again. The person doing the work will place a tag on the lock letting people know who locked the electricity out, and why. That individual will also hold the only key able to unlock the power so that it can be plugged in again. When used properly, this system can virtually eliminate the risk of accidental engaging of machines while they are being worked on.
Eliminates Risk of Mistakes
Removing the power from a system before performing maintenance is a pretty intuitive option that most people would follow to stay safe. There are times, however, when someone entering the area may plug a machine back in because they were not aware that someone was performing maintenance. Adding the lock to the power source helps to eliminate the risk of someone accidentally starting a machine back up.
Maintenance Team Holds the Key
Another important way that the LOTO program helps to keep people safe is by making sure the individuals who would be in danger are the only ones who can unlock the power source. This is important as it will ensure that there isn’t someone else working on the machine who thinks that the maintenance is done and wants to engage it again.
Multiple People Locking the System
A good LOTO program will allow multiple locks to be placed on one power source. This allows each individual who will be working on the machine to place their own lock. In order to restore power to the system, all of the individuals who are entering potentially dangerous areas will have to remove their own lock.
Simple & Effective
The lockout-tagout system is a proven system that is really quite simple to learn, implement, and follow. The simplicity of this program is really what makes it so effective. It helps to reduce or eliminate the risk of human error from causing dangerous situations.
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