Did you know that—year after year—lockout/tagout (LOTO) is among the top three OSHA citations in the linen, uniform and facility services industry? Failing to follow LOTO procedures can lead to serious life-threatening injuries and fatalities in the commercial laundry industry. Consequently, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) watches closely for LOTO compliance whenever the agency visits a laundry facility. Everyone in the facility must understand their responsibilities regarding LOTO—not just maintenance and management personnel.
What is Lockout/Tagout?
Lockout/tagout procedures are designed to isolate or shut off machines and equipment from their power sources before employees perform any service or maintenance work.
Lockout: Is the placement of a lockout device on an energy-isolation apparatus (circuit breaker, slide gate, line valve, disconnect switch, etc.) to ensure that the energy-isolating device and equipment being controlled cannot operate until the lockout device is removed. The lockout device must be substantial enough to prevent removal without use of excessive force or unusual techniques.
Tagout: Is the placement of a tagout device (a tag or other prominent warning device and a means of attachment) on an energy-isolation device to indicate that the energy-isolation device and the equipment being controlled may not be operated until the tagout device is removed.
Types of equipment that require LOTO
Examples of machinery and equipment in your facility that fall under the Energy Control Program include, but are not limited to:
- Ironers
- Folders
- Cart Dumps
- Boilers
- Dryers
- Electrical Panels
- Fans
- Feeders
- Conveyor Belts
- Extraction Presses
LOTO Station and Accessories: padlock
There are a variety of accessories for locking and tagging out equipment:
- Tags and zip ties
- Padlocks
- Group Lock Pins
- Gate Valve
- Circuit Breaker
- Each location should have a LOTO Station centrally located and stocked. The LOTO Log should be located in this area.
- LOTO devices cannot be used for any other function. Only Lockout/Tagout.
Reasons to Lockout/Tagout
The typical reasons for lockout/tagout include:
- Repairing circuits
- Clearing jammed machines
- Cleaning & maintaining machinery
- Rebuilding equipment
- Performing machine set up
When a machine is locked out/tagged out, the employees who work with that machine will have to work in another area of the plant until the machine is fixed.
General Lockout/Tagout Procedures
Devices and Log: Proceed to the Lockout/Tagout Station to retrieve tags, locks, etc. State reason for equipment shutdown in the Lockout/Tagout log.
Notify Employees: Notify employees that the machine or equipment will be shut down and locked out.
Shutdown Equipment: Shut down the machinery using normal procedures.
Isolate Energy: Isolate all energy sources by blocking, bleeding and venting stored energy as found in springs, hydraulic and pneumatic systems.
Attach Lock & Tag devices: Lockout all switches and energy controls with assigned locks and tags.
Verify Lockout: Test machinery to make sure it can’t start up. (Use the normal start procedures.)
Special Situations
In some situations, operators must follow additional procedures when locking out and tagging out equipment:
- Shift change during equipment maintenance.
- Multiple systems powered by the same energy source.
- Multiple engineers working on one piece of equipment.
- Buddy System – One performs lockout/tagout procedure while the other observes the machine.
- Contractors performing lockout/tagout.
Lockout/Tagout Release Procedures
To release lockout/tagout, you need to:
- Notify employees of plans to re-energize the machine.
- Ensure that all tools, parts and debris are removed.
- Make sure all equipment components are restored.
- Replace any safety features; close all access panels.
- Remove all locks and tags from the machine.
- Remove any blocking techniques from the machine.
- Re-energize the machine and test its operation.
All maintenance personnel must complete LOTO training before working on any equipment. Visiting OSHA inspectors visits will want proof of LOTO training for anyone who works on equipment. Following training, it’s critical that the management enforces this policy. Under no circumstances should equipment be worked on without first locking out and tagging out equipment. Following these procedures will ensure everyone’s safety. For more information on the lockout/tagout process, visit OSHA.gov and search for OSHA Standard 29 CF 1910.147. TS
