Guide to

Implementing a Successful
Lockout/Tagout (LOTO) Program

Controlling Hazardous Energies

Lockout/Tagout (LOTO)
Compliance Program

www.conformit.com
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

WHAT IS LOCKOUT/TAGOUT (LOTO)? 3

BENEFITS 3
IMPACTS 3
RESPONSIBILITIES AND OBLIGATIONS 4
HOW TO COMPLY? 6
1 Preparing 6
2 Identifying equipment to be padlocked 6
3 Writing LOTO procedures 7
• Required contents of a LOTO procedure 7
4 Acquiring and organizing LOTO equipment and devices 8
5 Writing a general LOTO program 8
6 Training 9
7 Evaluating and maintaining the program 9
DISCOVER OUR LOCKOUT MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE 10
ASK ALL YOUR QUESTIONS TO ONE OF OUR EXPERTS 10
CONTACT US 11

www.conformit.com PAGE 2
 WHAT IS LOCKOUT/TAGOUT (LOTO)?
LOTO management consists of neutralizing all sources of energy that may cause an
accident to workers in the hazardous area of an equipment, system or machine.
It enables eliminating the risk of putting a worker in contact with hazardous energy
that could injure and lead to serious consequences.

LOTO management during installation works, maintenance or repairs guarantees

physical safety of the workers. It maintains a safe environment for the workers and
helps to reduce the time required to carry out the control of hazardous energy.

LOTO is one of the most reliable methods to control hazardous sources of energy.
With the installation of energy isolating devices, the risks of unintentional starting are
eliminated, thus ensuring the safety of workers. Lockout/tagout helps protect workers,
eliminate the risk of accidents and avoid the costs they generate.

BENEFITS IMPACTS
An effective LOTO program: Good practices in health, safety and
the environment ensure the safety
• Saves lives of workers and help save lives. Every
• Prevents incidents and accidents employee deserves a safe and healthy
• Improves productivity working environment. It is therefore up to
• Reduces time waste every employer to identify and control
• Reduces costs dangerous energies.
• Keeps data integrity up to date
• Improves and ensures legal compliance One of the best ways to ensure a safe
• Reduces access time to information and healthy working environment is to
• Optimizes processes make sure your LOTO program is up to
• Better manages planned shutdowns date and compliant.
• Etc.
Non-compliance can not only lead to
serious health risks for workers, but also
lead to significant penalties and costs for
the company.

www.conformit.com PAGE 3
 RESPONSIBILITIES AND OBLIGATIONS

Responsibilities and obligations of the employer

The employer is responsible for the application of energy control methods, including LOTO.
It must ensure that the energy source control procedures are developed and applied for each
machine or equipment. They must be periodically revised.

All LOTO material must be provided, accessible, in sufficient quantity and in good condition. A
padlock and tags must be provided to all workers with access to hazardous areas.

The employer must provide these devices and they must be singularly identified and not used
for other purposes.

In addition, they must have the following characteristics:

• Durable enough to withstand workplace conditions. Tagout devices must not deteriorate
or become illegible even when used with corrosive components such as acid or alkali
chemicals or in wet environments.
• Standardized according to color, shape, or size. Tagout devices also must be standardized
according to print and format. Tags must be legible and understandable by all employees.
They must warn employees about the hazards if the machine is energized, and offer
employees clear instruction such as: “Do Not Start,” “Do Not Open,” “Do Not Close,” “Do
Not Energize,” or “Do Not Operate.”
• Substantial enough to minimize the likelihood of premature or accidental removal.
Employees should be able to remove locks only by using excessive force with special tools
such as bolt cutters or other metal-cutting tools. Tag attachments must be non-reusable,
self-locking, and non-releasable, with a minimum unlocking strength of 50 pounds. Tags must
be attachable by hand, and the device for attaching the tag should be a one-piece nylon
cable tie or its equivalent so it can withstand all environments and conditions.
• Labeled to identify the specific employees authorized to apply and remove them.*

Procedures for removing padlocks or isolating devices

In the event of the loss of a key, an absent worker or other situation which does not permit the
removal of padlocks or the isolation device in an intended manner, a withdrawal procedure
must be drawn up and indicate under what conditions an authorization may be granted.

* OSHA 3120 Booklet

www.conformit.com PAGE 4
 RESPONSIBILITIES AND OBLIGATIONS

Procedures and methods of energy control

The LOTO procedure must indicate the sequence of stopping or deactivating the machine
or equipment, define the actions to block or completely release the stored residual energy
(if present) as well as specify the steps to unlock and safely restart the machine or equipment.

If an energy control method other than LOTO is considered, the employer should conduct a
risk analysis to demonstrate the equivalent effectiveness of this option.

The necessary training for workers and people with access to

dangerous areas
The employer must provide initial training before starting service and maintenance activities
and must provide retraining as necessary. In addition, the employer must certify that the
training has been given to all employees covered by the standard. The certification must
contain each employee’s name and dates of training.

Employers must provide retraining for all authorized and affected employees whenever there is
a change in the following:

• Job assignments,
• Machinery or processes that present a new hazard, or
• Energy-control procedures.

Retraining also is necessary whenever a periodic inspection reveals, or an employer has reason
to believe, that shortcomings exist in an employee’s knowledge or use of the energy-control
procedure.*

Responsibilities and obligations regarding the work of subcontractors

If an outside contractor services or maintains machinery, the onsite employer and the
contractor must inform each other of their respective lockout or tagout procedures. The onsite
employer also must ensure that employees understand and comply with all requirements of
the contractor’s energy-control program(s).*

* OSHA 3120 Booklet

www.conformit.com PAGE 5
 HOW TO COMPLY? 1
From the development of the LOTO program to the implementation of a 2
management system, key steps must be taken to frame the practice
of LOTO within the company and ensure compliance. 3
4
Preparing Identifying equipment to be 5
1 2 padlocked
Before undertaking an approach, the
employer must engage in this process All equipment must be identified 6
and indicate the modalities (allocate the and codified. Those that require a
human and financial resources, appoint
a responsible person to coordinate the
method of energy control can then 7
be specified. Equipment identification
project and identify the contacts). procedures are recommended
to facilitate the consistency of the
information.

Recorded data for the equipment

usually includes:

• Its identification number

• Its name and type
• Its brand and model
• Its description
• Its location
• Comments
• Interventions requiring lockout, for
example: release, maintenance,
repair, etc.
• Types of energy sources, e.g.
electrical, mechanical, hydraulic,
pneumatic, etc. and the possibility of
the presence of residual energy
• Its energy sources, its isolation points
Between 2003 and 2013, that need to be neutralized
28 workers died • Access difficulties or obstacles will
be recorded to be able to make the
because of procedural
necessary corrections
failures of lockout/tagout.
• The isolation devices to be used.
Source: Occupational Safety
and Health Administration (OSHA)

www.conformit.com PAGE 6
 HOW TO COMPLY? 1
2
Writing LOTO procedures
3 3
In order to carry out the control of
hazardous energies, a procedure for each
machine, equipment or task must be 4
developed. If more than one machine or Required contents of a LOTO
equipment is identical or similar and has procedure: 5
the same processes, a single LOTO can
be applied. It is then necessary to identify
all the machines concerned on this same
• Identification of the machine
• The name of the person responsible 6
procedure. for the energy control procedure
• The location of any power source 7
LOTO must be accessible in hard or control device of the machine or
copy, laminated to the equipment or equipment
electronically using a management • Identification and location of the
software. power source cut-off points
• The material (type and quantity)
required
• The stop sequence of the machine
or equipment and defined actions in
case of residual energies (process to
block or release them entirely)
• The stages of control and validation
as well as the measures to ensure
the continuity of the application
of the energy control procedure,
particularly during a change of
personnel, change of equipment,
individual protective equipment
(required or other additional
protective measures)
• The steps for removing energy
source control devices and
recommissioning, evacuation
procedures.

Each LOTO procedure must be

approved by a competent person
prior to its implementation.

www.conformit.com PAGE 7
 HOW TO COMPLY? 1
2
Acquiring and organizing Writing a general LOTO
4 LOTO equipment and devices
5 program 3
Following the writing of the LOTO, it will All information about the applications 4
be necessary to evaluate and acquire required by the LOTO is logged in a
the necessary equipment to control the document.
energies. 5
The general LOTO program contains:
As mentioned above, all LOTO
equipment must be made available • Human Resources (Coordinator and
6
to all workers with access to hazardous contacts)
areas. • The equipment identification 7
procedures and a model
In addition to the padlock and tags • LOTO procedures and a model
identified to each worker, separate • The inventory of energy control
borrowing padlocks must be available equipment and the process for their
to, among others, a worker who needs use (location, borrowing, etc.)
an additional padlock, subcontractors, • Procedures for unusual situations
etc. The accessory kit will also include • Procedures when forgetting
control padlocks, used for the transition padlocks or changing a shift
when changing shifts, labels, hasps and • Disciplinary measures
other necessary control devices. It is • Coordination with subcontractors
a good idea to keep a record of the (roles and responsibilities of each)
equipment to quickly identify who owns • The training structure and the
it and who uses it. associated register
• Etc.

On average,
2,400
non-fatal electrical injuries occur
each year in the United States.
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)

www.conformit.com PAGE 8
 HOW TO COMPLY? 1
2
Training Evaluating and maintaining
6 7 the program 3
All workers and persons who have
access to hazardous areas must
be trained ans certified in the LOTO
The LOTO program is not a document 4
that should be shelved following its
program and energy control. writing. Instead, it should be viewed
as a living document which should 5
Retraining is also required whenever be periodically revised to reflect
there are changes in task assignments,
procedures, or if there is reason to
the objectives and practices of the
company.
6
believe that there are gaps in the
knowledge or use by the employee. In addition, the LOTO procedures must 7
be reviewed at least once a year to
ensure that they provide adequate
worker protection. As part of the
review, employers must correct any
deviations and inadequacies identified
in the energy-control procedure or its
application.*

There were
14,625
occupational fatalities
involving machinery from 1992 to 2010,
resulting in an annual average of
770 deaths.
Source: Marsh SM, Fosbroke DE. Trends of Occupational Fatalities
Involving Machines, United States, 1992–2010. American journal of
industrial medicine. 2015;58(11):1160-1173. doi:10.1002/ajim.22532.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4711279/

* OSHA 3120 Booklet

www.conformit.com PAGE 9
 Discover our lockout management software.

Request a demo

Not sure if your LOTO program is compliant?

Ask all your questions to one of our experts.

We offer you a free consultation of 15 minutes.

Book your free consultation

www.conformit.com PAGE 10
CONFORMiT is a leading global Environmental, Health & Safety
Solution that puts the power of EHS Risk Management in the hands
of the workforce.

CONFORMiT EHS software helps companies manage their EHS

regulatory obligations, minimize risks and provide clear savings
of time and money.

[email protected]
1 888 545-9265

© CONFORMiT®, 2019. All rights reserved.

www.conformit.com PAGE 11