Hazardous Energy Control

Lockout and Other Means

What to know

This page provides information on regulatory requirements, general guidance and procedures that your company can use to implement an effective Hazardous Energy Control (Lockout/Tagout) Program and prevent unexpected energizing, start-up or release of stored energy which could cause serious injury or death to workers.

Lock Out Tag out tag

Overview

Members from the National Occupational Research Agenda (NORA) Manufacturing Sector Council reviewed, adapted and compiled resources to create this resource guide to help companies start or improve and maintain their existing Hazardous Energy Control/Lockout Program.

It is a matter of life and death. Hazardous energy control is more than lockout. It encompasses Machine guarding, alternative measures (alternative guarding arrangement that prevents exposure to hazardous energy), lockout, and other methods of ensuring worker safety from contact with hazardous energy.

Injuries related to Lockout often occur when an employee services or repairs a machine or tries to clear a jam but fails to de-energize the machine and lockout sources of energy. Problems can also occur during the process of re-energizing.

Sources of energy are not only electrical; they can also include mechanical, hydraulic, pneumatic, chemical, thermal, or other sources of energy. The failure to develop and use hazardous energy control (Lockout) procedures is one of OSHA's annual top 10 most frequently cited workplace safety violations. Injuries and fatalities that happen for failure to implement a Lockout Program are much more costly than the citations (not only in economic terms).

Develop a plan!

A comprehensive, written, diligently planned and executed Hazardous Energy Control (Lockout) Program protects the life, and the safety and health of workers; it is a very important part of machine maintenance and production servicing operations.


Laws and standards

OSHA standards require the use of Lockout or Tagout. The control of hazardous energy is also addressed in a number of other OSHA standards, including:

  • Marine terminals (1917 Subpart C)
  • Longshoring (1918 Subpart G)
  • Construction (1926 Subparts K and Q)
  • Eelectrical (1910 Subpart S)
  • Electric power generation, transmission and distribution (1910 Subpart R and 1926 Subpart V).

NIOSH recommendations

NIOSH has published two documents with recommendations and work accident issues. The documents give simple effective advice on lockout-tagout. More modern advice based on risk assessment is available in national and international standards as well as in some OSHA recommendations. However, these documents are still helpful and informative

Resources

NIOSH

Partners

  • (OSHA)
  • (U.S. Poultry & Egg Association) - show steps for "single person lockout" in a simple, visual way. These tools were created to help improve safety among USPOULTRY members but may also be useful teaching aids in other industries.
  • (OSHA)
  • (Parker, et al)- reports on a standardized and validated evaluation of Lockout and Tagout programs and procedures and provides a framework for assessing and improving like programs


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Content Source:
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
  • DISCLAIMER: Information and materials included on the Hazardous Energy (Lockout Tagout) webpages were compiled from many sources and reviewed and adapted for use by the NORA Manufacturing Sector Council. As such, content presented does not necessarily represent the views of NIOSH. Additionally, mention of any company or product does not constitute endorsement by NIOSH.