Lockout Tagout

Box Former machine failure to Guard & LOTO fatality (clearing jam & $648K)

On March 8, 2024, @ 4:50 p.m., an employee, 32, entered a unitizer (pallet stacker) machine when it engaged, crushing him. The employee was killed. CLICK HERE to see the video of the machine involved Company removed guards, failed to ensure power shutoff with workers nearby Both management and workers told inspectors that the permanent…...

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When “water” is a Hazardous Form of Energy needing LOTO

On February 6, 2024, at 10:00 p.m., an employee, 26, was repairing leaking water on pump equipment without lockout/tagout. While the engine was on, the employee began to unscrew a high-pressure valve nipple. The pressure was not released from the valve, causing it to blow off and strike the employee in the head and chest…....

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Stored energy can be LETHAL

On November 3, 2020, at 1:15 p.m., Employee #1, 55, employed by an HVAC company, was working at a customer’s commercial facility. He was removing a coupler and blind from the intake header of an air dryer. The employee did not first relieve the air pressure from the header. When he loosened the coupler bolts,…...

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Carwash fatality (blunt-force trauma & strangulation)

Most safety pros have seen the videos of workers in car washes doing some outlandish behaviors.  We may have been snickered at what we watched.  But this is the real result of what we saw in those videos… At midnight on January 13, 2024, an employee, 26, cleaned the car wash tunnel and equipment. The…...

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OSHRC decision on Minor Servicing using an Interlock and Machine Specific Procedures

At its facility, Respondent converts paper products into finished products such as rolls of toilet paper and paper towels. The paper products are run through machinery operated by Respondent’s employees. One of these machines is the R74 Line Rewinder (Rewinder) machine. The Rewinder transforms a 10-foot by 10-foot giant roll of toilet paper into the…...

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When/if the time comes when disciplining worker(s) is needed for safety, just remember: CONTEXT is everything!

I was recently involved in a safety review at a client with two (2) separate LOTO failure events in a month.  I know this client and the PM very well, and I was never more disappointed in their decisions about the discipline around these two (2) very different LOTO events.  One event resulted in NO…...

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When/if the time comes when disciplining worker(s) is needed for safety, just remember: CONTEXT is everything! Read More »

OSHA breaks down some key parts of its LOTO standard

These requirements control the release of hazardous energy while workers service, maintain, or repair machines or equipment when activation, start-up, or release of energy from an energy source is possible; proper control of hazardous energy prevents death or serious injury among these workers. Energy Control Procedure (paragraph (c)(4)(i))… Membership Required You must be a member...

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How do you define the scope of “Authorized Employees”

Managing our LOTO program requires considerable resources, and it requires a team approach! However, we see many failed attempts to control hazards through a facility’s LOTO program. One of the most common failures is how “authorized employees” are defined in terms of the skills they are trained on.  Which Rabbit Hole you choose to go…...

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Guarding comes BEFORE LOTO

I put this image together for a friend struggling to demonstrate to their management that we can not discuss LOTO until Machine Guarding is in place. These two topics go hand in hand and trust me; if there are guarding issues, those hazards will be compounded when we attempt to frame up the LOTO program…....

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What does it mean to comply with 1910.147 vs. having a “management system” for Energy Control

Last month, I discussed what a “management system” would look like should we manage our Permit-Required Confined Space entry operations as a “management system” versus a standalone OSHA compliance program.  (CLICK HERE for that post) Today, I want to discuss the same approach but in respect to how we manage another life safety critical practice……...

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It happened again… coworker turns on machine that a worker was “trouble-shooting”

On August 23, 2023, an employee was troubleshooting an unscrambler machine malfunction. The employee walked around to the bottom of the support frame of the machine, near two parallel drive chains. A coworker restarted the machine, and the employee was pulled into the machine by the drive chains. The employee was killed. Source: https://www.osha.gov/ords/imis/establishment.inspection_detail?id=1693870.015… Membership...

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OSHA answers several questions related to “Group LOTO” practices

In this Letter of Interpretation (LOI), OSHA answers several common questions related to the practice of Group Lockout, such as: Does OSHA require all authorized employees who place their locks on the group lockbox to verify that the energy source was deenergized before performing servicing and maintenance work? How could a change of condition(s) (e.g.,…...

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