Lockout

According to OSHA (The Occupational Health and Safety Administration) approximately 3 million workers in the US service equipment and face the greatest risk of injury if Lockout/Tagout is not properly implemented. Lockout/Tagout prevents an estimated 120 facilities and 60,000 injuries each year in US alone.

It is a legal requirement placed upon the employer to ensure that regular inspections are in place that comprehensively cover an energy control program and ensure it is effective and being correctly enforced.

The idea behind lockout/tagout is, at its core, to maintain safety within a working environment. LOTO procedures are used purely to enhance the safety of those performing routine essential maintenance, and a correctly enforced programme could be the different between saving lives and ending them.

Although there are no specific UK regulations purely centered around the process of lockout, it is referenced during the regulations of the Requirements for Electrical Installations, and focuses on the isolation of energy sources and the enforcement of isolative procedures.