4 Benefits of Lockout Tagout

4 Benefits of Lockout Tagout

Lockout tagout (LOTO) is viewed by many frontline workers as burdensome, inconvenient or production-slowing, but it is critical to any energy control program. It is also one of the most important OSHA standards. LOTO was one of federal OSHA’s top 10 most frequently cited standards following inspections of worksites.

Companies that fail to recognize and control machine hazards face regulatory fines—and risk the occurrence of serious and costly machine-related accidents. Companies and leaders must be held accountable, and they must understand the consequences of violating LOTO procedures.

Even though these procedures vary from company to company, across types of equipment and installations, there are commonalties in best practices that can be followed. Proper, easy-to-follow LOTO procedures can save lives, provide a sense of security, boost morale and help every employee get home safely.
Many companies provide LOTO training and best practices by teaching workers certain applications and configurations of equipment along with complementary documents before checks. Once workers are introduced to the environment and expected to perform LOTO, it becomes the responsibility of the workers to follow the proper steps, often with a paper checklist.

But if this process isn’t digitized, process compliance and validation of compliance can be challenging. One of the best ways to create or update LOTO procedures is through mobile connected worker solutions. If you digitize this procedure with the appropriate connected worker solution, the tailored procedure becomes a guided workflow with two-way communication that directs workers through proper steps.