LOTO Safety

LOTO Safety
To go beyond compliance and truly build a robust lockout tagout program, safety supervisors must actively promote and sustain LOTO safety by doing the following:

Clearly define and communicate the lock out tag out policy
Develop a lock out tag out policy by coordinating with the head of the facility and asking employees for their input. While primary collaboration is with the head of the facility or your employer, you should also obtain clarification from employees regarding their concerns, especially about equipment safety.

Once the lock out tag out policy has been formalized and established, ensure that all employees working in the facility have received copies of it. Hold an orientation to discuss the details of the policy and answer any questions that the employees may have.

Create a system for submitting and receiving LOTO reports
Aside from official LOTO inspection reports, informal LOTO reporting is also useful for promoting LOTO safety. Employees should have the means to inform you if lockout tagout devices are missing or if equipment’s energy levels remain hazardous. At the same time, you should also find a way to confirm that LOTO procedures are being followed and respond to urgent issues quickly.

Perform frequent LOTO audits
Unlike a LOTO inspection which is done at least once a year and focuses on a specific LOTO procedure, a LOTO audit is an evaluation of the LOTO safety of the facility. This can include inspecting the various equipment and machines to which the OSHA lockout tagout standard applies and the lockout tagout devices used in the facility.

Enforce lock out tag out documentation
Ensure that everything related to lockout tagout is documented. This includes the lock out tag out policy, procedures, inspections, training, reports, and audits. For a centralized database of all lockout tagout information, consider using digital documents instead of paper. Though paper may be what you are used to, it is highly inefficient to use paper documents in the long-term, especially if you want to form a sustainable lockout tagout program.