Periodic LOTO Inspections

Periodic LOTO Inspections
A LOTO inspection can only be conducted by a safety supervisor or authorized employee who is NOT involved in the lock out tag out procedure being inspected. To conduct a LOTO inspection, the safety supervisor or authorized employee must do the following:

Identify the equipment or isolation point that the LOTO procedure is for
Specify the date of and the employees included in the LOTO inspection
Identify and correct the deviations and inadequacies of the LOTO procedure
Review the responsibilities of authorized and affected employees for lockout, tagout,
and training
Verify that you have conducted the LOTO inspection by adding your name and signature
LOTO inspections must be conducted at least annually or more often if necessary.

Lock Out Tag Out Training
Since lockout tagouts have different levels of access, there are also different levels of training required for each type of access:

For authorized employees, training must include hazardous energy sources, the type and magnitude of hazardous energy, and methods for energy isolation and control
For affected employees, training must include the purpose and use of LOTO procedures
For other employees who are or could be in the area that LOTO procedures are being applied, training must include prohibition rules on restarting equipment that is locked out
There is no OSHA requirement for the frequency of training, though retraining is necessary under certain conditions. Both lock out tag out training and retraining require certification.