Taking a Deep Dive into the World of LOTO

Taking a Deep Dive into the World of LOTO
Dec 01, 2021
More recently, in September 2021, OSHA proposed $1.67 million in fines for an Ohio aluminum parts manufacturer following an investigation into the death of a 43-year-old worker struck by a machine’s barrier door in March 2021. OSHA alleges the company allowed employees to bypass guarding mechanisms designed to protect them from the barrier door closing on them, and that a malfunction in the door’s optic control existed prior to the deadly incident. The worker was loading a part into the machine when the barrier door closed, fatally injuring him.
“A worker lost his life because the company put the value of production speed before the safety of their employees. OSHA will continue to hold bad actors accountable and emphasize the importance of complying with safety and health requirements that can save lives,” said acting OSHA chief Jim Frederick in a press release found on OSHA’s online Newsroom.

Common LOTO Procedures Oversights

LOTO gap assessments are conducted to ensure the procedures in place can indeed protect employees from injury and equipment from damage. Whether the assessment is conducted in-house, or outsourced to a third party, some of the most commonly found issues include:

Incomplete documentation of required training.
Failure to update procedures that reflect changes in operations and equipment. Example: Was a production line relocated to make way for a new process? Were procedures and training materials updated to reflect this change?
Not paying attention to equipment stored energy. This is a common oversight identified during our gap analyses. If the only isolation valve for a piece of process equipment running 150 psi is in the ceiling, there is a high likelihood of stored pneumatic energy waiting to be released.
Effective Energy Control Procedures

OSHA estimates that LOTO standards compliance prevents 120 fatalities and 50,000 injuries each year. These numbers clearly illustrate the tangible effect proper LOTO procedures can have on employee safety, regulatory fines violations avoidance and uptime.