Lockout / Tagout: Program vs. Procedures

Did you know that the Control of Hazardous Energy (Lockout/Tagout) consistently ranks in OSHA’s Top 10 Most Frequently Cited Standards?  In 2006 it was ranked #7.  In 2014 it was ranked #6.  In 2015 it was ranked #4.  And, according the OSHA’s Control of Hazardous Energy Webpage, the “Failure to control hazardous energy accounts for nearly 10 percent of the serious accidents in many industries.” 

It seems that there is a misperception among the OSHA regulated community that employers only need to a create and implement a Lockout/Tagout (LOTO) Program but they do not need to develop a LOTO procedure for each piece of equipment. 

OSHA’s Energy Control Program (Lockout/Tagout) is outlined in 29 CFR 1910.147.  This standard requires employers to create an Energy Control Program and implement equipment-specific procedures.

Confusion about these requirements appears to be common, so much so that OSHA created a Lockout/Tagout HOT Topics webpage.  When you click on the “Energy Control Program,” it links you to three elements, one of which is called “Specific Procedures for Energy Control and Control Circuitry Prohibition.”   Read More Here.