A7400.20 Lock-Out / Tag-Out

Statement

This procedure establishes the minimum requirements for the lockout of energy isolating devices whenever maintenance or servicing is done on machines or equipment.  It shall be used to ensure that the machine or equipment is stopped, isolated from all potentially hazardous energy sources and locked out before employees perform any servicing or maintenance where the unexpected energization or start-up of the machine or equipment or release of stored energy could cause injury.

All employees are required to comply with the restrictions and limitations imposed upon them during the use of lockout.  The authorized employees are required to perform the lockout in accordance with this procedure.  All employees, upon observing a machine or piece of equipment which is locked out to perform servicing or maintenance shall not attempt to start, energize, or use the machine or equipment.

Sequence of Lockout

1. Notify all affected students and/or employees that servicing or maintenance is required on a machine or equipment and that the machine or equipment must be shut down and locked out to perform the servicing or maintenance.
   
   Employees affected by the shut down or lock out of equipment to perform the servicing or maintenance will be notified by memo at least one day in advance of service.  The authorized employee shall utilize a 2-way radio immediately prior to locking out the equipment as a reminder to employees affected by the lockout when emergency situations develop.

2. The authorized employee shall refer to the College’s procedures to identify the type and magnitude of the energy that the machine utilizes, shall understand the hazards of the energy, and shall know the methods to control the energy.

Method to Control the Energy

1. If the machine or equipment is operating, shut it down by the normal stopping procedure.
2. De-activate the energy isolating device(s) so that the machine or equipment is isolated from the energy source(s).
3. Lockout the energy isolating devise(s) with assigned individual lock(s).
4. Stored or residual energy (such as that in capacitors, springs, rotating flywheels, hydraulic systems, and air, gas, steam, or water pressure, etc.) must be dissipated or restrained by methods of such a grounding, repositioning, blocking, bleeding down, etc.
5. Ensure that the equipment is disconnected from the energy source(s) by first checking that no personnel are exposed, then verify the isolation of the equipment by operating the push button or other normal operating control(s) or by testing to make certain the equipment will not operate. The operating control MUST be returned to the neutral or off position after verifying the isolation of the equipment.
6. The machine or equipment is now locked out.

Restoring Equipment to Service

When the servicing or maintenance is completed and the machine or equipment is ready to return to normal operating conditions, the following steps shall be taken.

1. Check the machine or equipment and the immediate area around the machine or equipment to ensure that nonessential items have been removed and that the machine or equipment components are operationally intact.
2. Check the work area to ensure that all employees have been safely positioned or removed from the area.
3. Verify that the controls are in neutral.
4. Remove the lockout devices and re-energize the machine or equipment.
5. Notify affected employees that the servicing or maintenance is completed and the machine or equipment is ready for use.

Revised:  July 2016