Posts Tagged ‘lock-out tags’

A quick Lockout refresher

March 25, 2011

Having an up-to-date and well-practiced Lock out/Tag out process could be the difference between life and death…literally.

1. Train your workers – this is the most important step. Your policy is nothing without proper training.  Each employee should be assigned his or her own lock and identifying tag to ensure everyone is aware of who is working on the locked piece of machinery.

2. Find an disconnect all energy sources – even those that might be standard electrical energy sources.

3. Attach keyed padlocks to the machinery. Some companies choose individually keyed locks while others choose keyed-alike locks to ensure only one key can open each lock, reducing the risk of error.

4. Debrief after lockout procedures – what worked, what could use improvement? Be sure to analyze your Lockout procedure once or twice a year to guarantee its safety.

Emedco carries a huge selection of lockout products including hardware, group lock boxes, cabinets and several innovative Emedco Originals that have inspired the rest of the lockout industry.

 

 

 

Posted by Michelle

The Basics of Lockout/Tagout

June 4, 2010

What is Lockout/Tagout?

OSHA Standard CFR 1910.147 was developed to ensure before any employee performs any servicing/maintenance on a machine or equipment where  unexpected energizing, start up or release of stored energy could occur and cause injury, the machine or equipment shall be isolated from the energy source, and rendered inoperative.

Why is it important?

Two main reasons: to keep equipment maintenance/servicing safe and it’s vital for keeping your workers alive!

Who does this standard apply to?

  • Applies to the control of energy during machine or equipment servicing and/or maintenance
  • Servicing that takes place under normal production operations that requires removal or bypassing of a guard or other safety device or when an employee places any body part near a point of operation (any dangerous moving parts).

Who is responsible for a safe working environment?

Every person at the facility!

What are the requirements?

1)     Establishing Energy Control Procedures

2)     Employee Training

3)     Periodic Inspections

What is an energy source?

Any source of electrical, mechanical, hydraulic, pneumatic, chemical, thermal, or stored energy.

What are the lockout steps?

1)     Notify all affected employees that servicing or maintenance is to be performed. Ensure that all employees are aware that the equipment will be shut down and locked out during the time period.

2)     Refer to your documented procedure for locking down the particular piece of equipment.  This should include: description of the types of energy involved, magnitude of the energy, hazards involved and methods used to control the energy.

3)     Shut down the machine using normal stopping procedure.

4)     De-energize the machine and use energy isolating devices.

5)     Lock-out the energy isolating devices with assigned individual locks.

6)     Dissipate or restrain all stored or residual energy.

7)     While keeping employees away from the machinery, verify effectiveness of lockout by trying to activate the machine with any of the controls, confirming that the machine will not operate.

8)     The machine is now locked out.

What lockout/tagout products are available at Emedco?

Lock-out Signs & Labels

Lock-out Tags- Standard lock-out tags, Photo ID, 2-Part, Key Tags, Self Fastening, Self Laminating, Specialty, or choose Custom

Padlocks- Huge Master® and American Lock® padlock selection that is in-stock and ready to ship Today!

Lockout devices- Hasps, Universal Lock-Out, Electrical plugs and breakers, Valves, Pneumatic & other specialty

Group Lock Boxes- Combination, Wall Mount, Portable or Modular.

Lockout Cabinets, Stations & Storage- Lockout and padlock cabinets, Racks, Carts and Tool Boxes

Other Lockout products- Stations, Kits, ESD products and Tapes

Lockout and Electrical Training- VHS or DVD Lockout Training Kits,  Handbooks, Procedure Binders/Stations, Group Lockout Instructional Signs, Arc Flash Awareness Wall Charts, Wallet Card (including bilingual)

Make Emedco your One-Stop Safety Source- Your Way, Today, Guaranteed!

-Donna Kolody

Understanding Padlock Keying Options

April 30, 2010

OSHA Regulation 1910.147 is the standard for the Control of Hazardous Energy (lockout/tagout).  It’s a very important regulation with serious consequences if it’s not understood and followed. One of the components is the use of padlocks  in your lock-out/tagout program. As you know, there are many choices when it comes to padlock selection. Top brands such as Master® and American Lock® offer various color choices, keying options, materials, shackle lengths and diameters to suit your needs.  Here are the basic steps to selecting a padlock:

Step 1: Select a brand- Master® or American Lock® are the highest quality padlocks on the market.

Step 2: Determine the number of people or departments included in your Lock-Out program to decide which keying and color options you’ll need.

Step 3: Know what you are locking out. The power sources and the hardware used determines the best shackle length and diameter you should choose.

A user-friendly Keying Option Chart diagram will help you better visualize your choices.  These are the differences that you need to keep in mind:

Individually-Keyed- each padlock is keyed differently for maximum security for individual users

Master-Keyed- each padlock is keyed differently and can be opened by a master key (sold separately) for supervisor control.

Keyed-Alike- all padlocks are keyed the same. The same key opens all padlocks.

Keyed-Alike by Color- all padlocks of the same color are keyed the same. Same key opens all padlocks of that color only.

Keyed-Alike Sets- padlocks within the same set are keyed-alike, but are keyed differently than other sets.

Master-Keyed Sets- padlocks are individually keyed with a master-key that opens any lock within that set.

Besides padlocks,  Emedco has a large selection of other high quality lock-out and electrical  products to keep you compliant.  For example, Lock-Out Signs and Labels, Tags, Lock-Out DevicesGroup Lock Boxes, Cabinets, Stations & Storage and Lock-Out Training.  Make Emedco your One-Stop Safety Source- Your Way, Today, Guaranteed!

-Donna Kolody


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