What should one be looking for in Safety Loto Products that complies with OSHA standards for LOTO?
Having the right safety gear during a job is important no matter which industry you work in, but when it comes to lockout safety, it is critical that you have the most appropriate and durable LOTO equipment available for your employees. The different types of Safety Loto products available to help you meet OSHA requirements for Control of Hazardous Energy in your facility and establish responsibility and accountability among your employees.
1. Lockout Padlocks
Like all lockout devices, LOTO Padlocks must be provided by the employer and they must be standardized. They must be distinguishable from normal padlocks, used only for lockout purposes, always be identifiable with the name of the person who applied the lock and they should have a color code.
Normally, Safety Lockout Padlocks should have the key-retaining mechanism to ensure that the padlock is not left unlocked and is secured and locked before the key can be removed. The best pointers for choosing a LOTO padlock is to select a lightweight, Non-conductive and di-electric body that can easily be customized for your facility.
2. Lockout Tags
Safety LOTO Tags play a critical role in a Lockout / Tagout program. They provide a clear indication and a warning against hazardous situations that may occur if a machine or piece of equipment is energized. Lockout Tags display important information about the lockout program and can provide a photo identification of the employee performing the maintenance.
Lockout tags can be used in multiple ways: They can be used with a safety padlock to identify the padlock owner or in an exception case, the LOTO Tag can be used without a padlock. If the tag is used without a LOTO Padlock, then the OSHA has stipulated guidelines for only Tagout:
• It must withstand the environment to which it is exposed
• It should be standardized and distinguishable from other regular tags
• It must have clear warnings and instructions regarding the Lockout situation
• It should be attached with a non-reusable, self-locking device that can withstand 50 pounds of pull force
3. Lockout Tagout Devices
There are different types of lockout devices available to safely and effectively isolate the energy points. The three most common lockout devices that help securely isolate the energy and perform safe lockout:
a) Electrical Lockout Devices: These assist in isolating the electrical power of machinery equipment in an “off” position. The most common devices are circuit breaker lockouts and electrical plug lockouts. The MCB Lockout isolates a particular breaker in a circuit breaker panel so that the entire breaker box need not be locked out.
b) Multi-purpose cable lockout devices: Cable Lockouts are generally used when a Safety Padlock or Lockout devices does not provide the flexibility required for proper isolation of the lockout point. Many times, a single cable lockout device can be used to lock out several energy points.
c) Valve lockout devices: Different types of valves are used to supply compressed gases, liquids, steam and much more in a production facility. A valve lockout device will normally conceal or physically prevent the valve’s operation when in locked position. The main types of valves widely used in different industries are Gate Valves, Ball Valves, Plug Valves and Butterfly Valves. There are lockout devices available for all these different types of valves.
4. Safety Lockout Hasps
Lockout hasps allow multiple workers to apply padlocks to isolate a single energy point. These hasps are available in Di-Electric, Steel, Aluminum and also in Stainless Steel material. The LOTO Hasps are also available with write-on labels for easy identification.
5. Lockout Tagout Kits
LOTO Kits equips employees to conveniently store and carry required Lockout Tagout Devices in the plant/facility. These kits allow the employees to combine and organize frequently used Electrical and Mechanical Lockouts along with the padlocks. The kits can also be customized for specific Lockout applications and budgets. The most commonly available LOTO Kits are Electrical Lockout Kits, Mechanical Lockout Kits, Personal Lockout Kits, Valve Lockout Kits, Combo Lockout Kits (containing a variety of electrical and mechanical LOTO devices).
6. Group Lockout Boxes
Group lock boxes can secure each lockout point on a piece of equipment with just one designated Padlock. The LOTO Box holds keys from those lockout points by placing them in it. Each authorized employee then locks one personal safety lock onto the box and removes them only when their work is completed. This self-locking feature ensures that keys cannot be accessed until the last lock is removed. Group LOTO Boxes are available in Steel and Thermoplast materials.
7. Lockout Tagout Stations
LOTO Stations secure all your lockout components in one place. They are usually made for harsh industrial environments and are user-friendly which offer good storage space for large facilities and for multiple departmental use. The Lockout Key Stations are available specifically to store the Keys and the Lockout Padlock Stations are available specifically to store the LOTO Padlocks. Lockout Tagout Stations are normally available in steel and also as plastic carry boxes.
The most important feature in having a compliant lockout program is equipping your employees with the proper Lockout Tagout devices. In addition to having a LOTO program, OSHA 1910.147(a)(1)(i) requires Plants/Facilities to have written lockout procedures for each individual piece of energized equipment. Graphical lockout procedures are considered a good practice for your facility because they provide clear visual instructions to employees. Using the appropriate Safety Lockout Tagout Devices, along with the appropriate LOTO Procedures and LOTO Training, will ensure your manufacturing facility is OSHA compliant for Lockout/Tagout.
LOTOMASTER now delivers Lockout/Tagout products throughout Europe from its distribution center in Zagreb, Croatia. Other than the distribution center, we have offices in Amsterdam, Netherlands and Haimhausen, Germany.
We deliver our Safety Loto Products to the following countries:
Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Republic of Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Turkey and the United Kingdom.