3020 – 13 – Understanding Lockout-Tagout Procedures

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Unless repair or maintenance is necessary, machine guards should not be tampered with or bypassed. There are a series of procedures, described as lockout-tagout procedures, that ensure employees stay safe when performing maintenance on dangerous machine parts. When proper lockout-tagout processes are followed, much risk can be mitigated.

OSHA provides guidelines for lockout/tagout procedures: When machines need maintenance, they need to be disconnected from any power source, locked, and labeled. Many machines have potential energy and stored energy, so it’s necessary to take extra precautions to keep parts from moving. Machine parts should be lowered to keep gravity from putting them into action, and blocks need to be placed between parts so they don’t come together and pinch or crush maintenance workers.

The person who initiates the lockout/tagout is the only one who should reassemble all the parts, devices, and guards before starting the machine back up.