Companies required to follow lockout/tagout (LOTO) procedures, as outlined by OSHA standard 1910.147, also are required to perform an annual inspection of their established procedures and authorized employees, to confirm that the LOTO procedures remain adequate and accurate. And, the audit should confirm that authorized employees understand the LOTO procedures and use them every time they service a machine.In this Rockwell Automation article, learn some best practices related to these LOTO audits, including when to conduct the audits and who should perform them; how to certify the audits and the items that should be reviewed to verify the accuracy of your LOTO procedures; how to audit the LOTO knowledge of your employees; and the importance of regularly evaluating policy compliance.
Here’s a sample: When auditing employees, look for these considerations:
- Employees can correctly follow the proper sequence of procedures to lock out the equipment and restore it to service.
- Employees can place the logs, tags and devices on the energy-source disconnects.
- Employees demonstrate understanding of when to lock out equipment and how to handle particular situations, such as group lockout or troubleshooting.
- If employees do not pass inspection, more training is required to verify that all authorized employees understand and can safely perform the LOTO procedures.
“While the minimum expectation is to perform an annual audit, you can regularly audit your procedures and employees,” the article stresses. “OSHA’s standard states that employers ‘shall conduct a periodic inspection of the energy control procedure at least annually to ensure that the procedure and the requirements of this standard are being followed.’”