Control of hazardous energy (lockout/tagout) remains a top area of concern for the Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA). In the operation and maintenance of energized equipment, stored energy can release and cause property damage and injuries as severe as fatalities. Prevention of these incidents is regulated by one of OSHA’s most prescriptive standards for general industry: 29 CFR 1910.147. It is also briefly covered in 29 CFR 1926.417 for construction.
Top Ten List
The agency announced preliminary data for fiscal year 2017 at the National Safety Council (NSC) Congress & Expo 2017 in Indianapolis this fall. Here are the top 10 violations:
- Fall protection (6,072 violations)
- Hazard communication (4,176)
- Scaffolding (3,288)
- Respiratory protection (3,097)
- Lockout/tagout (2,877)
- Ladders in construction (2,241)
- Powered industrial trucks (2,162)
- Machine guarding (1,933)
- Fall protection—training requirements (1,523)
- Electrical—wiring methods (1,405)
“These things are readily fixable,” said Patrick Kapust, deputy director of OSHA’s Directorate of Enforcement Programs. “I encourage folks to use this list and look at your own workplace.”
This list is a great place to start creating a workplace safety program. “The top 10 list is pretty consistent from year to year with maybe a slight change in the ordering of the violations,” Tressi Cordaro, an attorney in Washington, D.C., told the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM). “The hazards covered by the standards on this list are generally severe hazards, such as fall protection, lockout/tagout and machine guarding.”
Hazardous Energy
Lockout/tagout protocols fall under OSHA’s rule 1910.147, which “covers the servicing and maintenance of machines and equipment in which the unexpected energization or start up of the machines or equipment, or release of stored energy, could harm employees. This standard establishes minimum performance requirements for the control of such hazardous energy.”
Lockout/tagout accidents are horrifying—the California Department of Industrial Relations details two in particular, while Occupational Health & Safety relates several more. “Twenty-eight years after the OSHA lockout regulation went into effect, the law remains one of the most challenging for employers to successfully facilitate in their workplaces,” a writer for the website reported, adding that only about one in 10 companies have lockout programs which meet or exceed compliance rules.
Avoiding Common Pitfalls
Here are some steps to getting a lockout/tagout program underway, based on common pitfalls according to ESC Services, which creates graphical lockout/tagout procedures:
- Start one before it’s too late
- Keep is simple, concise and clear
- Encourage employees to use the protocol and stress that it’s for their own safety
- Ensure time is dedicated for proper training
- Conduct annual audits
- Have repercussions for failing to follow the rules
- Have clear provisions and repercussions for non-compliance
- Provide clear procedures and rules for contractors
“The last thing an employer wants to see after investing so much time and money into a lockout-tagout program is seeing that same program fail and be rendered useless,” the company said. “Avoiding these common pitfalls will help ensure a successful lockout-tagout program, resulting in a much safer workplace for employees.”
