LOTO – Lockout/Tagout
For companies that need to comply with NR-10, NR-12 and NR-33 (Brazilian Regulatory Standards), EHS Brasil can help you develop your own Lockout/Tagout Procedure.
LOTO (lockout & tagout), or the lockout and tagging of hazardous energy, covers maintenance, setup and operational cleaning tasks.
What is hazardous energy?
Energy sources in machines and equipment, including electrical, mechanical, hydraulic, pneumatic, chemical, thermal and others, can be hazardous to workers. During servicing and maintenance, the unexpected startup of a machine or the release of stored energy can seriously injure or kill workers.
What are the harmful effects of hazardous energy?
Workers servicing or maintaining machines or equipment can be seriously injured or killed if hazardous energy is not properly controlled. Injuries caused by a failure to control hazardous energy during maintenance can be serious or fatal! They may include electrocution, burns, crushing, cuts, lacerations, amputation or fractured body parts, among others.
- A steam valve is automatically turned on, burning workers who are repairing a downstream connection in the piping.
- A jammed conveyor system suddenly releases, crushing a worker who is trying to clear the jam.
- Internal wiring in a piece of factory equipment short-circuits, shocking the worker who is repairing it.
Craft workers, electricians, machine operators and laborers are among the millions of workers who service equipment routinely and face the greatest risk of injury.