Case Study: Effective Lock Out Tag Out

Employers have a responsibility under OHS legislation to identify and control hazards associated with
not only operation, but also with Maintenance, Repairs, Installation, Servicing and Cleaning of plant
(MRISC). An important part of meeting this obligation is to ensure there is a functioning Lock Out Tag
Out (LOTO) procedure to prevent plant from accidentally operating during these activities.

THE LEGAL STUFF

Under the Occupational Health and Safety Regulations (Vic), 2007 employers must in consultation with
their employees;
ƒ Identify all the plant hazards in the workplace.
ƒ Control those hazards so far as is reasonably practicable.
It is important to identify and control hazards associated with all phases of plant use including:
ƒ Operation
ƒ Maintenance
ƒ Repair
ƒ Inspection
ƒ Servicing
ƒ Cleaning

THE PROBLEM
When employees need to work on plant to undertake MRISC tasks, often they need to access the inside
of plant, or other hazardous areas, while the plant is shut down. Serious injuries can occur if the plant
becomes activated while that person is accessing the machinery. It is vital that there is a procedure to
ensure that plant that has been shut down for MRISC activities and cannot be reactivated.

THE SOLUTION
Preventing reactivation of shutdown plant, can be achieved through implementing a LOCK OUT TAG
OUT (LOTO) procedure (see over).
A LOTO procedure must:
ƒ Prevent inadvertent start up of machinery.
ƒ Prevent accidental release of stored energy.
For a LOTO procedure to work there must be:
ƒ Documentation of the procedure.
ƒ Availability of the procedure to all staff who need it.
ƒ Training, information and supervision of staff involved with plant.
ƒ A person responsible for ensuring the procedure is strictly followed.

PI/IP Case Study 2 – MRISC - LOTO

April 2008
A LOTO PROCEDURE

SHUT THE PLANT DOWN

ƒ Ensure all energy sources are shut down

IDENTIFY ALL ENERGY SOURCES WHICH MAY

REACTIVATE THE PLANT
ƒ Energy sources include gravity, stored energy, fluid under
pressure
ƒ Identify other equipment which may also need to be shut
down to prevent reactivation

IDENTIFY ALL ISOLATION POINTS

ƒ Do not rely on emergency stops to isolate plant.
ƒ Identify remote controls and processes and isolate.

ISOLATE ALL ENERGY SOURCES

ƒ Coordinate isolation of multiple energy sources
ƒ Ensure all independent energy sources are isolated
ƒ Use local isolation switches where necessary

DE-ENERGISE STORED ENERGIES

ƒ Ensure all moving parts have stopped moving
ƒ Relieve trapped pressure
ƒ Release tensions
ƒ Brace parts held up by gravity
ƒ Prevent flow of hazardous material
ƒ Dissipate extreme temperatures
ƒ Monitor for re-accumulation of energy

LOCK OUT ENERGY SOURCES

ƒ One person – One lock
ƒ Each person to hold their own lock
ƒ One person - One key
ƒ Each person to hold their own key
ƒ Only the person who put on a lock is to remove it.
ƒ If there are multiple locks on one piece of plant, one person
is to hold all the keys

TAG OUT
ƒ Tags DO NOT lock out
ƒ Personal danger tags - warn of possible danger to the
person who attached the tag
ƒ Out of service tag – warn that the machinery must not be
used
ƒ Tags to be removed by people who attached them or know
why the tag was attached

TESTING LOTO
ƒ Before working on isolated plant test that the isolation
procedure is working
ƒ Try and reactivate the plant
ƒ Testing is to be done by trained people who understand the
plant

PI/IP Case Study 2 – MRISC - LOTO

April 2008