Lockout Tagout Training: What Is It?

Lockout tagout training is critical for keeping employees who operate and maintain equipment safe. ESS are experts in electrical safety, maintenance, testing, design, and assessment services for electrical projects. We will travel to your facility anywhere in the United States and conduct training for employees, giving you more time to deal with other issues.

What Is Lockout Tagout?

Lockout tagout (LOTO) refers to specific practices and procedures to safeguard employees from the unexpected energization or startup of machinery and equipment, or the release of hazardous energy during service or maintenance activities.

OSHA requires two types of lockout tagout training:

• Authorized employee: An employee who locks or tags machines or equipment in order to perform servicing or maintenance.
• Affected employee: An employee who is required to use machines or equipment on which servicing is performed under the lockout tagout standard, or who performs other job responsibilities in an area where such servicing is performed.

Authorized Employee Lockout Tagout Training

Authorized employees typically consist of maintenance workers, electricians, and outside contractors. Authorized employee training will include when and how to apply lockout tagout, how to handle group lockout, and shift change procedures. Authorized employees are the ones who will lockout and service the machines.

Affected Employee Lockout Tagout Training

Affected employees typically consist of administrative staff and machine operators that work near the machines. Affected employee training will include their responsibilities to the program and the scope and purpose of the lockout tagout program.

A Comprehensive Lockout Tagout Program

In addition to lockout tagout training, ESS can build a comprehensive lockout tagout program that includes the creation of customized procedures for your facility.  This process will include an onsite visit for data collection which our team will use to create laminated placards of your procedures.  Our team can also build customized, 11×17 laminated maps of each of your process areas.  These maps will help your team members identify the lockout points within the machines and equipment.  

Once all procedures and maps have been created, your team will have an opportunity to review the material before we return onsite to apply the placards and present the training material to you. ESS can also provide annual audits as required by OSHA and NFPA 70E. Annual audits identify and correct deficiencies in the procedures, program, and employee performance.

ESS makes it easy to develop your procedures by optimizing your lockout tagout program to help you save lives, time, and money. We travel nationwide to provide the necessary tools to maintain your lockout tagout procedures for years to come. Contact ESS today with any questions or to schedule your training and/or custom program.