Meat&Poultry - February 2013 - 54

Promoting Lockout-tagout
Precautions must be taken to
ensure the safety of all employees,
including sanitation workers
BY KIMBERLIE CLYMA
kclyma@sosland.com

ockout-tagout procedures protect workers from inju-

on it. Affected employee refers to the employee who is

ry, or even death, caused by the unexpected start-up

required to use the machines on a daily basis, but isn’t

of the machine they are working on or around. Although

necessarily in charge of the maintenance or servicing, or

sanitation workers usually don’t operate dangerous ma-

even in charge of the lockout/tagout procedures. “Other”

chinery, they do clean in and around hazardous equip-

employees are those whose work may require them to be

ment, making lockout-tagout procedures crucial to en-

in the areas of the plant where there is locked-out equip-

sure their safety.

ment. They are never permitted to restart machines or

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has outlined lockout-tagout requirements
and regulations in its code, The Control of Hazardous En-

equipment that are locked out.
In order to develop in-house safety procedures, it’s important to understand certain terms.

ergy (Lockout/Tagout), Title 29 Code of Federal Regulations

Lockout: The placement of a lockout device on an ener-

(CFR) Part 1910.147, “which addresses the practices and

gy-isolating device ensuring the equipment being controlled

procedures necessary to disable machinery or equipment,

cannot be operated until the lockout device is removed.

thereby preventing the release of hazardous energy while

Lockout device: Any device, such as a lock, to hold an

employees perform servicing and maintenance activities,”

energy-isolating device in a safe position, to prevent the

according to an OSHA factsheet. “Hazardous energy”

energizing of machinery or equipment.

can refer to electrical, mechanical, hydraulic, pneumatic,
chemical, thermal and other energy sources.

Tagout: The placement of a tagout device on an energyisolating device to indicate the equipment being controlled

The OSHA standard for lockout-tagout procedures

may not be operated until the tagout device is removed.

puts the responsibility on the employer to protect em-

Tagout device: A warning device, such as a tag, that can

ployees from hazardous energy sources on machines and

be fastened to an energy-isolating device to indicate the ma-

equipment during service and maintenance. However, the

chine may not be used until the tagout device is removed.

OSHA standard does give the employer the flexibility to
develop a plan that best suits their workplace.
In lockout-tagout procedures, there are three basic
groups of people: authorized employees, affected employees and “other” employees. An authorized employee
is the employee who locks or tags the machine or piece
of equipment in order to perform service or maintenance

• Meat&Poultry • February 2013 • www.MeatPoultry.com

If lockout-tagout procedures are defi ned and followed
then maintenance and sanitation crews can do their jobs
effectively and safely. ■
M&P’s Sanitation Tips are to be used only as guidelines for cleaning and
sanitizing processing facilities. Specific issues and questions should be
addressed by a sanitation crew supervisor.
We would like to hear from you – to comment on this story or to
request reprints, contact us by e-mail at meatpoultry@sosland.com.

http://www.MeatPoultry.com

Meat&Poultry - February 2013

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