What are Lockout Tagout (LOTO) Procedures in Manufacturing?

Manufacturing environments are filled with machinery and equipment that, if not properly controlled during maintenance, can lead to unexpected startups, electrocution, burns, crushing incidents, and more. Lockout Tagout (LOTO) procedures require proper training for authorized employees, including identifying energy sources, control methods, and application of lockout/tagout devices. These procedures not only prevent immediate accidents but also extend the overall life of machines and equipment.

However, LOTO violations consistently rank among the top ten most frequently cited OSHA violations costing an average of $19,000 in fines per citation. Additionally, it’s estimated that LOTO compliance could help prevent approximately 120 fatalities and 50,000 injuries every year. Learn more about LOTO processes below, and how they keep manufacturing operations and frontline workers safe:

What is LOTO
Benefits of improving LOTO compliance
Digitize LOTO procedures with Augmentir

What is LOTO

Lockout Tagout (LOTO) procedures are essential safety processes in manufacturing that aim to protect workers from hazardous energy release during equipment maintenance. This process involves isolating and locking out energy sources, such as electrical, mechanical, and thermal, to prevent accidents and injuries. Compliance with LOTO standards, such as those outlined by OSHA, ensures that workers are adequately trained, machinery is properly isolated, and potential hazardous energy is effectively controlled.

Connected worker tools for safety and lockout tagout (loto) procedures

LOTO specifies two general approaches to ensure that employees are protected from dangerous equipment during maintenance activities:

Lockout, which physically limits access to certain equipment through lockout devices that are designed to keep machines from becoming energized and in a safe or “off” position.
Tagout, which informs employees of potential hazards through tagout warning tags usually attached to energy-isolating devices telling employees not to turn on or “re-energize” machines that are undergoing maintenance procedures.

Pro Tip

Digitizing lockout tagout procedures can offer several benefits that enhance the overall efficiency, safety, and effectiveness of the lockout tagout process. Digital lockout tagout procedures can be accessed by frontline workers through a mobile device, and help improve accessibility, accountability, standardization, as well as provide visual aids to less-experienced workers performing the task.

Benefits of improving LOTO compliance

Improving Lockout Tagout (LOTO) compliance in manufacturing environments offers several significant benefits for both workers’ safety and operational efficiency. These benefits include:

Reduced Workplace Accidents: By effectively isolating energy sources, the risk of electrocutions, burns, crushing incidents, and other injuries is minimized.
Decreased Downtime: Accidents resulting from inadequate LOTO procedures can lead to extended downtime as equipment repairs and investigations take place. Increasing LOTO compliance helps prevent these incidents, reducing the frequency and duration of operational interruptions.
Improved Equipment Longevity: Properly executed LOTO procedures ensure that equipment is maintained correctly and without sudden energy releases. This contributes to the longevity of machinery, reducing the frequency of breakdowns and the need for premature replacements.
Cost Savings: Fewer accidents mean fewer medical expenses, worker compensation claims, and potential legal liabilities. Moreover, reduced downtime and increased equipment lifespan translate into cost savings over the long term.
Increased Productivity: With fewer accidents and less downtime, employees can focus on their tasks without unnecessary interruptions, leading to increased productivity and improved overall operational efficiency.

Emphasizing LOTO compliance fosters a safety-conscious culture within manufacturing organizations. This culture change can extend beyond LOTO procedures, influencing overall safety practices and attitudes in the workplace. LOTO compliance yields a multitude of benefits that positively impact worker safety, operational effectiveness, and the company’s reputation. It creates a safer work environment, reduces accidents and downtime, and promotes a culture of safety that benefits both employees and the organization as a whole.

Digitize lockout tagout procedures with Augmentir

AI and connected worker solutions are revolutionizing safety practices in industrial organizations by providing advanced technologies and capabilities that enhance risk management, accident prevention, and overall safety performance.

Through connected frontline worker applications and solutions, manufacturing organizations can optimize, standardize, and digitize lockout tagout procedures to ensure compliance and safeguard workers from hazardous situations. Options like remote approval, automatic notifications to relevant teams and personnel, and other benefits from connected safety technologies are reducing the number of LOTO-related incidents and injuries, as well as many others.

digital lockout tagout procedure using augmentir

Augmentir is the world’s first AI-powered connected worker platform that helps industrial frontline workers digitize LOTO processes, improve LOTO compliance, and ensure frontline worker’s safety in manufacturing using smart technology. Learn how world-class manufacturers are using Augmentir to drive improvements across their industrial operations – contact us for a demo today!

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