LOTO Program Requirements for Small Facilities

By Vince Lawrence — GigLine Safety & Compliance

Lockout/Tagout under 29 CFR 1910.147 has been in OSHA's Top 5 most-cited standards for two decades. Here is what a compliant program actually requires.

Elements of the written program

Purpose, scope, responsibility assignments, machine-specific procedures, training records, periodic inspection procedure, group lockout procedure, and contractor coordination.

The six-step procedure

Notify affected employees, shut down normally, isolate all energy sources, apply personal locks and tags, release stored energy, verify isolation.

The annual periodic inspection (1910.147(c)(6))

Required annually. Performed by an authorized employee other than the one using the procedure. Documented with equipment, date, employees involved, and inspector.