Lockout Tagout Legislation - Respecting Legal Requirements

Dive into the vast world of Lockout Tagout (LOTO) legislations spread across nations and continents. This dedicated space is designed to be your primary resource, offering a broad spectrum of regulations and standards. We believe that knowledge is the key to enhanced safety, and our goal is to empower you with every piece of legislation that shapes the LOTO landscape globally.

USA

Lockout Tagout OSHA industry standard 29 CFR 1910.147 elaborates on how to lockout equipment and machinery or even risk-prone zones to prevent accidents that occur due to unexpected release of residual energy, accidental start-up or unplanned energisation.

American National Standards Institute (ANSI) Standard: ANSI Z244.1-2003: Lockout Tagout

EUROPE

The EU Guidelines 89/655 specify the minimum requirements concerning safety and health while using equipment. Paragraph 2.14 lays down that “every piece of equipment must be fitted with clearly visible devices with which it can be separated from every energy source.

EN 1037 norm related to the equipment’s safety defines the measures regarding the energy isolation of machinery and the power dissipation to prevent hazardous equipment re-energising. It assures a safe and secure intervention within a risk-prone area.

European directive CEE 89/655 outlines the minimum regulations for the safety and protection of employees when servicing industrial equipment.

AUSTRIA

AschG - ArbeitnehmerInnenschutzgesetz - Federal Act on Occupational Health and Safety.

AM-VO - Arbeitsmittelverordnung (Ordinance on Work Equipment and Tools) - Regulation of the Federal Ministry of Commerce and Labour on protection of employees while using work equipment paragraph 1, §17 (1).

FRANCE

UTE C18-510 (electrical applications): Lockout of apparatus for service and maintenance to lockout equipment is to carry out the necessary procedures to ensure that the equipment is placed and maintained in a safe position; to prevent its activation and label that the isolated equipment must not be operated. The employer must ensure that all safety procedures are strictly implemented and regularly reviewed by appropriate means. Employees must use all necessary tools to carry out maintenance.

Décret 2010-1016 refers to the obligations of the employers for temporary or permanent electrical installations usage

Labour code (article R4215-10) refers to the identification of the conductors

Décret 2010-1018 refers to the prevention of electrical risks in work environment, décret 2010-2118 refers to the operations done on electrical installations.

Labour code (article R 4544-5): the part of the installation on which work (de-ernergised) is done must be identified and locked.

Best practice document developed by INRS (Institut National de Recherche et de Sécurité) in November 2011: ED 6109

Arrêté of April 26, 2012: Every operation on electrical equipment must follow the new norm NF C 18-510. Article 1 says that this norm is now included into the French Code of Labour.

GERMANY

The German legislation specifies this requirement in the “Minimum requirements for use of work equipment” (Betriebssicherheitsverordnung Ordinance on Industrial Safety and Health), Annex 1. Work equipment controls must be secured against unintentional or unauthorised actuation.

According to the “Minimum requirements for the improvement of the safety and health of workers using work equipment” (Betriebssicherheitsverordnung Ordinance on Industrial Safety and Health), Annex 2, modification, maintenance or repair operations can only be carried out when the work equipment is shut down. The work equipment and all its moving parts must be protected against accidental start and movement.

INDIA

The Factories Act, 1948 - Chapter IV, Subpart 3 -
When a device, which can inadvertently shift from “off” to “on” position, is provided in a factory to cut off power, arrangements shall be provided for locking the device in safe position to prevent accidental starting of the transmission machinery or other machines to which the device is fitted.

DGMS (TECH) MAMID - CIRCULAR NO. 02 OF 2017 -
To perform a service and maintenance work on industrial equipment safely, you must understand the importance of energy control. A LOCKOUT is a method of preventing mishaps by keeping equipment from being accidently started or switched ON. This method can be used for disconnecting switches, circuit breakers, valves or other isolation mechanisms and to put them in safe / off position. It is physically an attachment of lock so that the equipment cannot be energized. In a TAGOUT, the energy isolating device is placed in safe position and a written warning is attached to it.

All energy isolating devices are to be locked, tagged or both according to recommended and framed safety LOCKOUT / TAGOUT procedures put in place as a policy. Only standardized devices supplied by the employer shall be used and they are not be used for anything else.

ITALY

The Italian legislation (Direttiva 2001/45/CE del Parlamento europeo e del Consiglio del 27 giugno 2001 che modifica la direttiva 89/655/CEE) concerns the minimum safety and health requirements for the use of work equipment by workers at work.

SWITZERLAND

UVG - Federal Law on Accident Insurance.

VUV - Regulation on the Prevention of Accidents and Occupational Diseases (title 1, chapter 2, paragraph 1, art. 3; title 1, chapter 3, paragraph 2, art. 30, 31 paragraph 3, art. 37; paragraph 4, art. 43)

EKAS Guideline no. 6512- Work Equipment

These regulations clearly stipulate that during maintenance, adjusting or cleaning of the equipment, it has to be in non-operative state and appropriate devices have to be used to ensure that, for example, a machine is not accidentally switched on.

SPAIN

The Spanish directive (REAL DECRETO 1215/1997, de 18 de julio por el que se establecen las disposiciones mínimas de seguridad y salud para la utilización por los trabajadores de los equipos de trabajo. BOE nº 188 07-08-1997) states the minimum safety and health for workers’ use of work equipment.

UK Only: BS7671:2008

In the UK the Provision of Work Equipment Regulations - Regulation 19 - Isolation from Sources of Energy states: “Every employer shall ensure, that where appropriate, work equipment is provided with suitable means to isolate it from all its sources of energy. Every employer shall take appropriate measures to ensure that reconnection of any energy source to work equipment does not expose any person using the equipment to any risk to his health or safety”.