By now, you should hopefully know exactly what an energy control procedure is. But how do you go about developing your own energy control procedure, and what must you ensure you address in the procedure itself?
Well, thankfully, the Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) has created an entire section of useful regulations that define the steps taken to create an energy control procedure inside section C of The Control of Hazardous Energy (lockout/tagout) – 1910.147 inside the Federal Register.
Please note this is merely a rough guide to the process – it is recommended you contact OSHA directly for further assistance in creating a fully legal Energy Control Procedure for lockout/tagout.
What the Procedure Encompasses
The first thing you need to know is exactly what the procedure encompasses. Under section (C)(4(ii) OSHA defines this as:
“The procedures shall clearly and specifically outline the scope, purpose, authorization, rules, and techniques to be utilized for the control of hazardous energy, and the means to enforce compliance including, but not limited to, the following:”
It then goes on to elaborate further on the procedures required of employers, but what you need to remember at every point is that you should make the procedure both as detailed and as easy to enforce as possible. It should be structured in such a way to promote safety within the workplace, and all relevant training and equipment should be provided to the employees affected by this procedure.
Step 1: Create a Specific Statement
This statement should be as detailed as possible and should define the reasons for the procedure taking place, as well as listing the scope of the procedure, health and safety policies, the duties and responsibilities of staff at all grades and any other relevant information.
It is also recommended you provide a simple glossary of terms which can be used by employees to define elements of the procedure easily that might be referenced throughout your procedure document.
Step 2: Procedural Steps
Your next step is to define your procedures exactly, and should follow OSHA’s guideline which states that you must provide:
“Specific procedural steps for shutting down, isolating, blocking and securing machines or equipment to control hazardous energy;” (section (C)(4)(ii)(C).
This means that you must create a comprehensive catalogue of any energy sources used within your workspace and must provide a large amount of information to employees about how the isolation of these energy sources must be carried out.
The next section inside OSHA’s guidelines states that you must state:
“Specific procedural steps for the placement, removal and transfer of lockout devices or tagout devices and the responsibility for them; and”
Your next step is therefore to define exactly how trained employees go about performing lockout/tagout and should also clearly state who has been designated as having full responsibility for the procedure.
Finally, section D states that you must outline:
“Specific requirements for testing a machine or equipment to determine and verify the effectiveness of lockout devices, tagout devices, and other energy control measures.”
In other words, you need to do the following during this section of your procedure:
- Develop a clearly outlined set of steps that tell readers how to isolate, block, secure and control hazardous energy
- Develop a set of steps that outline how lockout devices are to be used
- Assess and develop a set of steps that is used for verification of a successful lockout/tagout procedure
