Safety Tip of the Week – Lock It, Tag It, and Try It

Lock It, Tag It, and Try It

If you operate, clean, service, adjust, or repair machinery and equipment, be aware of the hazards to which you’re exposing yourself. Any powered equipment that could put you in danger is a hazard that can be prevented when lockout/tagout/tryout procedures are followed. Before working on or near energized equipment, visually inspect the work area to identify energy sources. Go through every step of the process to make sure accidental equipment activation won’t take you by surprise.

Failure to lock out or tag power sources on equipment can result in electrocutions, amputations, and other serious, sometimes fatal, accidents.

Most common causes of accidents:

• The machine or piece of equipment was not completely shut off before a maintenance or repair operation.

• The machine was turned on accidentally, either out of carelessness or because the person who turned it on didn’t realize that another worker was there and could get hurt. 

• The machine wasn’t working correctly but wasn’t fixed, turned off, locked, or tagged and someone who didn’t know about the problem used it.

• Moving equipment wasn’t blocked.

• Safety procedures were inadequate or hadn’t been properly explained.

Remember the dangers and be on your guard around any machinery and moving equipment. Even if you don’t operate the machinery, you could get caught in it and injured if it isn’t properly disconnected.

If in doubt…Lock it out, tag it out, and try it out!!