How does a lockout station work?

Security is no small matter. All things that can ensure security should be paid more attention to and understood, such as locking stations. How does the locking station work?

• Brief description

• Requirements

• Work steps

• Determine whether to lock

1、Brief description

The material of the locking station is usually made of durable laminate, with black and yellow chevrons on the outer edges to increase visibility. Wall-mounted locking stations are usually wall-hung boilers for storing isolation locks. By setting it up near high-visibility isolation points, workers are required to follow the correct isolation procedures and use the equipment provided to greatly reduce the risks during the construction process. Because of the importance of this relationship, there will also be regulations to help limit the construction process.

2、Requirements

As OSHA outlines the requirements for locking devices, they are summarized as follows:

These equipment materials must be durable enough to adapt to the changing environmental conditions in the workplace. This requires that even in a humid or corrosive environment, the marking equipment must not be damaged or illegible.

The locking station equipment must be standardized and unified in terms of shape, size and color. In addition, it is especially important to note that the marking equipment should be standardized in printing and format, and be easy to understand and memorable for all employees. It must be used to warn employees of possible dangers if the machine is powered on, and provide clear instructions, such as "Do not start" or "Do not open" and other prompt statements.

The equipment should also be sturdy to avoid accidental deletion. Except for the use of keys, only use excessive force or special tools such as bolt cutters to remove the equipment. At the same time, the label must be disposable, self-locking and non-releasable, and the minimum unlocking strength is 50 pounds. Labels should also be attached by hand using a one-piece nylon cable tie.

The equipment must be affixed with a label, and it must be modified by a company-specifically authorized employee. Others must not damage or modify it at will.

3、Work steps

• Notify all affected employees.

• Understand the energy of the machine.

• Turn off the machine.

• Disable the energy isolation equipment to isolate the machine from the energy source.

• Use individually assigned locks or predetermined lockout station to lock the energy isolation device.

• Dissipate stored energy.

• Disconnect the power to the machine.

• Final inspection of all equipment

4、Determine whether to lock

According to OSHA, if one or more of the following conditions aremet, the energy isolation device can be considered to be lockable:

① The design of the locking station usually has a buckle or other parts that can be connected to the lock, such as a power switch

②Internal equipment locking mechanism

③The use period does not require disassembly, transformation or replacement of the energy isolation device to lock or permanently change its energy control capability

In short, a safe, reliable and durable lockout station is so necessary, so hurry up and visit our website!