In this episode of “EC&M Tech Talks,” Randy Barnett, a journeyman electrician, inspector, author, trainer, and electrical safety expert, discusses the importance, background information, and steps necessary for electrical lockout/tagout (LOTO).
This Tech Talk video provides workers an overview of the requirements for lockout/tagout and a walk-through of the eight steps required to establish an electrically safe work condition.
The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Association (OSHA) first published its rules for control of hazardous energy (lockout/tagout) in 1989. However, those rules, as found in OSHA 1910.147, do not address the specific requirements for electrical lockout/tagout. Because of the complexity of safe work, electrical lockout/tagout rules are placed in the OSHA regulations for particular industries. For example, construction electrical lockout/tagout rules are found in Part 1926.
The NFPA 70E, Standard for Electrical Safety in the Workplace, provides the how-to application methods for meeting the prescriptive requirements of both federal OSHA and state rules. Randy discusses Art. 120, Creating an Electrical Safe Work Condition, paying special attention to Sec. 120.5, Process for Establishing and Verifying an Electrically Safe Work Condition.
