If you are looking for a great but free lockout tagout course (free LOTO training course) that you can take online, then here’s one from Abhisam. You can take it immediately and learn all the basics of lock out tag out.
Where can I get this free LOTO Training?
You can take this at the Abhisam Learning Portal. You may need to register first to get your username and password emailed to you. On logging in, you can instantly access this excellent free lockout tagout training course online, along with other free online training courses such as Hydrogen Sulfide training or free Hazardous Area training courses.
What is LOTO?
LOTO is an acronym for lock out tag out, which in short is a procedure to isolate energy supply to any machine or piece of equipment, before you can start maintenance, repair, inspection or similar work on it. This does not apply to normal operation of the machine (all of them will require energy to run anyway). However if these energy sources are not isolated, then they can harm the repair worker who is working on the machine, in case somebody accidentally starts it.
How to develop a LOTO Procedure?
If you wish to know in detail about developing your own LOTO Procedure then consider the premium version of this course, which is the LOTO Professional training course.
Where is LOTO used?
OSHA mandates that LOTO should be used in any workplace, not only in a factory or workshop or a manufacturing line, but anywhere that machines under maintenance or repair could cause harm to workers while repairing them. So this will include warehouses, office buildings, malls, ships and other places where these conditions exist.
Does LOTO apply to only electrical equipment?
No, although it can be easily understood in the context of commonly used electrically powered equipment like centrifugal pumps. Lockout tagout applies to all potentially hazardous energies that supply a machine including electricity, compressed air, hydraulic power, Nitrogen, etc.
Thus all these energies have to be locked out and tagged out before commencing maintenance or any non routine work.
Is LOTO mandatory?
It really depends on the region where you are located, but generally it is mandatory in most industrialized regions. In the US, OSHA has two LOTO related standards that are applicable to all workplaces. Similar rules and laws exist in the UK, EU, India and other places.