As we learned in the previous LOTO procedure blog, also known as lockout and tagout procedure, this is a very important and vital process for employees (operators and personnel involved) to return home safely, so we recommend its implementation in industries, because operators and industrial equipment are at risk if any power supply is not blocked when the latter are intervened.
Although we know that blocking them is a safe way to work on them, a properly created safety data sheet will allow us to know and have at hand the indications and precautions that must be taken for each piece of equipment, since each one has different energy sources, whether electrical, hydraulic, gas or even potential. That is why it is essential to know how to make a proper safety data sheet. So if you want to know how, read on……
Before defining the ideal safety data sheet for the implementation of the LOTO procedure, it is important to carry out the first steps to know the content of such data sheet.
To do so, a database with the following points should be created:
- Which are the equipments that require to be locked and tagged.
- The hazardous energies of each of the equipment.
- To know what is the process of intervention of the equipment.
- The people involved in the intervention.
Once the above points have been defined, a risk analysis is carried out, in which, by means of certain studies, the degree of risk involved in the intervention of each piece of equipment is defined, with the aim of defining the precautions required and thus reflecting it in the safety data sheet.
LOTO safety data sheet
Once the previous steps have been completed, it is time to make a safety data sheet, the ideal way to make such a sheet is by means of a tool that allows automating the filling of information and the design of the sheets, as it will ensure that no relevant data is omitted at the time of performing the blocking process, however, there are times when you have to work with the tools that are available, the important thing is that each step is performed with great caution and is 100% safe.
For this purpose, we have the following infographic that explains how we recommend that a safety data sheet for the LOTO procedure be made.
Contents of a safety data sheet
- Title of the procedure.
- Equipment identification data: Company, equipment, area, process, date the record was created, date the record was updated and the equipment identification number.
- Number of lockout points of the equipment.
- Caution indications/description.
- Location of the different energy sources of the equipment.
- Identification of power sources.
- Specific location/nearby location of power source.
- Indication of steps to isolate power and description of location.
- Indication to verify power isolation.
- Standard sequential shutdown, lockout/tagout and verification procedure.
- Standard equipment return to service procedure.
Once the safety data sheet has been completed, it is time to place the tags indicating the type of energy used so that it can be isolated, as well as to have the locking devices at hand to ensure isolation. Once the above steps have been taken, it is time for the operators to get down to work on the safety procedure before carrying out any intervention on the equipment.
Although, to make the safety data sheet can be complex, however, it is a process that should be implemented as soon as possible for the good of the working personnel and equipment.
At Alher Sem we support or intervene in the implementation of the LOTO procedure, by means of a web tool that allows the data capture and the creation of data sheets and safety tags in PDF documents. If you want to know more about the implementation and its different options, contact us.
Sources: OSHA 3173-01R 2020.
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