On this episode of 5 Minutes with IEN, Bill Belongea, senior safety services program manager with Master Lock, discusses how lockout procedures have evolved.
When it comes to lockout, Belongea stresses the importance of accountability. “We can write our lockout procedures, and we can have policies, programs and training, but how can we ensure that individuals are executing them correctly?”
Until 1989, when OSHA mandated written lockout documents for authorized personnel to follow, industry professionals relied on tribal knowledge—workers relied on people and word of mouth to create a safe work environment.
Over the years, manufacturers have looked for more efficient ways to do things.
Belongea says technology has increased lockout accountability. For example, locks are more sophisticated nowadays. Smart locks can be connected to a platform that allows plant and safety managers to see where lockouts are occurring on the floor in real-time.
Belongea says manufacturers will soon use lockout data to see where most lockouts happen and solve issues, like retrofitting equipment to prevent future work stoppages. He encourages manufacturers to embrace technology and see how it can help their organizations.