Discussion - std10300017

DOE-STD-1030-96

3. DISCUSSION

A program for lockout and/or tagout (hereafter referred to as lockout/tagout) is of primary

importance for ensuring worker safety in DOE facilities. The overall program for safety at

DOE facilities is described in guidelines published by the Department of Energy, Office of

Environment, Safety, and Health. Lockout/tagout is an essential part of this overall safety

program.

A lockout/tagout program is designed to identify sources of energy and hazardous materials

that could adversely affect maintenance activities, isolate all such sources from the work

area, and ensure that the isolation remains effective until the work is completed.

Lockout/tagout should be applied whenever workers are performing maintenance on facility

equipment or systems where there is any possibility of injury or damage as a result of

release of energy or hazardous materials.

If a facility's lockout/tagout program is to be effective, it must be understood by all affected

personnel; it must be applied uniformly in every job; and it must be respected by every

worker and supervisor. The requirements for lockout/tagout in U.S. industry are identified

in OSHA regulations.

The lockout/tagout procedures in many DOE facilities, like the procedures used in electric

utility power plants, must apply to situations requiring special control measures. In these

facilities, measures to protect the individual worker must be integrated with the operation of

larger safety systems designed to protect the public, the environment, and the facility. The

procedures used in these facilities address protecting personnel from injuries resulting from

unexpected operation or energizing of equipment. They also address preventing the

unexpected or inadvertent loss of essential safety systems and operating facility systems.

Operation of equipment in these facilities is usually performed by an operations

organization. Qualifications for operations personnel are distinct from the qualifications of

maintenance or other service personnel. The specialized knowledge operators must possess

regarding system functions and interactions mandates that only qualified operators may

manipulate facility controls for any purpose, including lockout/tagout.

Within this Guide to Good Practices, two methods of lockout/tagout implementation are

discussed. For facilities or situations where the application of lockout/tagout is limited and

has no effect on the overall facility safety or environmental systems, the method is called an

individual-controlled lockout/tagout. For facilities where the application of a lockout/tagout