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There are no specific UK or Irish regulations relating solely to Lockout Tagout legal requirements. Lockout Tagout regulations are contained within broader Health and Safety regulations within different jurisdictions.
Safety, Health and Welfare at Work (General Application) Regulations 2007 (updated in 2010)
Regulation 34: Connection to energy sources:
An employer shall ensure that—
Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998
This regulation ensures that work equipment should not result in health and safety risks regardless of age, condition or origin. It applies to all workplaces and demands that lock-off should be used to prevent unexpected start-up of machinery or equipment.
This legislation places legal implications on employers to ensure the safety of electrical devices in the workplace. It draws attention to the importance of isolating electrical equipment before working on live circuits.
Section 537.2.2.4: “Provision shall be made for securing offload isolating devices against inadvertent or unauthorised opening”
Section 537.3.1.2: “Suitable means shall be provided to prevent electrically powered equipment becoming unintentionally reactivated.”
EU Guidelines 89/655 details the minimum requirements concerning safety and health while using equipment. Paragraph 2.14 states that “every piece of equipment must be fitted with clearly visible devices with which it can be separated from every energy source.
This European Standard defines the measures regarding the energy isolation of machinery and the power dissipation to prevent hazardous equipment re-energising. It assures a safe and secure intervention within a risk-prone area.
This European directive outlines the minimum regulations for the safety and protection of employees when servicing industrial equipment.
OSHA (Occupational Safety & Health Administration) which is part of the United States Department of Labor, introduced the standard for The Control of Hazardous Energy (Lockout/Tagout).
This standard is more commonly known as the Lockout / Tagout Standard (LOTO) and it addresses the practices and procedures necessary to disable machinery or equipment safely, thereby preventing the release of hazardous energy while employees perform servicing and maintenance activities.
Source: www.osha.gov
Learn more about LOTO: