Workplace safety is no longer just a policy written on some document, but a live and evolving eco-system that directly impacts workers’ wellness and efficiency. Over the years, as the level of awareness increased from an institutional and regulatory standpoint, the legal repercussions for non-compliance increased proportionately. One subject which has been an integral part of the increased awareness is that of Lockout and Tagout. Lockout/Tagout (LOTO) plays a critical role in ensuring safety by isolating hazardous energies across industries like Oil and gas, Construction, Manufacturing, Steel, F&B, Ports and so on. To implement LO/TO policies, a system of hardware is required to physically isolate and lock the hazardous energy sources. As important it is to have a competent, robust and reliable Lockout Tagout policy, it is equally important to find the same qualities in your Lockout Tagout supplier.
In a world full of choice, there exist multiple options and avenues to buy Lockout Tagout products. So evaluating and choosing a reputable lockout tagout hardware brand or a reliable supplier of lockout tagout equipment is crucial as failure of hardware can cause failure of policy implementation too. The following text will elaborate more on these points to guide you on the importance of choosing the correct supplier and how to make an informed choice.
What is Lockout Tagout (LOTO)?
For our readers who are new to this subject, let’s do a quick recap on what Lockout Tagout (LOTO) is. LOTO is a safety program developed to ensure all hazardous energy sources are isolated and locked on a machine/equipment before any maintenance/ work is performed on it. This is done to prevent any uncontrolled release of stored energy while working and prevents unauthorized or accidental start-up of the machine. The isolation and locking of these hazardous energy sources is done using LOTO Hardware which includes different types of locking devices (Lockout) and warning labels (Tagout).
The control points of these hazardous energy sources often include switches, valves, circuit breakers and so on. These points are first isolated from the system and once they have achieved “Zero Energy State”, they are physically immobilized and locked by the LOTO system( comprising the Padlock, Lockout Device and Tag). The lockout device and padlock prevent the system from being re-energized physically, while the tag relays a warning message along with details of the person who has implemented the LOTO. Thus, preventing accidental or unauthorized operation.
When and Where It’s Used
LOTO procedures and products are widely used across different industries, such as:
- Oil and Gas: This Includes Upstream, Downstream and Chemical Industries linked to Refining. The hazard level on these sites is one of the highest, making LOTO usage a non-negotiable step.
- EPC Contractors: EPCs working in the ONGC sector, Power Generation or any Greenfield projects are required to use Lockout Tagout during Commissioning and Testing.
- Construction: Large scale Commercial and Residential projects too use LOTO during the MEP stages of the build.
- Utilities: Site Owners, O&Ms and Contractors need to use LOTO at all stages (Generation, Transmission and Distribution) for Electrical and Mechanical Isolations.
- Manufacturing, F&B, Pharma and so on: Any sector of manufacturing that employs the use of machines/ equipment uses Lockout Tagout procedures and products during the maintenance schedules of their equipment, whether planned or unplanned.
Overall, LO/TO is a critical part of any HSE program and is widely used during the commissioning, maintenance or Shutdowns of plants. To ensure LOTO products perform in these high-pressure environments, it’s essential to rely on and work with Specialized LOTO Suppliers who understand the gravity of these situations too.
Why Choosing the Right LOTO Supplier Matters
Applicable across all sectors, industries and companies that use Lockout Tagout products, it is important to choose a trust-worthy and qualified Lockout Tagout Brand or Electrical Safety Products Supplier for the following reasons:
Worker Safety
When reliable LOTO products are used, the chance of product failure is unlikely. This directly impacts the worker’s safety on site as failure of the LOTO devices and padlocks can result in tampering and unauthorized re-energization, putting lives in danger. To reduce the risk of an incident or fatality, it’s essential to use quality products sold by bonafide Suppliers.
Compliance
As there is no manufacturing standard for production of Lockout Tagout products, the most popular standard referred to in this subject is the one by OSHA – 29 CFR 1910.147. A Supplier who can recommend products to help you conform to this (or an equivalent standard by your local authority) becomes crucial as it helps you not just stay safe and compliant, but also assists in deterring any fines or legal actions for non-compliance.
Equipment Protection
Safety Procedures and Products are primarily used to mitigate risks of health and injury for the work force. But it also has a direct impact on the life-span of the plant and equipment too. Quality LOTO products minimize risk of accidents during maintenance programs and keep your equipment protected resulting in reduced down-time and higher efficiency.
How to Evaluate a Lockout Tagout Supplier?
Let’s be honest, in our highly globalized and competitive environments, most decisions are made majorly based on 1 factor………… PRICE.
While I agree that Price should be considered while buying Lockout Tagout Products, there are certain complexities around these products which make Price an important but not the defining factor for decision making. Here’s what one should look for while evaluating their LOTO Suppliers:
Product Range
As Lockout Tagout systems involve isolating and locking multiple hazardous energy sources (i.e Electrical, Mechanical, Thermal, Hydraulic, Pneumatic, etc.), it is important to consider the range of products offered by the supplier. A wider range of products reflects a holistic solution offering, which is in sharp contrast to many small time LOTO Suppliers who sell a few padlocks, tags and hasps and falsely claim to be “Qualified LOTO Suppliers”.
A Supplier’s qualification is very subtly reflected in their product range as they are more equipped to service all types of isolation requirements. As opposed to the “Qualified LOTO Suppliers”, a Serious LOTO Brand and/or Supplier offers products like :
- Padlocks: In various colours, Shackle sizes & types, Materials and Key-systems
- Circuit Breaker Lockouts: Designed for electrical switches, MCBs, MCCBs and so on
- Valve Lockouts: For Ball, Gate and Butterfly Valves
- Lockout and Padlock Stations: Centralized storage solutions for LOTO devices
- Danger and Warning Tags: With different messages and colours for various applications
- Hasps and Group Lockout Boxes: For Group Locking activities
- LOTO Kits: An amalgamation of different LOTO Products depending on the use case
- Electrical Plug, Panel and Pendant Lockouts: For immobilizing control points of machinery
- Other LOTO Products and Accessories: Including but not limited to Key Cabinets, Key Safe Boxes, LOTO Stickers and Posters, LOTO Bags and storage solutions, Car Seals, Flange Lockouts, Loto Shadow Boards and many more.
One often requires a combination of the above products to ensure a comprehensive LOTO Program implementation. So it’s recommended to choose a Supplier who can offer the whole solution at once.
Bonus: If a company has patented products, it’s a good sign as they are constantly thinking of the gaps in existing products and developing new ones to solve problems and make the workplace safer.
Experience and Knowledge
Like applicable to most products and solution providers, the experience and knowledge of the supplier also counts heavily towards their evaluation. It matters more so in LOTO because although people might be aware and well-versed with the policy side of Lockout Tagout, the implementation side has scope for ambiguity due to the wide variety of products which exist to accomplish very specific tasks.
For instance, LOTO Padlocks have multiple key systems like Key Different (KD), Key Different + Master Key (KD+MK), Key Alike (KA) and Key Alike + Master Key (KA+MK). A good supplier can evaluate the requirements of the end user and recommend different key system solutions based on their applications (to be elaborated in a future Blog).
A capable and reliable LOTO Products supplier can help not just recommend the correct products, but can also help in reducing your cost of procurement by recommending products with multi-functional features and prevent you from buying products which might not be useful for your application thus saving you time and money.
Product Quality
In the strive for competitive pricing, suppliers may compromise on the quality of their products to achieve lower costing. While not detrimental immediately, in the event of a product failure due to poor materials being used or lack of proper production or QC controls, the impact of saving a few bucks to meet budgetary targets can lead to a much bigger loss later.
Evaluating the quality of Plastic (ABS, PA66 Nylon or Polypropylene) and Metals (Chrome Plated, SS304, Aluminium, Brass, etc) is necessary based on your application. A LOTO Padlock which claims to be suitable for high temperature environments cannot have a body made from Polypropylene due to its lower melting point. Similarly, a supplier claiming their Chrome Plated Shackle Padlock is highly durable for extreme outdoor weather is false because the Chrome plating will wear off quickly and the shackle will start rusting. Instead a SS304 shackle is much better suited for such environments.
Looking Beyond Price
Let’s start by asking a very basic question to ourselves: What is the price of a product? Is it just the cost of the materials + a nominal Profit Margin? Or is it the culmination of the efforts, thoughts and hard work of everyone involved in the production, R&D, supply chain, marketing & sales and warehousing of the product? I’d like to think it’s the latter. Why? Because that’s what separates a mediocre product from an excellent one. And that excellence is reflected not only in the product but also in the customer journey.
Pre-Sales Support – In respect to LOTO, this journey starts by understanding the client’s Lockout requirements, proposing relevant or better products to solve their challenges in Isolation and personalizing solutions rather than pushing generic products to meet sales targets.
After-Sales Support – An experienced and competent supplier can also hold LOTO Awareness programs for first time users by conducting site visits, product demonstrations and isolation gap analysis to ensure a customer is not left clueless after buying the products.
Closing Thoughts
Paying for value rather than price always benefits in the long-run. While it might not be possible to evaluate every LOTO Supplier/ Brand against the same yard stick – due to differences in regions, regulations and operational requirements – it’s still important to assess them on their own merits. After all, when it’s your safety and life on the line, who’d you trust more to supply your LOTO Products?
* The author of this blog is Zulfikar– Director at LOTO Safety, Dubai.
This blog is written to educate interested parties on Lockout Tagout products.