One Priority, Multiple Strategies: Finding the Right Lockout Tagout Program for Your Facility

ONE PRIORITY. MULTIPLE STRATEGIES.

For many, lockout and electrical safety is something that is taken for granted. Everyone expects they can go into work, do their job, and return home safely at the end of the day. But what many people don’t realize is how big of an undertaking it is to ensure the workplace is safe and up to code. That’s why a customized, holistic lockout tagout program is so critical.

It’s more than just implementing an effective lockout or electrical safety program, it’s creating a system of audits, training, inspections and procedures to ensure the program you implemented is effective and up-to-date.

Being up-to-date is key.

Have you completed an Arc Flash Assessment or updated your previous one in the last five years? Are your qualified electrical workers up-to-date with their training in the last three years? If not, the consequences could be significant and serious injuries or even fatalities could occur.

To say it's a big responsibility is an understatement. That's why Master Lock has lockout and arc flash experts, products and strategies to help guide you through the process.

How that job gets done varies by organization and falls into two different approaches – the Multipoint or the Single Point approach. Whichever method your organization uses, Master Lock professionals can provide the equipment and expertise to help guide you to OSHA and NFPA 70E® * compliance.

Find out the best strategies for staying up to date on lockout and electrical safety and how Master Lock can help regardless of your organization’s structure.

What is the Multipoint approach?

The Multipoint approach empowers multiple people within and outside of the organization to perform safety tasks like training, inspecting, observing, writing reports and procedures.

How can Master Lock assist with the Multipoint approach?

With the Multipoint approach, you can use Master Lock as an extension of your internal safety team.

• Master Lock experts can take on the task of writing equipment-specific lockout procedures in a timely fashion. This includes a serialized Isolation Point methodology, which locates isolation points corresponding to written procedures.
• If your Multipoint approach includes those with knowledge and skill, Master Lock can enhance their skills by teaching procedure writing techniques that create OSHA and NFPA 70E® compliant outcomes.
• With decades of experience across a wide array of industries, Master Lock’s training experts employ floor-level, lockout leadership techniques that empower others to lead and carry out the program.
• Working with Master Lock experts ensures your organization has the right quantity of locks and lockout equipment. Plus, we work with you in identifying strategic locations for deploying the equipment – ensuring optimal performance and proper setup of your lockout program.

What is the Single Point approach?

The other common approach to safety used by workplaces is the Single Point approach. Unlike the Multipoint approach, this method puts one person in charge of all safety responsibilities. These safety professionals manage the entire lockout and electrical safety programs; including training their staff, inspecting and implementing internal processes, writing reports, monitoring and observing, communicating updates and action plans.

How can Master Lock assist with the Single Point approach?

Even if you’re in charge of writing lockout procedures and electrical safety programs on your own, we have resources that can help you do your job safely and efficiently. We can also act as an extension of your team when there is more on your plate than you can handle.

To alleviate the burden the Single Point approach places on one person, Master Lock can come in and write lockout procedures in a quick and efficient way, saving time for the safety manager who has many responsibilities and wears many hats.

OSHA requires lockout procedures to be documented in very specific ways. Master Lock’s eLOTO software was designed to make writing, reviewing, and updating complex processes as simple as possible.

While the Single Point responsibility approach designates a single person to oversee safety, one area where it can be beneficial to work with outside contractors is training. Master Lock experts are available to help train staff on how to write lockout procedures. They also can train select individuals who can then educate the rest of the organization on the Electrical Safety and NFPA 70E® requirements.

Our experts also conduct Arc Flash Risk Assessments, Electrical Safety Audits, and IR Thermography scanning to observe, report, and document the physical elements of your facility.

And of course, Master Lock offers locks and lockout equipment that can be used to isolate hazardous energy on many different energy isolation points throughout your facility.

We work with you to create the best lockout tagout program for how you work

From available resources to organizational structure, there are multiple factors that weigh into what approach will work best for each organization. Both are an effective way to keep safety a priority within the workplace.

Regardless of your safety approach and the strategies you use, Master Lock is here to be an extension of your team and help you along the way. We have experts, strategies and products that can ensure compliance regardless of what approach is used.

Learn more about our professional safety services or fill out our form to schedule a virtual meeting to talk about how we can partner with you to help make sure your safety plan needs are met.