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.
On-the-job safety is critical. To protect workers during equipment servicing or maintenance, compliance with the OSHA Lockout Tagout standard is a requirement for organizations. Lockout compliance includes – but is not limited to – a lockout program, procedures, and training.  Master Lock has a comprehensive offering of lockout products and to develop or complement your lockout system.
But 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.
Here are some self-assessment electrical safety questions:
• 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.
How that job gets done varies by organization and falls into two different approaches – the Multipoint or the Single Point approach.
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.
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.
However 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.
This article republished with permission from Master Lock. View our other blog posts related to Lockout/Tagout.