5 Signs A Company Should Introduce LOTO Training

The stored energy in pieces of equipment can release suddenly and present a risk of injuring or even killing workers. One way to approach this risk is to implement a lockout/tagout system. LOTO procedures reduce the odds that stored energy will discharge during cleaning, transportation, repair, or maintenance work.

Do your employees need lockout training? If you have questions about whether you should add LOTO training, you can check for these five signs that would help.

Accidents

The most obvious evidence is that your company has already experienced multiple accidents. If LOTO audits indicate that a procedural failure led to an accident, then it might be time to look at training options. Team members will learn how to tag and lock systems down to ensure that they're safe to work on. Likewise, they can learn to look for the signs that a machine is operating with a stored load of energy. You may also need to order LOTO training that specific to the systems your company uses.

High Insurance Rates

Adding LOTO training to your overall program may positively affect your insurance rates. You should talk with an insurance agent about the potential benefits of adding LOTO procedures and how your rates might respond. The cost of better workplace training may be offset by cheaper insurance.

Employee Complaints

Even if there hasn't been a severe incident, the folks working hands-on with the equipment often have a good sense of whether it's safe or not. If people frequently complain that systems are dangerous or scary, you may want to implement LOTO training. Not only will this make the job site safer, but it will signal to employees that you hear their concerns.

High Turnover

Some businesses largely avoid lockout training by maintaining the skills through institutional knowledge. If a company has a low turnover rate, there may always be a few experienced professionals at a workplace who know how the systems work and can pass on that knowledge to others.

Recent employment trends, though, have seen more workers moving in and out of companies. Consequently, an institutional approach to LOTO procedures may no longer work. If it seems like everyone who knows the process is gone, training will make a difference.

Expansion

Similar issues can occur when a company is expanding. As you put on more workers, the company's institutional know-how ends up diluted. During expansion periods, you may need to add LOTO training to fill the knowledge gap.

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