In a factory or industrial setting, safety is paramount. There are far too many things that can happen, so taking preventative measures can be critical. One of the best measures is a lockout station.
Though it might not seem like much, that lockout station can play an integral role in shop safety. If you didn’t know much about them, lockout stations are one of the more important pieces of workplace safety that you will find.
What is a Lockout Station?
Before we look at some of the more important aspects of lockout stations, it helps to know what they are in the first place. While many businesses focus on tech tips and upgrades, basic safety should be accounted for. A tag station is where any lockout/tagout devices are stored. Things like inspection tags, keys, hasps, padlocks, and more.
The station has to be locked and secured so that not just anyone can access it. Those lockouts and tags ensure that everyone knows where to find them, how to use them, and that proper safety protocols are being followed. In any business where accidents are more likely to happen and be devastating, a lockout station should become a priority.
Keep Track of Devices
One of the most important benefits of lockout stations is being able to keep track of everything therein. Think of it as a key holder. The key holder is where everyone in a house keeps all of the keys so that everyone knows where they are and prevents loss or delays finding them.
The same applies to lockout tagout devices. Basically, these devices prevent the accidental operation of a machine. Knowing where those devices are is critical to workplace safety. If they are missing and unaccounted for, that’s a major problem. A lockout station keeps them all in one place so there are no questions about location.
Efficient Safety Procedures
A key to good safety protocols and procedures is to keep them efficient. If it takes a lot of time or effort to execute them, there is no telling what kind of cost that will bring. The faster and more efficiently that people can access them, the better off safety protocols will be for it at the end of the day.
A lockout station, particularly in a strategic spot, will ensure that machine-specific programs can maintain it. Just make sure to enforce routines so that employees know how to use these stations properly. When everyone is on the same page, it limits potential errors and issues that could cost time, money, and put others at risk.
Standardizing Lockout Programs
While it is a good idea to have a lockout station, there can be natural limitations if you don’t have the right program in place. The most important thing is that it will help you comply with OSHA standards as it relates to injuries and potential fatalities in the workplace. Lockout programs are required by OSHA and failing to have one can be quite costly.
Training will ensure that everyone knows how to properly use the program. They will then find it easier to stick to the protocols of the program, taking less time to properly use them and making it less likely that they deviate from that program.
Though it is a relatively simple thing, a lockout tagout station can be a game-changer for a business. Feel safe about safety procedures and protocols at all times with a lockout program in place. Every measure of safety in the workplace can potentially be the difference between a non-incident and one that results in serious injury.
