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This material is for training purposes only. Its purpose is to inform employers and workers and workers of best practices in occupational safety and health and general OSHA compliance requirements. This material is not a substitute for any provision of the Occupational Safety and Health Act or any standards issued by OSHA.
MODULE 3. TRAINING AND COMMUNICATION

Employee Training and Communication

The employer is required to provide effective training for all employees covered by the lockout/tagout standard and ensure that all employees understand the purpose, function, and restrictions of the energy control program. Authorized employees must possess the knowledge and skills necessary for the safe application, use, and removal of energy controls. This training also must make employees aware that disregarding or violating the energy control program could endanger their own lives or the lives of coworkers.

Why must workers be trained?

So that they understand the purpose and function of the energy control program and get the knowledge and skills necessary to safely apply, use and remove the energy controls. The LOTO standard requires different levels of training for the three categories of workers: authorized, affected, and other employees.

What are the differences in the training required for the three categories?

There are three types of employees which must receive training: authorized, affected, and other. The amount and type of training that each employee receives is based upon the relationship of that employee's job to the machine or equipment being locked or tagged out and upon the degree of knowledge relevant to hazardous energy that the employee must possess.

In addition, employers are required to certify that effective training and retraining has been provided to all employees covered by the standard. The certification must contain each employee's name and dates of training.

Authorized employees lock out or tag out equipment and service or maintain the equipment. Required training for authorized employees includes:
  • How to find and recognize hazardous energy sources.
  • The types and magnitudes of energy used in the workplace.
  • How to isolate energy sources.
Affected employees operate equipment serviced under lockout or tagout procedures or work in an area affected by the procedures. An affected employee becomes an authorized employee when the employee performs service or maintenance work on the equipment. Required training for affected employees includes:
  • The purpose of energy-control procedures.
  • How energy-control procedures are applied.
  • How energy-control procedures will protect them.
Other employees. Other employees who work around or otherwise might be in the vicinity of equipment that is under lockout/tagout, need to know about receive awareness-level training about the Exposure Control Program. They need to understand that if they see LOTO devices, they are not to touch them.

What are the requirements for keeping LOTO training records?

Don't make recordkeeping too complicated. Keep current training records for each authorized and affected employee. Document the employee's name and the training date.

When must your employees receive LOTO retraining?

Retrain employees when work conditions change. Authorized and affected employees must be retrained whenever:
  • their job assignments change,
  • energy-control procedures change,
  • equipment or work processes present new hazards, or
  • when they don't follow energy-control procedures
Other triggers that indicate training may be necessary include:
  • Periodic inspections reveal that there are deviations in the energy control procedure.
  • The employer believes that there are deviations from, or inadequacies in, the employee's knowledge or use of the energy control procedures.
What is the object of the retraining?

  • To introduce new or revised control methods and procedures as necessary.
  • To reestablish employee proficiency.

Is training required annually?

No. However, if your employees do not actually use LOTO procedures often, it's a good idea to practice the procedures at least annually.

What additional training is required when tagout systems are used?

Employers must train workers in the following limitations of tags:
  • Tags are essentially warning devices attached to energy isolating devices and do not provide the physical restraint on those devices that is provided by a lock.
  • When a tag is attached to an energy isolating means, it is not to be removed without authorization and it is never to be bypassed, ignored, or otherwise defeated.
  • Tags must be legible and understandable by all workers.
  • Tags and their means of attachment must be made of materials which will withstand the environmental conditions encountered in the workplace.
  • Tags may evoke a false sense of security and their meaning needs to be understood as part of the overall energy control program.
  • Tags must be securely attached to energy isolating devices so that they cannot be inadvertently or accidentally detached during use.
Does training require certification?

Yes. Employer must certify that training or retraining took place and that the employee is kept up to date. However, if your training program aspires to conform to ANSI Z490.1, Criteria for Accepted Practices in Safety, Health, and Environmental Training, you will need to certify that each employee has demonstrated proficiency in the learning environment immediately after training. After training, you will be required to certify the employee has successfully applied what they have learned in the workplace.
What information must appear on the certificate?

To meet basic Federal OSHA requirements in the USA, certification need only contain the following:
  • Each employee's name.
  • The dates of training and /or retraining.
However, you are encouraged to also include as statement of proficiency as well as the employee's identification number or a unique certificate number for training. It should also contain the signature of the trainer who conducted the training.

GO TO MODULE 3 QUIZ Remember to take each module quiz! The final exam questions are derived directly from the module quizzes.

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