Electrical Lockout Devices

The Importance of Isolating Electric Power Sources Prior to Service

Since it is more than likely that you will need to isolate electrical power at one or more points to properly shut down any machinery, these lockout devices are essential to ensure your lockout process is followed.

When dealing with machinery in need of service the first thing to consider is the proper isolation of the power sources that run the machine. These are not just the primary source of power but any point on the equipment where power can be introduced into the system to re-engage it.

Electrical Lockout Tagout Solutions

There are many different types of electrical lockout; generally, they fall into two main areas, those for locking out wall plugs and cables, and those for the isolation of circuit breaker switches.

• Electrical panel lockouts are simple covers for panel buttons, they usually have no internal mechanism to prevent the switch from being used and rely on simply covering the button itself. The outside of the device can be secured with a padlock or hasp, a simple solution to isolating the controls of machinery.


• Circuit breaker lockouts are the main form electrical lockout devices take. They come in many sizes and shapes, designed to fit over single toggle switches or lock out many at once. By far the greatest variety of lockout device that we offer.


• Electrical plug lockout, these devices simply slip over the plug when disconnected from a wall outlet. The function of these lockouts is varied, some are for use in industrial areas but we also have those that can be used in residential and office environments.

After you have created your lockout procedure, the next step is to procure all the physical lockout mechanisms you will need, to follow your lockout process. These should encompass a range of power isolation, as you should be wary of the different types of isolation possible.

As an example there may be a machine that can be disabled by simply flipping the circuit breaker switch. This will effectively render the machine unable to be activated. However, as is the case with most industrial machinery there will remain a residual charge that could mean, through accidental pushing of controls, the machine could move through its cycle and injure people working on it. Because of this you should also be sure that any other activation switches on the machine itself are locked and tagged out, you will see in our varied range of lockout equipment we have a solution to almost any power isolation need.

You will usually need to use a combination of electrical, mechanical and valve lockout devices to fully ensure that a machine is ready for maintenance or repair work. The process itself is not a time consuming one, it simply requires some prior planning and preparation. You must remember, that the importance of a lockout procedure to isolate energies, is paramount, it will save lives. An easy way of covering all of your needs at once is by checking out our lockout kits, these have been designed to give you a good range of equipment with many combinations to choose from.

Supplementary Equipment to Increase Safety

When you need to use electric lockout devices some other safety precautions should be observed. Essential PPE equipment you will need, include safety gloves to ensure you do not get shocked whilst attaching the lockout device, padlock and tag. You will also want to be sure that you have adequate eye protection, using the proper PPE guarantees your safety when performing potentially dangerous tasks.

In order to validate the use of these devices other key components to consider are the lockout tags and labels that you will use to communicate to your work colleagues the type of work being done, who has been authorised to carry out said work, and the dates that inspections took place. These are attached easily, usually by applying a cable tie or attaching through the loop of the safety padlock.

FAQs

Are there any bundles that give me a variety of electrical lockout devices?

Yes, we have created a varied range of lockout kits for this very reason. Since there are many types of electric lockouts and lockout devices in general, if you want to have a well rounded range of devices for isolating power points, these kits are your best choice. We also have a range of electrical lockout kits that focus on giving you a comprehensive range of devices catered for a more specific use.

What equipment should I use to secure my lockout devices?

We supply a wide range of lockout padlocks and hasps that are ideal to use to secure the devices; use colour coded padlocks if there will be many employees responsible for your lockout procedure. This creates a system by which you can see at a glance, who is working on which machine. If you have many circuit breakers to lockout at the same time then a cable lockout device will be your ideal choice, these use scissor locks and secure devices by threading the cable through the space normally used by a lockout padlock.