Industry News
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Twelve Workers on One Job: How the “Last Lock” Principle Keeps Everyone Accounted For
Twelve Workers on One Job: How the “Last Lock” Principle Keeps Everyone Accounted For A production line goes down for a major overhaul. Twelve people are involved: four mechanics, three electricians, two instrumentation technicians, plus three contractors and one safety officer. Twelv...Read more -
The Energy Isolation Challenge of Mobile Workforces
Who Manages the Contractor’s Lock? The Energy Isolation Challenge of Mobile Workforces Of all lockout/tagout scenarios, one gives safety managers the most trouble: mobile work. Contractors arrive with their own tools. The job lasts a few hours or a few weeks. The people are not fixed — thes...Read more -
Tag Readability: When a Tag Fades, Replace It
Tag Readability: When a Tag Fades, Replace It 1. A Tag You Cannot Read Is a Tag That Does Not Exist In both lockout/tagout programs and scaffold management, a tag plays a remarkably simple role. It does not block anything, and it does not cut off any energy. Its only job is to make four things cl...Read more -
Padlock Lockout: How to Install and Remove It Safely
Padlock Lockout: How to Install and Remove It Safely Among all lockout/tagout hardware, the safety padlock is the smallest, most ordinary, and most easily underestimated item. It is inexpensive and simple in construction — it looks like a matter of “slip it on, snap it shut, done.” Ye...Read more -
Universal vs. Adjustable Valve Lockouts: When to Use Each Type
Universal vs. Adjustable Valve Lockouts: When to Use Each Type Valves are among the most numerous and most varied isolation points on any industrial site. Gate valves, ball valves, butterfly valves; handwheels, handles, operating levers; sizes ranging from a few centimeters to over a meter across...Read more -
Prolockey Cable Lockout Devices for Large Gate Valves and Oversized Equipment
Prolockey Cable Lockout Devices for Large Gate Valves and Oversized Equipment In the field of lockout/tagout, the hardest things to lock are never the standard ones. Conventional valves have matching valve lockouts. Small circuit breakers have clamp-on lockouts. Plugs have plug lockouts. These is...Read more -
Are scaffold tags and lockout tags the same?
Are the scaffold labels and the lockout labels the same? When entering the construction site or the maintenance workshop, almost every site with a certain level of safety management can see colorful “labels”: green, yellow and red signs are hung at the entrance of the scaffold, “...Read more -
What a plug lockout does and what dimensions matter for fit
The function and applicable dimensions of the latch lock In the LOTO hardware family, the latch lock is a small accessory that is easily “remembered and then forgotten” – unlike the safety latch which directly locks the energy, or the valve lock which completely encloses the han...Read more -
What a circuit breaker lockout does and why breaker design matters
The Function of Circuit Breaker Locking Devices and the Importance of Circuit Breaker Design In the protection chain of the power system, the circuit breaker is a very special entity: it is both the “switch” for daily operation and the “checkpoint” for maintenance isolatio...Read more -
What is the difference between a plug lockout and a circuit breaker lockout?
What are the differences between plug locks and circuit breaker locks? In the energy isolation site of a factory, the two most commonly used weapons for electrical isolation are plug locks and circuit breaker locks. They are both locked onto the electrical circuits and both physically prevent the...Read more -
When is a circuit breaker lockout appropriate?
Under what circumstances is it appropriate to lock a circuit breaker? Among various means of electrical isolation, locking a circuit breaker is probably the most frequently used and also the one that is most prone to being misused. Some people think that as long as it is an electrical operation, ...Read more -
Why does the actual isolation point matter more than the equipment label?
Why is the actual isolation point more important than the equipment label? In many factories, one can observe such a scene: on the control cabinet of the equipment, there is a beautifully printed label that reads “Please cut off the power before maintenance”. Then the maintenance work...Read more
