Who is responsible for implementing LOTO procedures?

The responsibility for implementing Lockout/Tagout (LOTO) procedures primarily falls on authorized employees who are directly involved in performing maintenance or servicing on machinery and equipment. These individuals are specifically trained on the hazards associated with the machines they work on and the LOTO procedures necessary to ensure their safety while performing tasks that could expose them to those hazards.

Authorized employees must correctly apply LOTO devices to isolate energy sources, thereby preventing accidental energization or the release of stored energy during maintenance activities. Their training equips them with the knowledge to recognize when and how to apply these procedures effectively, making them crucial to the safety process.

While other employees in the workplace, including supervisors and environmental health and safety officers, play roles in overseeing, promoting, and enforcing safety policies, it is specifically the authorized employees who are designated to carry out the hands-on application of LOTO procedures in practice. This focus ensures that safety measures are correctly implemented on the ground level during potentially hazardous work activities.