Lockout tagout is not just a procedure; it is the embodiment of safety responsibility and culture.
"Previously, I thought lockout tagout was unnecessary. Now I understand that this lock is locking the risks and the responsibility." At the underground operation site of Jinneng Coal Industry of Huozhou Coal Electricity Group, maintenance worker Wang, while locking the equipment, carefully filled out the real-name operation card. Nowadays, in high-risk industries such as coal and manufacturing, lockout tagout (LOTO) has evolved from a simple operation procedure to a responsibility system and cultural awareness that runs through the entire chain of safety management, building a solid barrier for safe production.
The evolution of a lock: From physical isolation to responsibility closure
The core value of lockout tagout has long gone beyond the basic operation of "power off - hang sign". In Jinneng Coal Industry, all mechanical and electrical equipment underground have completed physical locking renovations, strictly following the principle of "power off means locking, unlocking requires authorization", strictly preventing unauthorized operation risks. More importantly, a closed-loop mechanism of "who inspects, who stops the power, who hangs the sign, who locks, who restores power" has been fully implemented, with real-name registration of the operation card, detailing the name of the operator, the content of the operation, etc., ensuring that safety responsibility "runs through the entire process".
The electromechanical team of Lingzhi Da Coal Industry uses the "personal lock + responsibility sign" model to provide each maintenance worker with a dedicated identification lock, achieving full traceability of responsibility from power off to power restoration, completely solving the pain point of ambiguous responsibility in previous power-off and power-on operations. "Now each lock has its owner, no one dares to take a chance and omit steps." The team leader said that since the implementation of the system, the risk of incorrect operation underground has significantly decreased.
Incorporation of culture: From "I have to execute" to "I want safety"
"Only 10 minutes, no need to hang the sign, right?" Such a mentality was once the trigger of many accidents. Old Yang， a maintenance worker at a mechanical processing factory， was injured in his arm by an accidentally started press machine due to omitting the sign hanging procedure， leaving him with a lifelong disability. The painful lesson made the enterprise deeply realize that the implementation of lockout tagout cannot be separated from cultural support.
Changshun Coal Industry incorporates "lock culture" into safety training and daily assessments. Through typical accident case warnings， practical operation drills， etc.， the concept of "locking means responsibility， unlocking means risk" has been deeply rooted in people's minds. Jinneng Coal Industry promotes managers to shift from "post-event handling" to "prevention in advance"， guiding workers to make the ideological transition from "I have to be safe" to "I want to be safe"， making standardized locking a routine operation. After 60+ underground electricians completed special training at Shiquan Company， the compliance rate of executing the locking process voluntarily increased significantly， and the violation rate of electrical maintenance decreased by 60%.