Lockout Tagout

Arno

I am trying to find more information on the history of Lockout Tagout.

I am looking for information about how and when it became a “habit” to use padlocks to keep people safe from the unexpected release of hazardous energies in industrial areas.

I have read somewhere that Lockout Tagout origins from the American war industry in World War 2. I have tried to find some pictures or writings on this, but I have not found anything.

Pschiffe

Arno wrote
I am trying to find more information on the history of Lockout Tagout.
I am looking for information about how and when it became a “habit” to use padlocks to keep people safe from the unexpected release of hazardous energies in industrial areas.
I have read somewhere that Lockout Tagout origins from the American war industry in World War 2. I have tried to find some pictures or writings on this, but I have not found anything.

In 1989 The US Dept. of Labor Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) adopted Rule 1910.147 (29 CFR 1910.147 - see link) which requires all machinery and equipment to be locked and/or tagged in the “off” or “neutral” position during service or maintenance operations. OSHA’s “Lockout/Tagout” rule applies to general industry and is intended to reduce serious injuries and fatalities that may occur due to the accidental start-up by others of machinery and equipment.
https://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=STANDARDS&p_id=9804

Pete Schifferli

[unknown]

wylk

I see a lockout product in a 1985 Master Lock catalog. Not much help, but it’s another data point.

Pschiffe

wylk wrote
I see a lockout product in a 1985 Master Lock catalog. Not much help, but it’s another data point.

There is a brief article, “Safety Lockout/Tagout Products” in The National Locksmith®, January 2016. The president of a locksmith company is quoted therein as saying, we first began offering padlocks for Safety Lockout in the mid-2000s. The article also states that the business first opened in 1971!

Pete Schifferli

[unknown]

Huw Eastwood

Arno it might be worth tracing back brochures and catalogues from German manufacturers like Abus and especially Burg Wachter, as they produced incredibly diverse padlock ranges for this sort of purpose with colour coding, tags, and extended shackles etc.

I can remember seeing padlocks on lock-out switches on site plant and machinery in the early to mid 1980s so they were definitely in use back then.

lockworksokc

I do not remember when colored “lockout” padlocks came about but we had “multi hasps” in the 80’s.

Parautoptic

Seton were selling lockout tags and multi padlock hasps in 1985. That was the first time I had noticed that sort of thing.

Phil

MaxVaultage wrote
Arno it might be worth tracing back brochures and catalogues from German manufacturers like Abus and especially Burg Wachter, as they produced incredibly diverse padlock ranges for this sort of purpose with colour coding, tags, and extended shackles etc.

I can remember seeing padlocks on lock-out switches on site plant and machinery in the early to mid 1980s so they were definitely in use back then.

[unknown]

lockworksokc

And it was American that came out with the first colored padlocks, in aluminum.

wylk

A Google Books search for “safety lockout” (without the quotes) came up with an example from 1966, https://books.google.com/books?id=-HcoAQAAMAAJ&q=safety+lockout&dq=safety+lockout&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwit8NS5qJHLAhUFyGMKHU4ACGsQ6AEIYTAI though Google Books does not make the entire publication available for view.

wylk

A US Patent search was fruitful in pushing back the time frame. Looking at 8,353,182 (filed 2011) there are several older patents listed. Among them is 1,197,020 (1916) and 2,560,624 (filed 1948, issued 1951). See the 2011 patent for references to more older patents.

Parautoptic

Back to 1916 already… And not too surprising to see it in connection with railway safety, the railways have always been safety innovators.

Should we offer a prize for the first person to find a reference to one made at St Paul’s Chuchyard ?

Phil

wylk wrote
A US Patent search was fruitful in pushing back the time frame. Looking at 8,353,182 (filed 2011) there are several older patents listed. Among them is 1,197,020 (1916) and 2,560,624 (filed 1948, issued 1951). See the 2011 patent for references to more older patents.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]15136[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]15137[/ATTACH]

[unknown]

Richard Phillips

Parautoptic wrote
Back to 1916 already… And not too surprising to see it in connection with railway safety, the railways have always been safety innovators.

Should we offer a prize for the first person to find a reference to one made at St Paul’s Chuchyard ?

Phil

Chubb did indeed invent the idea of the safety chain emergency brake on railway trains. However, Kaye of Leeds was the principal maker of railway locks. My guess is this safety lockout originated in electrical engineering industry.

[unknown]

Grayhair

wylk wrote
A Google Books search for “safety lockout” (without the quotes) came up with an example from 1966 . . .

I remember them from when I was starting in the business in the 1960s.

[unknown]

YALE7750

Grayhair wrote
I remember them from when I was starting in the business in the 1960s.

Western Electric was using Best padlocks with red “Safety First” logos back in the 60’s or 70’s.

[unknown]

Richard Phillips

I’m told that it was common in British coalmines in 18-19C (they were all privately owned and independent then) to use triangular padlocks for safety purposes. The distinctive shape could be easily felt in darkness, and understood by illiterate workers. The triangular padlcok body was not uncommon, though that does not definitely prove anything..