Locking out machinery and equipment prior to servicing or maintenance is an essential element of protecting employees from unexpected energization or motion, the startup of machine or equipment, or release of stored energy.

Violations of the Occupational Safety & Health Administration’s (OSHA) Lockout/Tagout Standards consistently fall within one of OSHA’s top 10 most frequently cited standards across all industries. To avoid accidents and ensure compliance with applicable regulations, it is essential to follow the proper steps of conducting Lockout/Tagout.

As a continuation of the poultry industry’s improvement in worker safety and as a method of overcoming some of the language barriers that can occur in poultry plants, USPOULTRY has developed a poster and video demonstrating the proper steps for completing Lockout/Tagout on equipment or machinery with the goal of illustrating some basic concepts with few words.

These visual materials help member companies train staff while addressing the communication challenges with the many languages that are spoken in poultry facilities. The material was developed by USPOULTRY with input and review by the Joint Industry Safety and Health Council.

The poster can be viewed and downloaded from the USPOULTRY website. The video is viewable through USPOULTRY’s YouTube page.