The American Society of Safety Engineers recently announced the availability of a new standard that provides guidelines for protecting workers from potentially dangerous equipment and energy.

“Control of Hazardous Energy—Lockout/Tagout and Alternative Methods,” produced by the Z244 Accredited Standards Committee, provides safety requirements for preventing the unexpected release of hazardous energy from machines, equipment or processes. Lockout/tagout procedures such as the new standard are required by law, and ensure that machines or equipment under maintenance, construction or inspection are properly locked and tagged out from use to prevent accidents.

“The revised standard is significantly different than the 1982 version, providing new sections on design requirements and alternative methods of controlling hazardous energy, which existing federal and industry standards do not specifically address,” says Ed Grund, chairman of the Z244 Accredited Standards Committee.

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