Lockout in New Brunswick (WorkSafeNB)

Why lockout

Lockout prevents injuries caused by the unexpected start-up or movement of a machine. In New Brunswick, General Regulation 91-191 under the Occupational Health and Safety Act requires a written lockout procedure for each machine that is cleaned, maintained, adjusted or repaired, and the procedure must be followed every time. Work requiring lockout must comply with sections 239 and 240 of the regulation.

Where the lockout procedure is inappropriate or inadequate, the employer must establish a code of practice in consultation with the joint health and safety committee or health and safety representative, if any, and must comply with and enforce it (Reg. 91-191, s. 240).

In the RSOS, the first performance criterion of each tool and equipment maintenance sub-task (A-2.01 to A-2.04) is to apply lockout and tagout procedures, so this is the procedure behind that step.

Lockout policy (recommended by WorkSafeNB)

• Which activities and machines require lockout
• Training for the person doing the lockout and for the employees working on the machine
• How lockout procedures are developed, reviewed and updated
• Emergency steps when a lock must be removed by someone other than the person who installed it
• How lockout is enforced (for example, a disciplinary policy)

Basic steps, in order

Perform only the steps that apply to the machine.

#	Before working on the machine
1	Turn the machine off at the operator's control panel.
2	If the panel has a lock, lock it and keep the key on you.
3	Shut off the power at the main power disconnect.
4	Put your padlock on the main disconnect and keep the key: one key – one lock.
5	Tag your lock. The regulation (s. 239(4)(b)(iii), amended 2022) requires a non-conductive tag with words directing persons not to start or operate the machine, the qualified person's printed name and signature, and the date and time the tag was put on.
6	Release all stored energy.
7	Try to start the machine to confirm a zero energy state.
8	Push the stop button again, so the machine is not "on" when power is restored.

#	After finishing the work
9	Secure the area: replace guards and shields, remove blocks, pick up tools, inspect; make sure the machine is not "on".
10	Warn other affected employees that you will remove your lock and restart the machine.
11	Remove your lock and tag from the main disconnect.
12	If no other locks remain, turn on the power, standing clear of the disconnect.
13	Unlock the operator's control panel if necessary.
14	Start the machine and continue working.

Stored (secondary) energy

Type	What it is	Example of releasing it
Hydraulic	Fluid under pressure	Bleeding a hydraulic system
Pneumatic	Air under pressure	Draining the air from an air tank
Kinetic	Force of moving parts	Waiting for a circular saw blade to stop spinning
Potential	Force contained in raised weights	Placing blocks under an elevated weight

The written procedure for each machine should list all its secondary energy sources and how to release them.

The bottom line before working on any machine: LOCK – TAG – TEST.

What the regulation itself requires (ss. 239–240)

• Every machine needs, besides its normal start/stop control, a means of isolating its energy source that is lockable, in a location familiar to all employees, and properly identified (s. 239(1)).
• The employer provides a safety lock and key to each employee who may have to lock out (s. 239(2)), and a written lockout procedure with adequate instruction and training (s. 239(3)).
• Before cleaning, maintenance, adjustment or repair, a competent person puts the machine in a zero energy state; each employee who will work on it verifies that all potential energy sources are inoperative, locks it out with the safety lock and key provided by the employer and puts on the tag (s. 239(4)).
• No employee starts the work until they have verified this and tested that the machine is inoperative (s. 239(5)).
• Only the person who installed a lock or tag may remove it, or, in an emergency or when that person cannot be reached, a competent employee designated by the employer (s. 239(6)).
• Where lockout is inappropriate or inadequate, the employer establishes a code of practice with the committee or representative and complies with and enforces it (s. 240).

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Sources: WorkSafeNB, Lock Out (revised May 2009), p. 1; WorkSafeNB, Checklist for Lockout (revised July 2022); New Brunswick Regulation 91-191, ss. 239–240, pp. 211–213. Where the 2009 pamphlet and the current regulation differ, the regulation prevails.