Lockout — Employers and Supervisors

Supervisor impact and influence

Your workers are your greatest assets and you play a crucial role in the ongoing safety and training of your crew. The purpose of this Crew Talk handout is to provide you, the supervisor, with information to assist you in training your workers and ensuring their safety. Your role is to leave them with a strong message regarding the critical importance of locking out equipment and machinery on a consistent basis by following the correct procedures.

How to deliver a crew talk

• Prepare in advance by reviewing your shop's lockout procedures to discuss with the crew. Also, review the WorkSafeBC booklet Lockout.
• Gather your crew together to watch the slide show Lockout for Woodworking.
• Distribute the Lockout — Crew Handout.
• Watch the Lockout for Woodworking slide show and prepare to discuss it with your crew.
• Emphasize the importance of locking out when required.
• Explain that lockout procedures are in place to ensure everyone's safety. Each year workers are seriously injured because machinery or equipment was not locked out — this means crushed limbs, severed fingers, even death.

Discussion topics

1. Discuss and ask questions to check your crew's knowledge of lockout. Use the crew talk handout as your discussion guide.
2. Demonstrate proper lockout procedures by locking out the actual equipment.
3. Discuss how injuries can occur if equipment is not locked out.
4. Emphasize that lockout is mandatory.
5. Cite a true story from your own experience or that of the crew (or use the Hazard Alert below).
6. Identify machinery in your shop where a basic lockout procedure would not be adequate — for example, machinery equipped with multiple energy sources (electric, pneumatic, or hydraulic). Ensure that all these sources of energy have been taken into account when developing your lockout procedures.

Keep the ball rolling: Follow-up

As the owner or supervisor it is your responsibility to develop and implement lockout procedures in your workplace. Your lockout procedures must be written and should vary depending on the size and complexity of your machinery. You must effectively train your crew in the lockout procedures you develop, and be vigilant in your supervision to ensure that the procedures are followed.

After this crew talk, inform your workers that you will:

• OBSERVE work activity to ensure that lockout procedures are being followed consistently and correctly.
• SUPPORT positive behaviours when lockout has been done correctly.
• CORRECT unsafe work practices when they are observed.
• REINFORCE good lockout practices by presenting this crew talk periodically.

WorkSafeBC resources

Print the booklet Lockout and post a couple of copies around your shop. Ensure that each department manager covers the booklet in more detail with their specific crew. Visit WorkSafeBC.com for copies of Lockout and the slide show Lockout for Woodworking.