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Chemical Engineering vocabulary · Process Safety and Hazards

Lockout/tagout

Meaning in chemical engineering, with examples

/ˈlɑːkaʊt ˈtæɡaʊt/nounCommon term

In chemical engineering, lockout/tagout means: A safety procedure that isolates equipment from all energy sources and locks and labels the isolation points, so nobody can start it while people are working on it.

In Turkish: kilitleme/etiketleme, LOTO, enerji izolasyonu

How it is used

Required before maintenance on pumps, compressors, agitators and vessels. Each worker puts a personal lock on the isolation point. Abbreviated LOTO; people say 'apply LOTO', 'the pump is locked out' and 'verify zero energy'.

Example sentences

  1. Apply lockout/tagout on the agitator motor before anyone opens the manway.

  2. Our lockout/tagout procedure also covers steam, nitrogen and process lines, not just electricity.

Common collocations

  • apply LOTO
  • lockout point
  • personal lock
  • verify isolation
  • LOTO procedure
  • valveA device in a pipe that starts, stops or adjusts the flow of a fluid, either by hand or automatically.
  • purgeTo clear a vessel or pipe of air, flammable gas or toxic material by flushing it with an inert gas such as nitrogen, or with steam, before opening it or starting it up.
  • shutdownStopping a unit or plant, either in a planned and controlled way or suddenly because of a fault or safety system action.
  • hazardAnything that could cause harm to people, the plant or the environment, such as a flammable gas, a toxic liquid, high pressure or a hot surface.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

More terms: Process Safety and Hazards

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