Leading Higher Ed Institution Mobilizes Lockout Tagout Tracking with EZMaxMobile

Lockout Tagout (LOTO) within EZMaxMobile allows institutions to record, track, and monitor all lock usages in real-time. LOTO is an Occupation Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requirement for worker protection. Technicians carry individually labeled locks, as part of their Personal Protective Equipment, used to temporarily secure sources of potentially hazardous energy (electrical, thermal, chemical, etc.) associated with work order assignments.

Before a mobile LOTO solution, technicians recorded the use of assigned locks on paper and then took those records back to a central office (where they were re-recorded). Now, LOTO within EZMaxMobile allows the technician to generate a lock usage record with just two clicks on their mobile device. This new process removes extra steps and increases record reliability. “Worker safety is diminished without a good recording system that you can monitor, track, and react to. The system we installed with EZMaxMobile allows every technician to easily record the installation and removal of their own lock(s) against the work order … and for supervisors and managers to all see it in real time,” said Jeffrey Smith, Director of Facilities Maintenance Operations.

After receiving criteria from the University, InterPro developed the screens and the logic behind mobile LOTO within EZMaxMobile.

With mobilized LOTO:

• The use record is generated directly by the technician.
• There is an active LOTO in use available for everyone to see.
• The installation and removal history of the lock remains with the work order.
• It’s easy to identify where the locks are installed and who follows the process.

EZMaxMobile unlocks the potential for LOTO record keeping. “Every maintenance organization has to follow LOTO protocols — it’s a standard worker protection. We already had the information; we just didn’t have an easy way to access it,” said Smith. LOTO functionality within EZMaxMobile allows the easiest possible creation of the lock installation and removal records while making them available to everyone in real time. “It’s been a great success. We had a business case and found a very effective solution,” said Smith.