Example only. Your conveyor's drives, take-up, isolation points and stored energy will differ; check the manufacturer's manual and walk the line before writing your procedure.
Header
| Procedure no. | LOTO-027 (example) |
| Machine | Inclined belt conveyor CV-12, 30 in belt, 15° incline, head drive with gravity take-up, pneumatic diverter gate at discharge |
| Intended use (c)(4)(ii)(A) | Clearing jams, belt tracking adjustment by hand, splice and idler replacement, pulley lagging repair, cleaning under the tail |
| Authorized employees | Maintenance technicians, trained line mechanics |
| Affected employees | Packing line operators at CV-11 and CV-13, line lead |
| Specific hazards | In-running nip points at head, tail and take-up pulleys; belt can roll back on the incline when stopped loaded; take-up counterweight falls if released; diverter gate closes under air pressure; upstream conveyor CV-11 can feed product onto CV-12 |
Energy sources and isolation points
| # | Energy | Magnitude | Isolation device | Lockout method | Stored energy | Verify |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| E1 | Electrical (drive motor) | 480 V AC, 3-phase, 10 hp | Disconnect DS-12 at the head end | Padlock on handle in OFF | VFD DC bus: wait the time on the drive label | Try START and JOG at both pushbutton stations; zero-voltage test at motor terminals with a tested meter |
| E2 | Pneumatic (diverter gate) | Shop air, 90 psi | Lockable ball valve AV-12 on the drop | Padlock on valve in CLOSED | Exhaust via the valve's dump port and bleed both cylinder ends (a closed-center valve can trap air); lower the gate to its rest stop | Gauge PG-12 reads 0; gate rests on its stop (check with a tool, not fingers) |
| E3 | Gravity (take-up counterweight) | Counterweight mass from the drawing | Mechanical: take-up locking pin or chain to the frame | Pin in, chain padlocked, tagged | Counterweight held by pin, not by belt tension | Visual: counterweight resting on pin; chain slack-free |
| E4 | Gravity (incline rollback) | Belt plus any product on the 15° section | Run belt empty before stop; belt clamp at the tail | Belt clamp fitted, tagged | Belt held by clamp | Visual: clamp tight; belt does not move when pushed |
| E5 | Mechanical (belt tension) | Tension from take-up | Released only for splice or pulley work, after E3 is pinned | As E3 | Slack the belt in the order the manufacturer gives | Belt can be lifted off the pulley by hand |
| E6 | Upstream feed | Product from CV-11 | Disconnect DS-11 (CV-11) | Padlock in OFF | None | Try START on CV-11 |
Lockout sequence
- Prepare for shutdown (d)(1). Review this procedure and the six energy sources above. Tell the packing line operators and the line lead that CV-12 and CV-11 are being locked out and why ((c)(9)).
- Shut down (d)(2). Stop CV-11 first, let CV-12 run empty, then stop CV-12 with the normal STOP button.
- Isolate (d)(3). Open DS-12 (E1) and DS-11 (E6). Close AV-12 (E2).
- Apply locks and tags (d)(4). Each authorized employee fits a personal lock and tag to DS-12, DS-11 and AV-12; group work uses the lock box described in the program.
- Control stored energy (d)(5). Exhaust the gate air, bleed both cylinder ends and lower the gate. Pin and chain the take-up counterweight (E3). Fit the belt clamp at the tail (E4). For splice or pulley work, slack the belt only after E3 is pinned (E5). Wait the VFD discharge time.
- Verify isolation (d)(6). Press START and JOG at both stations and at CV-11: nothing may move. Test for zero voltage at the CV-12 motor terminals with a meter checked on a known live source. Check PG-12 reads 0. Push the belt by hand: it must not move. Return all controls to OFF.
Release from lockout
- Remove tools, rags and materials from the belt, pulleys and under the tail; refit nip-point guards (e)(1).
- With the belt clamp still fitted, restore belt tension in the manufacturer's order: take the counterweight's load under control, remove the take-up pin and chain, and lower it onto the belt. Then remove the belt clamp.
- Make sure everyone is clear (e)(2)(i).
- Each employee removes their own lock and tag (e)(3).
- Tell the operators the locks are off and the conveyors are about to restart (e)(2)(ii), (c)(9). Restart CV-12 before CV-11.
Why conveyors need more than "lock the disconnect"
- Stored energy is the norm. A stopped, loaded incline belt and a gravity take-up both move without power. (d)(5) requires potentially hazardous stored or residual energy to be relieved, disconnected, restrained and otherwise rendered safe.
- Adjacent conveyors feed each other. Isolation under (d)(3) covers all energy isolating devices needed to control the energy to the machine, which in a line often includes the upstream drive.
- Pull-cord and emergency stops are not isolation. Push buttons, selector switches and other control circuit type devices are not energy isolating devices under the definition in 1910.147(b). Neither is the drive's holdback or backstop: it is a machine component, not a lockable isolation point.
- Belt tracking under power is a common question. Where servicing has to be done with the conveyor running, it is outside 1910.147 only if it is minor servicing that is routine, repetitive and integral to production and is done with alternative measures giving effective protection (note to (a)(2)(ii)). If a guard is removed or bypassed, or a hand goes near a nip point, lock out. Decide and document which tasks fall where.
Write yours in five minutes
The free generator lays out this same structure from your entries and prints it. The $49 kit adds the written program, inspection and training records, and a register that flags overdue inspections.
Related: Example: hydraulic press brake · Group lockout/tagout procedure · Lockout vs tagout · Authorized vs affected employee
General information based on 29 CFR 1910.147 (OSHA.gov), not legal advice. The example conveyor is illustrative.