LOTO for Conveyor Systems

Conveyor systems have multiple energy sources including electrical, mechanical, pneumatic, and gravitational.
PUWER 1998 requires that conveyors are isolated and made safe before any maintenance or cleaning work.
Conveyors may restart unexpectedly from remote control panels, PLCs, or automated sequences.
Nip points at rollers, drive drums, and return idlers are common entanglement and crushing hazards.
Stored energy in tensioned belts, loaded sections, and elevated materials must be controlled after isolation.
Multiple isolation points may exist — the motor, control panel, and any auxiliary drives must all be locked off.
The LOTO procedure must identify every energy source and the correct isolation device for each one.
Group lockout with multi-lock hasps is needed when several people work on the same conveyor.
Testing that the conveyor will not start after isolation is a mandatory step before work begins.
A conveyor incident can cause fatal entanglement in seconds — there is no time to react once caught.

Prevent entanglement	Conveyor nip points draw workers in within fractions of a second — only full isolation prevents these incidents.
Multiple energy sources	Conveyors have electrical, mechanical, and gravitational energy — failing to control all of them leaves residual danger.
Unexpected restart	Automated or remote start systems can energise a conveyor without warning if isolation is incomplete.

Do

Don't

Identify all energy sources for the conveyor including electrical and gravitational
Isolate at every isolation point — motor, control panel, and auxiliary drives
Apply personal locks and danger tags to each isolation device
Use a multi-lock hasp when more than one person works on the conveyor
Test that the conveyor cannot be started after all isolations are applied
Release stored energy in tensioned belts and loaded conveyor sections safely
Follow the written LOTO procedure specific to the conveyor being worked on
Remove all tools, materials, and guards before re-energising the system
Confirm all personnel are clear before removing locks and restoring power
Brief the team on the LOTO procedure and confirm understanding before work begins

DON'T work on a conveyor without completing the full LOTO procedure
DON'T rely on pressing the stop button alone — it does not constitute isolation
DON'T remove another person's lock from the isolation point without authorisation
DON'T reach into conveyor nip points even when the belt appears stationary
DON'T forget gravitational energy — material on inclined sections can move
DON'T bypass automated start sequences or PLC interlocks during maintenance
DON'T leave the conveyor partly isolated — all energy sources must be locked off
DON'T skip the try-start test that proves the conveyor cannot be energised
DON'T re-energise the conveyor until all guards are refitted and secured
DON'T assume someone else has completed the isolation — verify it yourself

See also: LOTO Awareness | Mechanical Isolation

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