Valve safety lockout and method for using

Abstract

A valve safety lockout device and a method for using such device to tamper-proof a control valve are disclosed. In the device, a hollow toroidal-shaped body that is divided into two equal halves circumferentially forms the body for the lockout device. A plastic molded-in hinge connects the two equal halves at one end, and a male latch member and a female latch member are each formed at an opposite end of the two halves such that once they are engaged together, the two halves cannot be detached without destroying the latch members and thus making it visible to an operator. The plastic hollow body of the lockout device can be suitably molded of a plastic material of high rigidity including a molded-in plastic hinge connecting the two halves together. The rigidity of the plastic material should be such that the lockout device cannot be compressed or squeezed in order to turn the control valve handle.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.