Control of Hazardous Energy (Lockout/Tagout) General Industry • Regulation 29 CFR 1910.147

Energy sources including electrical, mechanical, hydraulic, pneumatic, chemical, thermal, or other sources in machines and equipment, can be hazardous to workers. During the servicing and maintenance of machines and equipment, the unexpected startup or release of stored energy can result in serious injury or death to workers.

Workers servicing or maintaining machines or equipment may be seriously injured or killed if hazardous energy is not properly controlled. Injuries may include electrocution, burns, crushing, cutting, lacerating, amputating or fracturing body parts.

Craft workers, electricians, machine operators and laborers are among the millions of workers who service equipment routinely and face the greatest risk of injury.

Enforcement from October 2022 through September 2023:

ABOUT THE STANDARD

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The OSHA standard for The Control of Hazardous Energy (Lockout/Tagout), Title 29 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 1910.147, addresses the practices and procedures necessary to disable machinery or equipment, thereby preventing the release of hazardous energy while employees perform servicing and maintenance activities. The standard outlines measures for controlling hazardous energies — electrical, mechanical, hydraulic, pneumatic, chemical, thermal and other energy sources. In addition, 29 CFR 1910.333 sets forth requirements to protect employees working on electric circuits and equipment. This section requires workers to use safe work practices, including lockout and tagging procedures. These provisions apply when employees are exposed to electrical hazards while working on, near, or with conductors or systems that use electric energy.

29 CFR 1910.147 gives each employer the flexibility to develop an energy control program suited to the needs of the particular workplace and the types of machines and equipment being maintained or serviced. This is generally done by affixing the appropriate lockout or tagout devices to energy isolating devices and by de-energizing machines and equipment:

• If an energy isolating device is not capable of being locked out, the employer’s energy control program shall utilize a tagout system.
• If an energy isolating device is capable of being locked out, the employer’s energy control program shall utilize lockout, unless the employer can demonstrate that the utilization of a tagout system will provide full employee protection.
• When a tagout device is used on an energy isolating device which is capable of being locked out, the tagout device shall be attached at the same location that the lockout device would have been attached, and the employer shall demonstrate that the tagout program will provide a level of safety equivalent to that obtained by using a lockout program.

TRAINING

The standard mandates training for workers, to ensure that they know, understand, and are able to follow the applicable provisions of the hazardous energy control procedures:

• All employees who work in an area where energy control procedure(s) are utilized need to be instructed in the purpose and use of the energy control procedure(s), especially prohibition against attempting to restart or reenergize machines or other equipment that are locked or tagged out.
• All employees who are authorized to lockout machines or equipment and perform the service and maintenance operations need to be trained in recognition of applicable hazardous energy sources in the workplace, the type and magnitude of energy found in the workplace, and the means and methods of isolating and/or controlling the energy.
• Specific procedures and limitations relating to tagout systems where they are allowed.
• Retraining of all employees to maintain proficiency or introduce new or changed control methods.

Resources

OSHA’s Lockout/Tagout Fact Sheet¹ describes the practices and procedures necessary to disable machinery or equipment to prevent the release of hazardous energy. WMHS