OSHA Lockout/Tagout Rules: What Field Crews Must Know
According to Safety+Health Magazine, OSHA warns that workers who service or maintain machines and equipment “may be exposed to serious physical harm or death if hazardous energy is not properly controlled.” Under OSHA standard 1910.147, employers must establish a workplace-specific energy control program and train workers on at least three areas: the employer’s energy control program, procedures relevant to the worker’s duties, and the requirements of the lockout/tagout standard itself.
What It Means for Subcontractors
- Lockout devices are the default requirement. Tagout-only programs are permitted only if they provide equivalent protection, and every device must be durable, standardized, and tied to a specific, identified user.
- Only the worker who applied a lockout/tagout device is permitted to remove it. Supervisors should enforce this as a hard rule, not a suggestion.
- All new or updated equipment must be capable of being locked out. If a machine can’t be locked out, a written tagout procedure is required before work begins.
