The OSHA Lockout Standard

OSHA's Volume 29 Code of Federal Regulation (CFR) 1910.147 standard addresses the control of hazardous energy when servicing or maintaining equipment.

The scope, application and purpose of Lockout / Tagout are as follows:

Scope: Covers the service and maintenance of machines and equipment in which the unexpected energization (start up) of the machines or equipment, or release of stored energy, could cause injury to employees. This standard establishes minimum performance requirements for the control of such hazardous energy.

Application: This standard applies to the control of energy during servicing and/or maintenance of machines and equipment.

Purpose: This standard requires employers to establish a program and utilize lockout procedures for affixing appropriate lockout devices or tagout devices to energy sources, and to otherwise disable equipment in order to prevent unexpected energization, start-up or release of stored energy that could cause injury to employees.

Compliance with OSHA code 29 CFR 1910.147 (Lockout / Tagout) is necessary for the safety of all workers who ultimately perform the maintenance or repairs on the facility’s equipment. Violations are all too common (the #1 most cited violation for general industry), but your facility can eliminate the risk by employing proper OSHA lockout procedures that provide step-by-step directions for isolating, locking and tagging out all forms of the equipment’s energy supply.

Learn more about OSHA regulation and compliance by visiting the OSHA website.