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OSHA Lockout Procedures

Periodic maintenance and repair is required on virtually all electrical equipment. Specific ways of performing lockout procedures vary in accordance with the equipment manufacturer's specifications, however; three general concepts are common to all lockout procedures. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration requires employers to implement a written lockout procedure as part of their maintenance and safety plan. OSHA Publication 3120, Control of Hazardous Energy, is designed to assist employers to comply with this requirement.

  1. Preparation for lockout

    • When properly trained personnel need to perform maintenance or repair, the machinery is cleared, shut down, and the power source must be cut off. Generally, the power source cut-off switch on the equipment's control panel accomplishes this.

    Lockout procedures

    • Approved control panels are designed to allow a padlock to be used to lock it in an "off" position. Safety plans should include a requirement to issue one key for each padlock to avoid re-energizing of equipment by someone not working on it. Once equipment is properly locked out, the maintenance worker should use testing instrumentation to verify power is off.

      The lockout tag itself is required to state a warning to employees not to attempt to energize the equipment. It should be easy to see and printed plainly and easy to read, including the name or names of the personnel authorized to remove it.

      Employee training concerning lockout procedures varies. The maintenance worker is trained to know how to apply a lockout tag, verify power is off, conduct maintenance, ensure equipment is fully functional, and remove the lockout tag. Other workers not involved in the maintenance are trained to understand what the purpose of a lockout program is and how to recognize when it is being used.

    Remove lockouts

    • The employer's energy control procedure is required to specify the steps needed to re-energize the equipment after maintenance or repairs are complete. An inspection of the equipment is needed to ensure all components are operational and that all tools and other extraneous materials are removed. The procedure should also indicate how notification is performed to inform employees that the equipment is about to be unlocked and re-energized.

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