Text For Citation: 01 Item/Group: 001 Hazard: LOCKOUT

Section 5(a)(1) of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970: The employer did not furnish employment and a place of employment which were free from recognized hazards that were causing or likely to cause death or serious physical harm to employees in that employees were exposed : Employees performing maintenance and repair work on such equipment as compressors and pumps were exposed to the hazards of electrical shock, amputations, fractures, and severe lacerations from electrical energization of equipment and moving parts as equipment was operable during maintenance and repair operations. Among other methods, one feasible and acceptable abatement method to correct this hazard is: Equipment being repaired or serviced shall be isolated by locking out electrical and/or fluid (air or liquid) energy power sources, and/or lowering, blocking, or cribbing of parts to prevent activation of moving parts and electrical energization that could be hazardous to the employees. This shall be achieved by ensuring that an employee performing repair or maintenance work on or around such equipment be provided with a padlock and shall be in possession of the only key to the padlock. If more than one person is engaged in the repair or maintenance operations at one time a padlock system must be arranged, and each persons's lock must be place. Only the will have a key to his/her padlock. Where repair or maintenance operations require employees to be involved with more than one piece of equipment at a time, and the pieces of equipment cannot all be locked out at one source, each employee must lock out at each source. In addition to the lockout system there must be accompanying tags or signs shall identify the operation and prohibit the use of the equipment. Supervisory personnel shall monitor the lockout/tagout program, including when and where to use the procedures, and shall include hands-on training. The program shall be set down, in detail, in writing.