Hazardous work equipment lockout

This section describes the precautions necessary with certain types of hazardous work. It covers entry into confined spaces, lockout and tagging of equip-... 

The employer shall develop and implement safe work practices to provide for the control of hazards during operations such as lockout/tagout confined space entry opening process equipment or piping and control over entrance into a facility by maintenance, contractor, laboratory, or other support personnel. These safe work practices shall apply to employees and contractor employees. 

Nomoutine work which is conducted in process areas needs to be controlled by the employer in a consistent manner. Hie hazards identified involving the wmk that is to be accomplished must be communicated to those doing the work, but also to those operating personnel whose work could affect the safety of the process. A work authorization notice or permit must have a procedure that describes the steps the maintenance supervisor, contractor representative, or other person needs to follow to obtain the necessary clearance to get the job started. The work authorization procedures need to reference and coordinate, as applicable, lockout/tagout procedures, line breaking procedures, confined space entry procedures, and hot work authorizations. This procedure also needs to provide clear steps to follow once the job is completed in order to provide closure far those that need to know the job is now completed and equipment can be returned to normal. 

Tagouts If a machine or item of equipment has a hazardous condition, a way to inform people is to place a tag on it that clearly identifies the hazard. That way, someone does not inadvertently use or work on the machine or item without knowing the danger. When working on electrical systems and equipment, workers need to use both lockout and tagout procedures concurrently. In addition, if equipment always has a known hazard, it may need a permanent label identifying the hazard. 

High-powered microwave equipment must be grounded to reduce electrical hazards. Metal objects may build a charge from the electrical field of the microwave equipment. Interlocks on doors protect access to hazardous microwave locations. The interlocks prevent unauthorized access to hazardous microwave locations. The interlocks require frequent inspections and testing to ensure they are working properly. Lockout and tagout procedures are important for servicing of microwave equipment. 

Those involved in work that is not part of normal operations, such as maintenance and cleaning of machines and equipment, must learn special safety techniques. Maintenance and cleaning may require removal of guards or testing machine performance. The workers may need to implement lockout and tagout procedures, but certain tasks require machine operation. These workers may have exposure to hazards during normal operations. 

A2. When the site selects hazard controls, does it follow the preferred hierarchy (engineering controls, administrative controls, work practice controls [e.g. lockout/tag out, bloodborne pathogens, and confined space programs], and personal protective equipment) to eliminate or control hazards ... 

Perform job hazard analyses (JHAs) prior to beginning work to determine potential hazards of the job and their controls such as leaking flammable vapors from equipment that had previously contained hydrocarbons, control of ignition sources, working in excavations, and lockout/tagout. 

De-energizing parts before the employee works on or near them, unless the employer can demonstrate that de-energizing introduces additional or increased hazards, or is infeasible due to equipment design or operational limitations. Live parts that operate at less than 50 volts to ground do not need to be de-energized if there is no increased exposure to electrical burns or to explosion due to electric arcs. Lockout and tagging is required. 

Unqualified employees, those that do not work directly with electrical systems, have to be able to recognize electrical hazards, shordd stay clear of barricaded areas when qualified employees are working on electrical systems, and recognize appropriate lockout/tagout implementation. Additionally, they have to ensure that portable tools and extension cords are plugged into ground-fardt circuit interrupters and equipment with flexible cords (i.e., the cords that come with the equipment) are plugged directly into a receptacle. 

The three major OSHA standards most frequently cited to employers regarding contractor safety are Process Safety Management of Highly Hazardous Chemical (29 CFR 1910.110), Control of Hazardous Energy (Lockout/Tagout) (29 CFR 1910.147), and Hazard Communication Standard (29 CFR 1910.1200). These regulations pertain to the hiring of outside contractors and subcontractors to perform repair work, plant modification, equipment maintenance, etc. Many countries around the world have their comparable standards. 

Both should identtify all sources of hazardous energy and the contractor should implement lockout procedures adequate to control all of them. Aside for making sure the correct procedures are followed, the host employer must ensure that their employees comply with any restrictions regarding the contractor s procedures. For example, employees should be able to recognize the contractor s lockout equipment and know to stay clear of the area where the work is being done. 

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