Lockout/Tags-Plus Procedures

The purpose is to make sure all hazardous energy sources are isolated and the equipment is rendered inoperative before employees perform servicing that could cause injury. The Appendix explains this goal in plain language as part of the Typical Minimal Lockout/Tags-Plus Procedures in 1915.89 App A.

• Use this procedure whenever servicing could cause energization, start-up, or release of stored energy that could injure employees.
• This App A text is non-mandatory guidance but reflects the minimum steps employers should follow to meet the requirements of 1915.89.

All employees must comply with the restrictions, and only "authorized employees" are required to perform lockout or tags-plus applications in accordance with the procedure. The compliance section states this clearly in 1915.89 App A.

• "Authorized employees" perform the actual lockout/tags-plus tasks and must follow the employer's written procedures.
• "Affected employees" must not attempt to start, energize, or operate equipment secured under lockout/tags-plus.
• See also the overarching shipyard standards in Part 1915 for related employer responsibilities.

Affected employees must be notified that servicing is required and that the equipment will be isolated using a lockout or tags-plus system. 1915.89 App A requires notification of each affected employee.

• The Appendix does not mandate a single communication method; employers must establish and document their method(s) of notifying affected employees (e.g., toolbox talk, written notice, radio, tagboard) in their procedures.
• Make sure the notification reaches every affected employee before isolation and servicing begin.

An authorized employee must refer to the employer's procedures to identify the type and magnitude of energy sources, understand the hazards, and know how to control those energy sources. This requirement is stated in 1915.89 App A.

• The employer's procedures should list the energy types (electrical, hydraulic, pneumatic, stored mechanical, thermal, chemical, etc.), their magnitudes, locations, and controls.
• Where a competent person is needed to evaluate hazards or specify protections, employers should follow the definition and responsibilities of a competent person in Part 1915 (see related interpretive guidance at https://www.osha.gov/laws-regs/standardinterpretations/2016-04-18).

If the equipment is operating, it must be shut down in accordance with the employer's written procedures (for example, depress the stop button, open the switch, or close the valve). This step is explicitly required in 1915.89 App A.

• Use the normal controls in the prescribed sequence found in the written shutdown procedure.
• Document the locations of operating controls in the lockout/tags-plus procedure so authorized employees know how to shut equipment down safely.

Each energy-isolating device must be secured through a lockout or tags-plus system so the energy source is isolated and the equipment is rendered inoperative. This is required by 1915.89 App A.

• Examples include disconnecting power, blanking lines, or affixing tags to devices that isolate energy.
• The procedure should identify the types and locations of energy-isolating devices for each piece of equipment.

A Lockout System requires affixing a lock to each energy-isolating device using assigned individual locks that hold the device in a safe or off position. 1915.89 App A sets out this requirement.

• Stored or potentially hazardous energy (e.g., capacitors, springs, rotating flywheels, hydraulic and pneumatic pressure) must also be controlled by grounding, repositioning, blocking, bleeding down, or similar methods.
• Each authorized employee should have an assigned lock and follow documented procedures for applying and removing it.

A Tags-Plus System requires affixing a tag to each energy-isolating device and providing at least one additional safety measure that clearly indicates removal of the device is prohibited. This is described in 1915.89 App A.

• The additional safety measure must do more than a tag alone: examples consistent with the Appendix include blanking, disconnecting, or other positive physical measures that prevent reenergization.
• Employers must document which additional measures are acceptable for each application in their written procedures.

Potentially hazardous stored energy must be controlled by methods such as grounding, repositioning, blocking, or bleeding down, as listed in 1915.89 App A.

• Apply the control appropriate to the energy type (e.g., bleed hydraulic lines, block elevated members, discharge capacitors and ground circuits).
• Include these methods in the lockout/tags-plus procedure so authorized employees know exactly what steps to take.

You verify isolation by making sure no personnel are exposed and then operating the normal operating control (such as a push button) or testing to confirm the equipment will not operate, and then returning controls to the safe or off position. This verification method is required by 1915.89 App A.

• Always check that no one is exposed before you test.
• After testing, return controls to the off/safe position to maintain isolation while work is performed.

Servicing may begin once the machinery, equipment, or system is secured by the lockout or tags-plus system and the authorized employee has verified isolation as required. This is stated in 1915.89 App A.

• Verification includes ensuring no personnel are exposed and testing the operating control so the equipment will not start.
• Keep the lockout/tags-plus in place for the entire time servicing is underway.

Before removal and reenergizing, you must (1) notify authorized and affected employees that removal will occur; (2) inspect the work area to ensure employees are safe; (3) inspect the equipment and surrounding area to confirm components are intact; (4) reconnect components, remove lockout/tags-plus hardware, and reenergize using established procedures; and (5) notify affected employees that servicing is complete. These steps are listed in 1915.89 App A.

• Follow each step in sequence and use the employer’s documented reenergization procedures.
• Make sure all authorized employees know the employer’s specific notification methods for removal.

The employer should include the purpose, methods to notify affected employees, identification of energy types and magnitudes, locations and types of operating controls and energy-isolating devices, methods to control hazardous energy, and verification and reenergization procedures. The Appendix recommends these elements in 1915.89 App A.

• Document specific shutdown steps (e.g., depress stop button, open switch), control methods (e.g., blocking, grounding), and how tests to verify isolation are performed.
• Keep procedures available to authorized employees and update them when equipment or work scope changes.

No—an affected employee must not attempt to start, open, close, energize, or operate machinery, equipment, or systems secured by lockout or tags-plus. This prohibition is stated in the compliance section of 1915.89 App A.

• Only authorized employees may remove lockout/tags-plus and reenergize equipment following the employer’s procedures.
• Affected employees must follow any training and notification requirements so they understand and respect the controls.

The Appendix requires at least one additional safety measure beyond a tag that clearly indicates removal of the device from the safe or off position is prohibited. While the Appendix does not list an exhaustive set, the same section gives practical examples of physical isolation actions (like disconnecting or blanking) that can be used to supplement tags; see 1915.89 App A.

• Use positive physical measures (for example, blanking lines or disconnecting power) in addition to tags.
• Employers must specify acceptable additional measures in their written procedures so authorized employees know what to apply.

Hydraulic and pneumatic pressures should be controlled by methods such as bleeding down the system, repositioning, or blocking moving parts, as listed among the energy control methods in 1915.89 App A.

• Include specific steps in the employer’s procedures (for example, isolate supply, relieve pressure, lock valves) so authorized employees know how to make the system safe.
• Verify pressure is relieved before testing operating controls to confirm isolation.

An authorized employee performs the lockout or tags-plus application and follows the written procedures; an affected employee is someone whose job requires them to operate or use the equipment and must not attempt to start or energize equipment under lockout/tags-plus. This role split is described in 1915.89 App A.

• Authorized employees must be trained, understand the energy hazards, and know the control methods.
• Affected employees must be notified and must comply with restrictions while the equipment is secured.

Appendix A is non-mandatory guidance offering a typical minimal lockout/tags-plus procedure; it does not itself create legally enforceable requirements, but it illustrates ways to meet the requirements of the mandatory 1915.89. See the header of 1915.89 App A.

• Employers must still comply with the binding requirements found in 1915.89.
• Using Appendix A’s model procedure can help demonstrate an employer’s good-faith effort to meet the standard.

Immediately before reenergizing, inspect the work area to ensure all employees are safely positioned or removed and inspect the equipment and nearby area to ensure nonessential items are removed and components are operationally intact. These actions are specified in the removal steps of 1915.89 App A.

• Confirm that guarding, fasteners, and other components are replaced or secured and that tools and debris are cleared away.
• Only then reconnect components and remove lockout/tags-plus devices per the employer’s procedures.

After reenergizing, the employer must notify all affected employees that servicing is complete and the machinery, equipment, or system is ready for testing or use, as stated in 1915.89 App A.

• Provide any required instructions or transfer the equipment back to normal operating personnel.
• Keep records or logs of the lockout/tags-plus activity if required by the employer’s internal policy to track maintenance and safety actions.