Subpart V
This standard applies when transmission and distribution lines or equipment are deenergized for the purpose of protecting employees, and conductors deenergized by any other procedures must be treated as energized. See 1926.961(a) for the full rule.
The employer must designate one employee in the crew to be in charge of the clearance and ensure that person follows all the steps in paragraph 1926.961(c) in the order specified. See 1926.961(b)(1).
The employer must designate one employee in the crew to act as the employee in charge of the clearance and have that person perform the functions a system operator would perform, following the requirements of 1926.961(c). See 1926.961(b)(2).
If only one crew will work on the lines or equipment and the means of disconnection is accessible, visible to, and under the sole control of the employee in charge of the clearance, the employer need not comply with paragraphs 1926.961(c)(1), 1926.961(c)(3), and 1926.961(c)(5); the employer also does not need to use the tags required by the remaining provisions of paragraph (c). See 1926.961(b)(3).
For two or more crews working on the same lines or equipment, crews must either coordinate under a single employee in charge for all crews and follow this section as one crew, or have each crew independently comply with the section and coordinate deenergizing, reenergizing, and, if no system operator exists, use separate tags. See 1926.961(b)(4)(i) and 1926.961(b)(4)(ii).
The employer must render any disconnecting means that are accessible to individuals outside the employer's control inoperable while they are open for the purpose of protecting employees. See 1926.961(b)(5).
The employee designated as the employee in charge must request that the system operator deenergize the specific section of line or equipment; that designated person becomes responsible for the clearance. See 1926.961(c)(1).
All switches, disconnectors, jumpers, taps, and other means through which known sources of electric energy could supply the lines or equipment to be deenergized must be opened, and the employer must render such means inoperable or, if design does not permit, tag them to indicate employees are at work. See 1926.961(c)(2).
Automatically and remotely controlled switches that could cause opened disconnecting means to close must be tagged at their points of control and their automatic or remote control feature must be rendered inoperable unless its design makes that impossible. See 1926.961(c)(3).
An employer may omit the tags for a network protector when working on its primary feeder if (1) every network protector will immediately trip open if closed when the primary conductor is deenergized, (2) employees cannot manually close a network protector without tools and any manual override is blocked, locked, or disabled, and (3) procedures exist for any manual override that ensure before closing a network protector the line is not deenergized for employee protection and, if not deenergized, the primary conductors are energized. See 1926.961(c)(4) and its subparts 1926.961(c)(4)(i), 1926.961(c)(4)(ii), and 1926.961(c)(4)(iii).
Tags must prohibit operation of the disconnecting means and indicate that employees are at work. See 1926.961(c)(5).
After meeting the steps in 1926.961(c)(1)–(c)(5), and after the system operator issues a clearance, the employer must test the lines and equipment with a device designed to detect voltage to ensure they are deenergized. See 1926.961(c)(6).
The employer must ensure the installation of protective grounds as required by 1926.962. See 1926.961(c)(7).
Lines and equipment may be considered deenergized after the employer has followed the applicable requirements of 1926.961(c)(1) through (c)(7). See 1926.961(c)(8).
To transfer a clearance, the current employee in charge (or that person's supervisor if the employee in charge must leave for illness or emergency) must inform the system operator and the crew, and the new employee in charge assumes responsibility for the clearance. See 1926.961(c)(9).
To release a clearance the employee in charge must (1) notify each employee under that clearance of the pending release, (2) ensure all employees are clear of the lines and equipment, (3) ensure all protective grounds have been removed, and (4) report this information to the system operator and then release the clearance. See 1926.961(c)(10)(i), 1926.961(c)(10)(ii), 1926.961(c)(10)(iii), and 1926.961(c)(10)(iv).
Only the employee in charge who requested the clearance may release it, unless responsibility was transferred per 1926.961(c)(9); no one may remove tags without the release of the associated clearance as specified in 1926.961(c)(10)–(c)(11). See 1926.961(c)(11) and 1926.961(c)(12).
Before initiating action to reenergize at a point of disconnection, the employer must ensure all protective grounds have been removed, all crews release their clearances, all employees are clear of the lines and equipment, and all protective tags are removed from that point of disconnection. See 1926.961(c)(13).
If the automatic or remote control feature cannot be rendered inoperable due to its design, the employer must ensure the feature is tagged at the points of control to indicate employees are at work and to prohibit operation. See 1926.961(c)(3).
When each crew independently complies (per 1926.961(b)(4)(ii)), each crew must have separate tags that prohibit operation and indicate employees are at work as required by 1926.961(c)(5).
After the employee in charge completes the request to deenergize, opens and renders inoperable or tags all disconnecting means, and tags automatic/remote controls as needed, the system operator gives clearance and the employer must test the lines with a device designed to detect voltage (1926.961(c)(6)); then the employer installs protective grounds per 1926.961(c)(7) and may consider the lines deenergized after completing 1926.961(c)(1)–(c)(7).
Even if the single-crew exception applies and tags may not be required per 1926.961(b)(3), the employer still must render disconnecting means that are accessible to the general public inoperable while open for employee protection as required by 1926.961(b)(5).