The lockout/tagout standard treats people differently depending on what they do. There are three groups. Which group you are in decides what you must be trained to do.
Authorized employees
An authorized employee is a person who locks out or tags out machines or equipment in order to perform servicing or maintenance on that machine or equipment. This is usually a maintenance technician, mechanic, electrician or similar worker.
Authorized employees must be trained to:
- recognize hazardous energy sources in the equipment;
- identify the type and amount of energy in the workplace;
- know the methods and means of isolating and controlling that energy.
Only authorized employees may apply and remove locks and tags. They follow the employer's written procedure for the machine, step by step.
An operator can become authorized. The standard says an affected employee becomes an authorized employee when their duties include performing servicing or maintenance covered by the standard. Being authorized depends on the duties and the employer's training, not on a job title.
Affected employees
An affected employee is a person who operates or uses a machine or equipment on which servicing or maintenance is performed under lockout or tagout, or who works in an area where such servicing is performed.
Examples: a machine operator, a packer on the same line, a supervisor in the area.
Affected employees do not apply locks themselves. The standard requires that they are trained in:
- the purpose of the energy control procedure;
- the use of the procedure, including what they must do and not do.
Affected employees must also be notified by the employer or an authorized employee before locks or tags are applied and after they are removed.
Other employees
Any worker who works or might work in the area but is neither authorized nor affected is an "other" employee. A delivery driver passing through, a clerk from another department or a cleaner in the next aisle may be one.
They must be instructed about the procedure and about the prohibition on trying to restart or re-energize machines or equipment that are locked out or tagged out.
What you may and may not do
| If you are... | You may | You must never |
|---|---|---|
| Authorized | Apply and remove locks and tags using the procedure | Skip steps or use another person's lock |
| Affected | Operate the machine when it is not locked or tagged | Remove, ignore or work around a lock or tag |
| Other | Work in the area | Start, move or re-energize a locked or tagged machine |
An important limit of this course
This course is awareness training. It explains the rules and shows what a good program looks like. It does not make you an authorized employee and does not authorize anyone to lock out or tag out equipment.
To be authorized, a worker needs the employer's machine-specific energy control procedures and the employer's training on the machines they will service. The authorized employee learns the actual shutdown steps, energy sources and isolating devices for each machine. A general course cannot teach that.
If you are not sure
If you do not know which group you are in, ask your supervisor. If you see a lock or tag on a machine, do not touch it. If a machine seems to be broken, report it. Do not try to fix it yourself.
What to remember
- Authorized employees lock or tag out equipment to service it.
- Affected employees use the machine or work in its area.
- Other employees must know never to restart locked or tagged equipment.
- Only authorized employees apply and remove locks and tags.
- This course does not authorize anyone to lock out equipment.