New York Machinery Lockout Attorneys

Contact with hazardous energy injures over 50,000 workers each year and is responsible for approximately 120 work related deaths.

Many workplace injuries and deaths occur during routine servicing, repair and maintenance to machinery when the hazardous energy source has not been properly shut down. Hazardous energy includes electrical, mechanical, hydraulic, pneumatic, chemical, thermal and other energy sources.

Employers are required to protect employees working on electric circuits and equipment and are required to implement strict lock out and tag out procedures when employees are exposed to electrical hazards while working on, near, or with conductors or systems that use electric energy.

Employees servicing or maintaining machines or equipment may be exposed to serious physical harm or death if hazardous energy is not properly controlled. Craft workers, machine operators, and laborers are among the 3 million workers who service equipment and are at the greatest risk.

OSHA has set lock out and tagging standards that generally includes affixing the appropriate lockout or tagout devices to energy isolating devices and by de-energizing machines and equipment. Employers are required to comply with the following standards:

1. Employees need to be trained to ensure that they know, understand, and follow the applicable provisions of the hazardous energy control procedures.

2. Training must cover at least three areas; aspects of the employer's energy control program, elements of the energy control procedure relevant to the employee's duties or assignment, and the various requirements o the OSHA standards related to lockout/tagout.

3. Use lockout devices for equipment that can be locked out. Tagout devices may be used in lieu of lockout devices only if the tagout program provides employee protection equivalent to that provided through a lockout program.

4. Ensure that new or overhauled equipment is capable of being locked out.

5. Develop, implement, and enforce and effective tagout program if machines or equipment are not capable of being locked out.

6. Develop, document, implement, and enforce energy control procedures.

7. Use only lockout/tagout devices authorized for the particular equipment or machinery and ensure that thery are durable, standardized and substantial.

8. Ensure that lockout/tagout devices identify the individual users.

9. Establish a policy that permits only the employee who applied a lockout/tagout device to remove it.

10. Inspect energy control procedures at least annually.

11. Provide effective training as mandated for all employees cover by the standard.

12. Comply with the additional energy control provisions in OSHA standards when machines or equipment must be tested ore repositioned, when outside contractors work at the site, in group lockout situations, and during shift or personnel changes.