OSHA Standard 1910.147 set the standard for the control of hazard energy regarding employees who perform servicing or maintenance on a machine or equipment where the unexpected energizing, startup or release of stored energy could occur and cause injury. So what does a proper lockout/tagout look like for electric or hybrid vehicles?
Who this applies to
According to this OSHA lockout/tagout standard, this applies to any employee who is required to place any body part of his/her body into an area on a machine or piece of equipment where work is actually performed upon the material being processed (point of operation) or where an associated danger zone exists during a machine operating cycle.
Note that this standard does not cover minor tool changes, adjustments or other minor servicing activities during normal operations however; you still need to perform the work using alternative measures with effective protection.
Bottom Line
Shops who work on electric or hybrid vehicles need to establish a program and utilize procedures for affixing appropriate lockout devices or tagout devices to energy isolating devices, and to otherwise disable machines or equipment to prevent unexpected energization, start-up or release of stored energy in order to prevent injury to employees.
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For more information on OSHA's Lockout/Tagout Standards, click here.
