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What is an authorized employee?

Author

Avery Gonzales

Updated on February 25, 2026

What is an authorized employee?

Authorized employee. A person who locks out or tags out machines or equipment in order to perform servicing or maintenance on that machine or equipment. An affected employee becomes an authorized employee when that employee's duties include performing servicing or maintenance covered under this section.

Keeping this in consideration, what is an affected employee?

Affected employee: An employee who is required to use machines or equipment on which servicing is performed under the Lockout/Tagout standard or who performs other job responsibilities in an area where such servicing is performed.

One may also ask, what are the 3 levels of associates that are covered by the OSHA standard? There are three types of employees which must receive training: authorized, affected, and other.

Correspondingly, how does OSHA define an affected employee?

Affected employee. An employee whose job requires him/her to operate or use a machine or equipment on which servicing or maintenance is being performed under lockout or tagout, or whose job requires him/her to work in an area in which such servicing or maintenance is being performed. Authorized employee.

Who needs lockout/tagout training?

Retraining must be provided whenever there is a change in an employee's job assignments, a change in machines, equipment, or processes that present a new hazard, a change in the energy control procedures, or whenever an employee demonstrates a lack of knowledge or skill in lockout/tagout procedures.

What is the difference between an affected employee and authorized employee?

In short, authorized employees perform LOTO procedures on a machine or equipment by placing LOTO devices, and perform servicing or maintenance. Affected employees can't perform LOTO procedures, but they operate the machine or equipment, or work in an area where the machine or equipment is located.

What is the difference between lockout and tagout?

Lockout devices hold energy-isolation devices in a safe or"off" position. Tagout devices, by contrast, are prominent warning devices that an authorized employee fastens to energy-isolating devices to warn employees not to reenergize the machine while he or she services or maintains it.

What is the first step in an energy control procedure?

  1. Prepare for shutdown.
  2. Shut down the machine(s) or equipment.
  3. Disconnect the energy isolating device(s).
  4. Apply the lockout or tagout device(s).
  5. Render all stored and/or residual energy safe.
  6. Verify the isolation and deenergization of the machine or equipment prior to starting work.

What is meant by Loto?

Answer -- LOTO (Lock Out Tag Out) is the physical restraint of all hazardous energy sources that supply power to a piece of equipment, machinery or system. LOTO also includes applying a Warning Tag on the physical restraint device. This documents the Authorized LOTO personnel and the date.

What are forms of hazardous energy?

What is hazardous energy? Hazardous energy is defined: "any electrical, mechanical, hydraulic, pneumatic, chemical, nuclear, thermal, gravitational, or other energy that can harm personnel" (CSA Z460-13 "Control of Hazardous Energy - Lockout and Other Methods").

What is the last of the six steps in a lockout/tagout procedure?

A lockout/tagout procedure should include the following six steps:
  1. Preparation.
  2. Shutdown.
  3. Isolation.
  4. Lockout/tagout.
  5. Stored energy check.
  6. Isolation verification.

What is meant by isolation of energy?

What is meant by "isolation of energy"? Workers must be protected against any hazards associated with the moving parts of equipment or electrical energy inside the confined space by ensuring that they are de-energized or otherwise controlled.

What are the required components of an energy control program?

The energy control program has three core components: energy control procedures, employee training, and periodic inspections. Periodic inspections of the energy control procedures ensure that the procedures and the requirements of the standard are being followed.

What are the six steps of lock out/tag out?

Eight Steps for Safer Lockout/Tagout Programs
  1. Step 1: Detailed procedures for equipment.
  2. Step 2: Notify affected employees.
  3. Step 3: Shut down equipment properly.
  4. Step 4: Disconnect all primary energy sources.
  5. Step 5: Address all secondary sources.
  6. Step 6: Verify the lockout.
  7. Step 7: Keep it in force during shift changes.
  8. Step 8: Bring the equipment back on line.

What should you do if you find a lock or a tag on or around a machine in your area?

Inspect the work area to make sure all tools and items have been removed. Confirm that all employees and persons are safely located away from hazardous areas. Verify that controls are in a neutral position. Remove devices and re-energize machine.

What is the OSHA standard for lockout tagout?

The OSHA standard for The Control of Hazardous Energy (Lockout/Tagout), Title 29 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 1910.147, addresses the practices and procedures necessary to disable machinery or equipment, thereby preventing the release of hazardous energy while employees perform servicing and maintenance

Does OSHA require a written energy control program?

OSHA's standard establishes minimum performance requirements for controlling hazardous energy. The standard specifies that employers must establish an energy-control program to ensure that employees isolate machines from their energy sources and render them inoperative before any employee services or maintains them.

What are the exceptions to the lockout/tagout requirements?

Hot tap operations are exempted from the Lockout-Tagout standard if the employer can demonstrate that:
  • Continuity of service is essential;
  • Shutdown of the system is impractical;
  • Documented procedures are followed; and.
  • Special equipment is used which provides effective employee protection.

Which criteria do lockout and tagout devices need to meet in order to be OSHA compliant?

1910.147(c)(5)(ii)(B)

Lockout and tagout devices shall be standardized within the facility in at least one of the following criteria: Color; shape; or size; and additionally, in the case of tagout devices, print and format shall be standardized.

What is an example of an energy isolating device?

Examples of energy-isolating devices include: A manually operated electrical circuit breaker; a disconnect switch; a manually operated switch by which the conductors of a circuit can be disconnected from all ungrounded supply conductors and, in addition, no pole can be operated independently; a line valve; a block; and

What must be included in a formal periodic lockout/tagout inspection?

Periodic Inspections
  • Identify the machine or equipment on which the hazardous energy control procedure was being utilized,
  • The date of the inspection,
  • The employees included in the inspection, and.
  • The person performing the inspection.

Is lockout/tagout training required annually?

How often do we have to train our employees in lockout/tagout? A. Although the standard does not prescribe annual refresher training or a set frequency for retraining, it does require training under specific circumstances and specifies those issues that the training must cover.

Who is covered under OSHA?

OSHA covers most private sector employers and employees in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and other U.S. jurisdictions either directly through Federal OSHA or through an OSHA- approved state plan. State-run health and safety plans must be at least as effective as the Federal OSHA program.

What legislation do you need to comply with in your workplace?

Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005 (No. 10 of 2005) requires: Employers manage and conduct their work activities in such a manner as to ensure the safety, health and welfare of employees. That a risk assessment is carried out by the employer or person in control of the place of work.

How do you encourage worker participation?

10 ways to boost employee involvement
  1. Run a naming contest before launching your new or refreshed digital workplace.
  2. Give employees a direct line to the people at the top.
  3. Let people celebrate their peers in a Recognition Center.
  4. Ask employees what they really think.
  5. Inspire storytelling.
  6. Inject some fun into your digital workplace.

How do you demonstrate safety in the workplace?

Here are some tips to help make your workplace safe.
  1. Understand the risks.
  2. Reduce workplace stress.
  3. Take regular breaks.
  4. Avoid stooping or twisting.
  5. Use mechanical aids whenever possible.
  6. Protect your back.
  7. Wear protective equipment to suit the task.
  8. Stay sober.

Who is responsible for issuing a worker with PPE?

Every employer shall ensure that suitable personal protective equipment is provided to his employees who may be exposed to a risk to their health or safety while at work except where and to the extent that such risk has been adequately controlled by other means which are equally or more effective.

How can you encourage safety in the workplace?

10 Easy Workplace Safety Tips
  1. Train employees well.
  2. Reward employees for safe behavior.
  3. Partner with occupational clinicians.
  4. Use labels and signs.
  5. Keep things clean.
  6. Make sure employees have the right tools and have regular equipment inspections.
  7. Encourage stretch breaks.
  8. Implement safety protocols from the start.

What is Loto training?

The Lockout/Tagout standard requires the adoption and implementation of practices and procedures to shut down equipment, isolate it from its energy source(s), and prevent the release of potentially hazardous energy while maintenance and servicing activities are being performed.

How do you encourage safety reporting?

Encouraging Better Incident and Near Miss Reporting
  1. Make Incident Reporting Part of Corporate Mission, Vision, and Value Statements.
  2. Make the Concept Part of Your Corporate Culture.
  3. Introduce Incident Reporting from the Very Beginning.
  4. Educate, Educate, Educate.
  5. Keep It Simple.

When can tagout be used in place of lockout?

To tagout means to place a tag on a switch or other shut off device which warns others not to start the piece of equipment. Tagout should only be used with lockout, unless locking out the equipment is impossible. Equipment should be locked out while being repaired.

What happens if a machine is not equipped to accommodate a lockout device?

If an energy-isolating device is not capable of being locked out, the device will be modified when possible. (3) Specific requirements for testing a machine or equipment to determine and verify the effectiveness of lockout devices, tagout devices, and other energy control measures.