Contractors

In many maintenance functions, a large number of external contractors are involved. This really has little effect on the original lockout/tagout procedure. There are some differences:

a. A contractor may be approved to use his or her own employee as an authorized employee and their own lockout/tagout system. This is allowed as long as the employer agrees and the authorized employee meets all of the qualification requirements.

b. Under such situations, communication becomes much more important. All employers should inform other employers about the key features of their specific lockout/tagout system.

All concerned should understand that under these conditions work slows down - for a very good reason - your safety.

Some people exaggerate the slowing down of work due to the lockout/tagout procedure. Actually it is not bad at all, as long as the authorized employees and the affected employees have been pre-trained and understand their functions well.

Short-cuts such as creating authorized persons on the fly endanger employees.