Who may remove a worker's lockout device

A worker's lock signals that hazardous energy must stay isolated while that worker is exposed. The default rule is personal control: the employee who applied the lock removes it. A supervisor should not casually cut a lock because a task looks finished or a shift has ended.

The default rule

OSHA's general-industry standard, 29 CFR 1910.147(e)(3), says each lockout or tagout device is to be removed by the employee who applied it. This keeps the person performing the servicing in control of the protection that prevents unexpected start-up or release of stored energy. Before restoration, the employer also checks that the work area is clear, employees are safely positioned, and affected employees are notified.

The unavailable-employee exception

If the authorized employee who applied the device is not available to remove it, the employer may arrange removal under a narrow exception. The employer must have developed, documented and incorporated specific procedures and training into the energy-control program, and must show that the procedure provides safety equivalent to removal by the worker who applied the lock.

Minimum safeguards for an exception

1. Verify that the authorized employee who applied the device is not at the facility.
2. Make all reasonable efforts to contact that employee and tell them the device will be removed.
3. Ensure the employee knows the device was removed before they resume work at the facility.

These are minimum safeguards, not an informal checklist that replaces the employer's written program. The employer's procedure may require additional authorization, inspection, communication or documentation. A replacement key or bolt cutters do not by themselves make removal compliant.

Construction work has a scope distinction

Do not automatically apply §1910.147 to every construction scenario: its scope excludes construction employment. OSHA has construction-specific requirements, including 29 CFR 1926.417 for tagging and rendering certain electrical equipment and circuits inoperative. The applicable construction standard and the employer's site energy-control procedure govern the specific job. The exam takeaway remains that a worker's personal protection is not casually removed by someone else.

Group lockout does not remove personal protection

For group servicing, OSHA requires protection equivalent to personal lockout. Each authorized employee attaches and removes their personal device as their participation begins and ends under the group procedure. A primary authorized employee coordinates the group system, but that role does not make another worker's personal lock disappear as a matter of convenience.

Exam traps

• The supervisor is not automatically authorized to remove a worker's lock.
• An absent worker does not mean the lock may be removed without a written, trained, equivalent-safety procedure.
• Contacting the worker after removal is too late; the worker must know before resuming work.
• A shift change requires continuity of protection, not an unprotected interval.
• Check whether the question concerns general industry or construction before citing §1910.147.

Key takeaway

The person who applied the lock removes it. A different person may remove it only through the employer's tightly controlled unavailable-worker procedure with equivalent protection and advance communication to the returning employee.