Archive

NSC Releases Draft Lockout/Tagout Standard for Comment

Aug. 23, 2001

The National Safety Council's new proposed voluntary lockout/tagout standard is now available for formal public comment.

EHS Today Staff

The National Safety Council's (NSC) new proposed voluntary lockout/tagout standard is now available for formal public comment.

The Accredited Standards Committee on Control of Hazardous Energy (Z244), accredited by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), has developed the proposed standard, Control of Hazardous Energy -- Lockout/Tagout and Alternative Methods.

In March 1982, American National Standard for Personal Protection -- Lockout/Tagout of Energy Sources -- Minimum Safety Requirements Z244.1 was approved.

In 1987, the standard was reaffirmed. In 1988, OSHA released a proposed rule, "The Control of Hazardous Energy Sources (Lockout/Tagout)" 29CFR1910.147 which used ANSI Z244.1 as a principal reference source.

The Z244 committee at the time believed that no consequential action should be taken on the Z244.1 standard while federal rulemaking was underway.

In September 1989, OSHA promulgated its final rule 29CFR1910.147. Again, in 1992, ANSI Z244.1 was re-affirmed without change.

Due to the rapid growth in technology that requires different methods and techniques for safeguarding workers from the unexpected release of hazardous energy as well as the wealth of casualty related to hazardous energy release, the Z244 committee was reconstituted in 1997.

The committee voted to revise the existing standard after more than 20 years without change.

Consequential meetings began in 1998 and the revision process began with writing task groups and continued through 2001, when the current document was produced.

The Z244 committee and NSC, the secretariat, said they have "made a concerted effort to produce a standard that represents the 'best practice' regarding the control of hazardous energy."

The public comment period is intended to give those not represented on the committee an opportunity to suggest changes to the draft.

The comment period will last 60 days, beginning with notification in the Aug. 24 issue of ANSI's Standards Action newsletter and ending on Oct. 23, 2001.

After the comment period concludes, the committee will review and respond to each public comment.

A copy of the new proposed standard is available on NSC's Web site at www.nsc.org.

Edited by Virginia Foran

About the Author

EHS Today Staff

EHS Today's editorial staff includes:

Dave Blanchard, Editor-in-Chief: During his career Dave has led the editorial management of many of Endeavor Business Media's best-known brands, including IndustryWeek, EHS Today, Material Handling & Logistics, Logistics Today, Supply Chain Technology News, and Business Finance. In addition, he serves as senior content director of the annual Safety Leadership Conference. With over 30 years of B2B media experience, Dave literally wrote the book on supply chain management, Supply Chain Management Best Practices (John Wiley & Sons, 2021), which has been translated into several languages and is currently in its third edition. He is a frequent speaker and moderator at major trade shows and conferences, and has won numerous awards for writing and editing. He is a voting member of the jury of the Logistics Hall of Fame, and is a graduate of Northern Illinois University.

Adrienne Selko, Senior Editor: In addition to her roles with EHS Today and the Safety Leadership Conference, Adrienne is also a senior editor at IndustryWeek and has written about many topics, with her current focus on workforce development strategies. She is also a senior editor at Material Handling & Logistics. Previously she was in corporate communications at a medical manufacturing company as well as a large regional bank. She is the author of Do I Have to Wear Garlic Around My Neck?, which made the Cleveland Plain Dealer's best sellers list.

Nicole Stempak, Managing Editor: Nicole Stempak is managing editor of EHS Today and conference content manager of the Safety Leadership Conference.