Standards

29 CFR §1910.147 applies to the control of energy during servicing and/or maintenance of machines and equipment. "Servicing and/or maintenance" refer to workplace activities such as constructing, installing, setting up, adjusting, inspecting, modifying, maintaining, and servicing machines. These activities include lubrication, cleaning, unjamming, adjusting, or tool changing, where the employee may be exposed to the unexpected energization or start-up of the equipment or a release of hazardous energy.

Normal production operations are not covered by this standard. This is an important distinction.

Minor servicing activities such as tool changes and adjustments that take place during normal production operations are not covered by 29 CFR §1910.147 if they are routine, repetitive, and integral to the use of the equipment for production, provided that the work is performed using alternative measures that provide effective protection from exposure to hazardous energy.

However, service and maintenance during normal production operations are covered by this standard if either one of the following is applicable:

• An employee is required to remove or bypass a guard or other safety device.
• An employee is required to place any body part into an area of a machine or piece of equipment where work is performed on the material being processed (point of operation) or where an associated danger zone exists during a machine operating cycle.

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