In the weeds: OSHA answers very specific questions

While OSHA standards are extensive, many companies still find they are not always sure how to apply them to everyday work situations. One solution: Ask OSHA for clarification.

In response to inquiries, OSHA has from time to time provided written interpretations of how its standards apply to specific work situations and archived them on its website.

It is clear from scanning the list of interpretations that lockout/tagout is a subject that raises many questions for companies. The most frequent subject of the interpretations in the archive is LOTO.

While OSHA cautions that its interpretations apply only to the specific circumstances described in the questions, safety professionals may gain a deeper understanding of OSHA’s thinking by looking through the archive.

One note of caution: OSHA can take a while to respond and there has not been a new interpretation posted in the archive in nearly a year.