The text: one shared duty, one for the host
Paragraph (f)(2) of 29 CFR 1910.147, headed "Outside personnel (contractors, etc.)", has two parts:
| Requirement | Who | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Whenever outside servicing personnel are to be engaged in activities covered by the scope and application of this standard, the on-site employer and the outside employer shall inform each other of their respective lockout or tagout procedures. | Both employers | (f)(2)(i) |
| The on-site employer shall ensure that its employees understand and comply with the restrictions and prohibitions of the outside employer's energy control program. | On-site (host) employer | (f)(2)(ii) |
"Activities covered by the scope and application" means servicing and maintenance where unexpected energization, start-up or release of stored energy could cause injury, as set out in (a). If the contractor's task falls under the minor servicing exception or the cord-and-plug exclusion, (f)(2) does not come into play for that task.
What the paragraph does not say
- Whose procedure applies. The standard requires an exchange of procedures, not that one employer adopt the other's. Decide per job and write it down.
- Which locks and tags are used. Devices must be standardized within the facility by color, shape or size ((c)(5)(ii)(B)). A contractor arriving with differently colored locks is a point to settle in the pre-job meeting.
- Who trains whom. Each employer trains its own authorized and affected employees under (c)(7). The exchange in (f)(2)(i) is what lets each of them brief their people on the other side's rules.
Everything else in the standard still applies to the work itself: the application sequence in (d), verification of isolation in (d)(6), release in (e), group lockout rules in (f)(3) when a crew works under one lock, and continuity across shift changes in (f)(4).
Why (f)(2)(ii) matters most in practice
The typical failure is not paperwork. It is a host operator who sees an unfamiliar tag, does not know the contractor is inside the machine, and restarts it. The (f)(2)(ii) duty is aimed at exactly that: your own operators and supervisors, who are often affected employees for that machine, must know that the contractor's locks and tags mean the same as yours and must not be removed or bypassed. Under (c)(9), affected employees are notified before controls are applied and after they are removed; agree who gives that notice when the authorized employee works for the contractor.
Pre-job checklist for host employers
Good practice built around (f)(2); paragraph (f)(2) itself only requires the exchange and the host's employee compliance; the other cited paragraphs apply in their own right.
| Before work starts | Link to the standard |
|---|---|
| Send the contractor your written energy control procedure for each machine they will service; get theirs in return. Keep a record of the exchange. | (f)(2)(i) |
| Agree in writing which procedure governs this job and who is the authorized employee applying the locks. | (c)(4), (c)(8) |
| List every energy source and isolation point together, including stored energy (springs, accumulators, capacitors, gravity). | (d)(1), (d)(5) |
| Agree the lock and tag type the contractor will use and confirm it meets your facility's standardization. | (c)(5)(ii) |
| Brief your affected employees on the contractor's locks, tags and rules; tell them who to contact. | (f)(2)(ii), (c)(9) |
| If several crews (yours and theirs) work at once, name one person to coordinate group lockout. | (f)(3)(ii)(C) |
| Agree what happens at a shift change and how a contractor lock left on after the crew leaves will be handled. | (f)(4), (e)(3) |
| Agree who checks the work area and notifies affected employees before restart. | (e)(1), (e)(2) |
Example: a compressor overhaul by an outside service company
A plant brings in a compressor service company to replace a valve plate. Before the visit the plant emails its written procedure for that compressor; the service company replies with its own lockout procedure and confirms its technician will apply a personal lock at the plant's disconnect and the isolation valve, bleed the receiver to zero and verify isolation before opening the head. The plant's maintenance lead adds a plant lock to the same points under a group hasp, briefs the two operators who start the line each morning, and records the exchange and briefing on the work order. On completion the technician and the maintenance lead check that the area is clear of tools and that everyone is clear of the compressor, remove their own locks, and the maintenance lead notifies the operators before restart.
This is an illustration, not a procedure for your machine. Write the machine-specific steps with the free generator below.
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Questions
What does OSHA require for contractors and lockout/tagout?
29 CFR 1910.147(f)(2)(i) says that whenever outside servicing personnel are to be engaged in servicing or maintenance covered by the standard, the on-site employer and the outside employer shall inform each other of their respective lockout or tagout procedures. Under (f)(2)(ii), the on-site employer shall ensure that its employees understand and comply with the restrictions and prohibitions of the outside employer's energy control program.
Does a contractor have to use my lockout/tagout procedure?
Paragraph (f)(2) does not say whose procedure must be used. It requires both employers to inform each other of their procedures and requires the host to make sure its own employees respect the contractor's program. Which procedure governs a given job is something the two employers should agree, in writing, before work starts.
Can my employees remove a contractor's lock?
Your employees must understand and comply with the restrictions and prohibitions of the contractor's energy control program ((f)(2)(ii)). Under (e)(3), each lockout or tagout device is removed by the employee who applied it, except when that employee is not available, under a specific documented and trained removal procedure in the employer's program. Agree in advance how an abandoned contractor lock will be handled.
Do contractors need to be trained in my energy control procedures?
Each employer trains its own employees under 1910.147(c)(7). Paragraph (f)(2) requires the two employers to exchange procedures, so the contractor knows your procedures and you know theirs; how each employer then briefs its own people is part of making that exchange effective.
Related: Group lockout/tagout · Lockout vs tagout · Lockout/tagout program template · Annual periodic inspection
General information based on the text of 29 CFR 1910.147 on OSHA.gov; not legal advice. Check whether an OSHA-approved state plan applies to your workplace.