When more than one authorized employee services or maintains a machine, the group must use an energy-control procedure that protects each employee to the equivalent extent of a personal lockout or tagout device. Each authorized employee must affix a personal lockout or tagout device to a group lockout device, group lockbox, or comparable mechanism upon beginning work and must remove that personal device upon stopping. working on the machine or equipment being serviced or maintained.”

For example, if a single lockout device or set of lockbox devices (often referred to as “operations locks”) are used to isolate the machine or equipment from its energy sources, all authorized employees must be able to use their personal lockout or tagout devices so that no single employee can remove the group device while other employees are still servicing or maintaining the machine or equipment. This can be accomplished using a lockbox or other similar appliance.

Once the machine or equipment is locked out, the keys to the operations locks that were applied to the machine’s energy-isolating devices are placed into the lockbox. Then all authorized employees place their lockout or tagout devices on the box. When employees complete their individual portions of the work, they remove their individual lockout or tagout devices from the lockbox. Once all personal lockout or tagout devices have been removed, the keys for the operations locks can be used to remove the locks from the machine. This method provides individual protection for all employees working under the protection of a particular lockout or tagout device.

However group lockout is performed, the employer needs to ensure that employees are protected. Further, the employer should note that when more than one craft is involved in the group lockout, the different craft personnel must coordinate work to ensure continuity of protection.