Can a lock be cut off if the person who applied it isn’t there to remove it?

First, the employer must have procedures to:

• Verify that the worker isn’t in the facility,
• Make all reasonable efforts to contact the employee and inform him that his lock has been removed, and
• Make sure the employee knows that the lock has been removed before he again starts work at the facility.

OSHA says that it is acceptable to use a master key if removing the lock is performed under the employer’s direction and in accordance with the procedures above (these procedures and associated training must be outlined in the employer’s energy control program). OSHA says, “the ‘one person, one lock, one key’ practice is the preferred means and is accepted across industry lines, but it is not the only method to meet the language of the standard.”