What is an authorized employee under lockout/tagout?
Under the lockout/tagout standard, an authorized employee is a person who locks out or tags out machines or equipment to perform servicing or maintenance on them. An affected employee becomes one when their duties include that servicing or maintenance.
By Cairn. Updated . Sources: eCFR text as of October 27, 2026.
The legal definitions
“Authorized employee. A person who locks out or tags out machines or equipment in order to perform servicing or maintenance on that machine or equipment. An affected employee becomes an authorized employee when that employee's duties include performing servicing or maintenance covered under this section.”
“Affected employee. An employee whose job requires him/her to operate or use a machine or equipment on which servicing or maintenance is being performed under lockout or tagout, or whose job requires him/her to work in an area in which such servicing or maintenance is being performed.”
Where it applies
- 29 CFR 1910.147, The control of hazardous energy (lockout/tagout) 20 paragraphs use the term. Read the text on eCFR.
- 29 CFR 1910.269, Electric power generation, transmission, and distribution 21 paragraphs use the term. Read the text on eCFR. Not the same definition: 29 CFR 1910.269(x) repeats the definition with one change: it says "an employee" where 1910.147(b) says "a person".
In the enforcement record
Federal and state-plan agencies issued 50,526 cited violations under 29 CFR 1910.147, The control of hazardous energy (lockout/tagout), from January 2016 through September 10, 2026. The section ranks 4th among the 248 sections of 29 CFR cited at least 50 times. This is the count for the whole section, not for the term alone.
Cairn data, October 2026 snapshot.
See the full record for 29 CFR 1910.147Sources
- 29 CFR 1910.147, The control of hazardous energy (lockout/tagout). eCFR, text as of October 27, 2026.
- Cairn data, October 2026 snapshot. Cairn analysis of the OSHA enforcement record.
Written by Cairn, updated . The quoted text is copied from the sources above. A test compares each quotation with a stored copy of the source, and a separate script compares that copy with the live sources. This page explains the law and is not legal advice.