Directive 2009/104/EC (formerly directive 89/655/EEC of the Council from 30 November 1989) specify the minimum requirements for safety and health protection for workers using work equipment at work. Paragraph 2.14 lays down that “every piece of equipment must be fitted with clearly visible devices with which it can be separated from every energy source”. Paragraph 2.15. lays down that “Work equipment must bear the warnings and markings essential to ensure the safety of workers”.

EN ISO 14118 (2018-07) norm of Safety of machinery (is the successor to DIN EN 1037 2008-11) related to the equipment’s safety defines the measures regarding the energy isolation of machinery and the power dissipation to prevent hazardous equipment re-energising. It assures a safe and secure intervention within a risk-prone area.

AUSTRIA

AschG – ArbeitnehmerInnenschutzgesetz – Federal Act on Occupational Health and Safety

AM-VO – Arbeitsmittelverordnung (Ordinance on Work Equipment and Tools) – Regulation of the Federal Ministry of Commerce and Labour on protection of employees while using work equipment paragraph 1, §17 (1).

FRANCE

UTE C18-510 (electrical applications): Lockout of apparatus for service and maintenance to lockout equipment is to carry out the necessary procedures to ensure that the equipment is placed and maintained in a safe position; to prevent its activation and label that the isolated equipment must not be operated. The employer must ensure that all safety procedures are strictly implemented and regularly reviewed by appropriate means. Employees must use all necessary tools to carry out maintenance.

Best practice document developed by INRS (Institut National de Recherche et de Sécurité) in November 2011: ED 6109

Décret 2010-1016 refers to the obligations of the employers for temporary or permanent electrical installations usage
Labour code (article R4215-10) refers to the identification of the conductors
Décret 2010-1018 refers to the prevention of electrical risks in work environment, décret 2010- 2118 refers to the operations done on electrical installations.
Labour code (article R 4544-5): the part of the installation on which work (de-energised) is done must be identified and locked.
Arrêté of April 26, 2012: Every operation on electrical equipment must follow the new norm NF C 18-510. Article 1 says that this norm is now included into the French Code of Labour.

GERMANY

BetrSichV 2015 (Ordinance on Industrial Safety and Health) Ordinance concerning the protection of safety and health in the provision of work equipment and its use at work and maintenance processes. Extract from BetrSichV 2015

§ 8 Protective measures in case of hazards caused by energies, start-up and stoppage
Paragraph 3: “Command devices which have an influence on the safe use of the means of work shall in particular be secured against unintended or unauthorised operation. Paragraph 4: “Work equipment may only be intentionally put into operation. If necessary, the startup process must be safely prevented.

§ 10 Maintenance and modification of work equipment
Paragraph 3: The employer must take all necessary measures to ensure that maintenance work can be carried out safely. (3) to secure the working area during the maintenance work (6) to avoid hazards caused by moving raised work equipment or parts thereof, as well as by hazardous energies or substances. (9) Provide necessary warnings and dangers messages referring to maintenance work on the work equipment Paragraph 4: Where, in the case of maintenance activities ... are carried out under the threat of energy, the safety of workers shall be ensured during the duration of this work by means of other appropriate measures.

ITALY

The Italian legislation (Direttiva 2001/45/CE del Parlamento europeo e del Consiglio del 27 giugno 2001 che modifica la direttiva 2009/104/EC) concerns the minimum safety and health requirements for the use of work equipment by workers at work.

SWITZERLAND

UVG – Federal Law on Accident Insurance

VUV – Regulation on the Prevention of Accidents and Occupational Diseases title 1, chapter 2, paragraph 1, art. 3; title 1, chapter 3, paragraph 2, art. 30, 31 paragraph 3, art. 37; paragraph 4, art. 43

EKAS Guideline no. 6512 – Work Equipment

These regulations clearly stipulate that during maintenance, adjusting or cleaning of the equipment, it has to be in non-operative state and appropriate devices have to be used to ensure that, for example, a machine is not accidentally switched on.

SPAIN

The Spanish directive (REAL DECRETO 1215/1997, de 18 de julio por el que se establecen las disposiciones mínimas de seguridad y salud para la utilización por los trabajadores de los equipos de trabajo. BOE nº 188 07-08-1997) states the minimum safety and health for workers’ use of work equipment.

UK Only: BS7671:2008

In the UK the Provision of Work Equipment Regulations – Regulation 19 – Isolation from Sources of Energy states: “Every employer shall ensure, that where appropriate, work equipment is provided with suitable means to isolate it from all its sources of energy. Every employer shall take appropriate measures to ensure that reconnection of any energy source to work equipment does not expose any person using the equipment to any risk to his health or safety.

USA (OSHA - OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY & HEALTH ADMINISTRATION

OSHA regulation The Control of Hazardous Energy (Lockout / Tagout) 1910.147 states that it “requires employers to establish a program and utilise procedures for affixing appropriate lockout devices or tagout devices to energy isolating devices and to otherwise disable machines or equipment to prevent unexpected energisation, start up or release of stored energy in order to prevent injury to employees.