Label what you install so the next person knows what it feeds, and hand it over with a short note on its status. OSHA rule 29 CFR 1926.403(h) says: “Each service, feeder, and branch circuit, at its disconnecting means or overcurrent device, shall be legibly marked to indicate its purpose, unless located and arranged so the purpose is evident.” The same rule says the markings must be durable enough for the environment. Follow on-site supervision before applying labels or treating equipment as ready.
Checked against official agency and program pages on October 16, 2026. Rules differ by program and employer, so your own program's documents come first.
What the rule covers
- Disconnects for motors and appliances. Each one required by the rules “shall be legibly marked to indicate its purpose,” unless its location makes the purpose evident.
- Services, feeders and branch circuits. Marked at the disconnect or the overcurrent device, such as the breaker.
- Durability. “These markings shall be of sufficient durability to withstand the environment involved.”
Labeling is part of the training, too. The electrical training ALLIANCE course outline posted by North Texas Electrical JATC includes a lesson called Labeling and Marking. How your crew writes labels, and which label maker or tags it uses, comes from your foreman and the job drawings.
Good handover habits
- Write the label the way your foreman asks, and match the circuit name on the drawings.
- Say what is finished and what is not. “Pulled, not terminated” is clearer than “almost done.”
- Name anything the next person must not assume, such as a circuit that still needs testing.
- Hand the note to the person who takes over, and tell your foreman.
Free tool: handover note builder
Fill in the fields and copy the note into your crew's text, log or tag. Nothing is saved.
Starting your first year as a Texas apprentice? The US$19 Texas First-Year Electrical Apprentice Kit gives you printable pages for the first months on the job: a tool-check card, a who-to-ask list with a short stop-and-ask script, emergency-contact and heat-and-rest cards, plus a Tool budget sheet and a Tool inventory sheet (CSV).
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Sources
- OSHA 29 CFR 1926.403, General requirements (electrical)
- electrical training ALLIANCE Fall 2026 course outline, posted by North Texas Electrical JATC
