Lockout/Tagout (LOTO)

Lockout/tagout (LOTO) is the practice of de-energizing machinery and keeping it from starting up or releasing stored energy while someone services it. Workers apply locks and tags to energy isolating devices under OSHA's control of hazardous energy standard, 29 CFR 1910.147.

LOTO is often filed under maintenance, yet the program depends on work HR owns: training, certification records, onboarding for maintenance and operations roles, and coordination with contractors and temporary workers.

Who Is Covered by the LOTO Standard?

The standard covers servicing and maintenance of machines where unexpected startup or released stored energy could injure employees. Normal production operations are excluded, unless servicing requires removing a guard or placing a body part at the point of operation or danger zone.

Section 1910.147 does not cover construction, agriculture, maritime work, oil and gas well drilling or certain electric utility installations. Some of those have their own energy control rules, and State Plan states must be at least as effective as federal OSHA.

What Must a LOTO Program Include?

Employers must establish a program of energy control procedures, employee training and periodic inspections. Procedures must be documented and spell out the steps for shutting down, isolating, blocking and securing each machine.

Each procedure must be inspected at least annually by an authorized employee who does not use it. Deviations must be corrected, and the inspector reviews each authorized employee's responsibilities.

What Is the Difference Between Lockout and Tagout?

Both methods isolate energy. A lock physically holds the device in a safe position. A tag only warns, so employees must be trained on its limits.

OSHA requires lockout wherever a device can be locked, unless the employer demonstrates that tagout gives full protection. Tagout covers devices that cannot be locked.

What Training and Records Does LOTO Require?

OSHA sets three training levels. Authorized employees, who apply locks and tags, learn to recognize energy sources and isolate them. Affected employees learn the procedure's purpose and use. All other nearby employees learn never to restart locked or tagged equipment.

Employers must certify training with each employee's name and training dates, and retrain authorized and affected employees when job assignments, hazards or procedures change. Keep these employee records current, starting with onboarding for maintenance and operations roles.

How Do Contractors, Temps and Shift Changes Fit In?

When outside contractors service equipment, the on-site and outside employers must tell each other their lockout procedures. OSHA also says staffing agencies and host employers are jointly responsible for temporary workers' safety.

Multi-shift plants need specific procedures for an orderly transfer of lockout protection between off-going and oncoming employees. Only the employee who applied a device may remove it, with a documented exception when that person is unavailable.

How Does HR Cloud Help With LOTO Training Records?

HR Cloud does not provide LOTO procedures or safety software, and hands-on training stays in your plant's program. Its manufacturing onboarding includes training modules and safety protocol acknowledgment, and HR Cloud's frontline onboarding guide says safety certifications route to a reviewer with a timestamped history.

Completion can be viewed by location, role and, if configured, shift and supervisor, so gaps show up by shift. To see how this works for your plants, request a demo.

Discover how our HR solutions streamline onboarding, boost employee engagement, and simplify HR management

Book Your Free Demo

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How many injuries does the LOTO standard prevent?

A: OSHA's 1989 analysis estimated the rule would prevent 122 fatalities, 28,416 lost-workday injuries and 31,926 non-lost-workday injuries annually. That is a projection, not a measured count.

Q: What is an energy isolating device?

A: A mechanical device that physically blocks the transmission or release of energy, such as a manually operated circuit breaker, disconnect switch or line valve. Push buttons and selector switches are not.

Q: Does unplugging equipment count as LOTO?

A: For cord-and-plug equipment, the standard does not apply when unplugging controls the hazard and the plug stays under the exclusive control of the person doing the servicing.

Q: Are minor tool changes covered?

A: Not when they are routine, repetitive and integral to production, and the work uses alternative measures that give effective protection. The exception applies only during normal production operations.

Q: What is group lockout?

A: When a crew services equipment, the procedure must protect each worker as a personal lock would. Each authorized employee attaches a personal lock to the group device and removes it when finished.

Q: What are the basic steps of a lockout sequence?

A: Prepare for shutdown, shut the machine down, isolate it, apply lockout or tagout devices, relieve stored energy, then verify isolation before starting work.