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Lockout/Tagout - 10 questions everyone asks
What is LOTO, and why does it exist?
Lockout/Tagout is the procedure for de-energizing and physically isolating equipment before maintenance, so it can't unexpectedly start up or release stored energy — electrical, mechanical, hydraulic, pneumatic, thermal, or chemical — while someone is working on it.
When is LOTO actually required?
Whenever a worker removes or bypasses a machine guard, or places a body part in a danger zone during service. It's generally not required for minor, routine adjustments during normal production — but that exception only applies under specific alternative protections.
Who is allowed to perform it?
Only authorized employees — those specifically trained on the equipment's energy sources and isolation points. Affected employees, who simply operate or work near the equipment, need awareness training, not the ability to apply locks.
Lockout vs. tagout — what's the difference?
Lockout uses a physical lock that prevents the equipment from operating. Tagout uses a warning tag, which doesn't physically stop anything. Lockout is the preferred method; tagout alone is only acceptable when lockout isn't feasible and usually needs extra safeguards.
What goes into a written energy control program?
Scope, purpose, and rules for the overall program, plus equipment-specific steps: shutdown sequence, isolation points, where locks and tags go, how zero energy is verified, and how restart happens.
How do you verify zero energy?
After applying locks and tags, the authorized employee tries a normal start — push the button, pull the lever — to confirm nothing happens, then returns controls to neutral. Electrical work typically adds a meter test before anyone touches conductors.
What about multiple workers on one job?
Group lockout typically uses a lock box or hasp: every worker's individual lock goes on, and the equipment can't be restarted until every single lock comes off — no one's lock can be removed by anyone but its owner.
What happens at shift change if the job isn't done?
Protection has to be continuous. The incoming crew applies its own locks before the outgoing crew removes theirs, so the equipment is never left unprotected during the handoff.
What if someone leaves site without removing their lock?
A different procedure applies, confirm the employee is genuinely off-site, make a reasonable attempt to contact them, and make sure they're told their lock was removed before they come back to work.
What's the cost of getting it wrong?
LOTO violations are consistently among OSHA's most cited standards, with steep penalties for missing or generic procedures. The bigger cost is the reason the rule exists: unexpected startup or energy release causes crushing injuries, amputations, electrocution, and death.