What Does Lockout Tagout Mean

"Lockout tagout" procedures are the steps for de-energizing machines and equipment so that they don’t accidentally turn on while workers are carrying out repairs or maintenance. Chiefly, the lockout part involves physically closing electric circuits and valves, securing moving parts, etc. Meanwhile, workers use tagout to communicate that no one should turn energized equipment back on until an authorized employee deems it safe to do so.

Furthermore, "lockout tagout" is just one way to name or refer to these steps. You may see these steps referred to or written as "LOTO," "lockout/tagout," or "lock out tag out" interchangeably. In this article, we'll cover the meaning (and importance) of lockout tagout in more depth below. And we'll also share 9 tips to help you practice LOTO better.

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Why is lockout tagout important

Most importantly, controlling hazardous energy is necessary to protect workers from serious injury and death. When you do not properly control energy, machine operators, laborers, and craft workers can face electrocution, burns, lacerations, amputation, and/or crushed or fractured body parts.

Furthermore, you can find stored energy in nearly all sectors of industrial business. For example, stored energy in a machine’s moving parts, chemical reactions, thermal energy, and pressurized liquids and gases If someone unexpectedly or accidentally releases these types of powerful energies, the result can easily injure or kill workers.

Last but not least, OSHA Standard 1910.147 (commonly referred to as the lockout/tagout standard) closely regulates controlling hazardous energy. OSHA non-compliance penalties range from $15,625 per violation to $15,625 per day beyond the abatement date, up to $156,259 per violation.

1) Know the OSHA standard for lockout tagout

Part 1910.147(c)(5) of the lockout/tagout standard covers lockout/tagout device requirements. Many of the lockout/tagout requirements apply to both types of devices. These are the specific rules for both locks and LOTO tags:

• The employer must providelocks, LOTO tags, and all other hardware for isolating, securing, or blocking machines (for example, chains, wedges, etc.).
• Singular use. You must only use locks and LOTO tags for lockout/tagout procedures.
• Locks and LOTO tags must be durable enough to last through lockout/tagout procedures.
• Locks and LOTO tags should be uniform in color, shape, or size within a facility.
• You must identify the authorized employee who applied the locks and LOTO tags on both devices.

IMPORTANT: Additionally, locks must be substantial enough that, without a key, they can’t be removed without "excessive force or unusual techniques" (i.e., using bolt cutters or picking the lock).

Specific OSHA requirements for LOTO tags

LOTO tag OSHA requirements differ from lock requirements because the material durability, print stability, and way they attach to equipment are all regulated. Not only do LOTO tags have to be materially durable, but the way they attach to equipment must be equally substantial. Naturally, this is so that workers are unlikely to accidentally remove them. Additionally, the print has to be stable so the message doesn’t rub off or fade.

In addition to all of the shared requirements, here are the specific rules for LOTO tags that you must follow in order to achieve OSHA compliance:

• Nylon cable ties (zip ties) are the preferred method, and any other means of attachment must be at least equivalent. The basic characteristics of preferred LOTO tag attachment means are: "non-reusable, attachable by hand, self-locking, and non-releasable with a minimum unlocking strength of no less than 50 pounds."
• Pull strength.LOTO tags should be able to resist 50 pounds of force when you pull on them. In other words, zip ties (or other means of attachment) should stay locked when pulled with 50 pounds o force, and the hang hole of the LOTO tag itself must also withstand at least 50 pounds of pull force.
• Print stability.LOTO tags must remain intact, and the print must remain legible in wet, damp, and corrosive environments.
• Hazardous warnings. The entire purpose of LOTO tags is to warn employees of the hazardous conditions that will occur if someone tries to work on energized equipment. The warnings on LOTO tags must have a legend that describes the warning.
• Standardized print/format.You must standardize the print and format of LOTO tag headers and information. In general, we recommend using OSHA/ANSI warning colors, formatting and headers.

2) Determine when LOTO is required

OSHA regulations require employees to follow LOTO procedures whenever anyone performs repairs or maintenance on machinery or equipment with stored energy. This includes thermal, steam, heat, electrical energy, and chemical reactions, as well as pressurized gases and liquids. For instance, workers must perform LOTO when cleaning, repairing, servicing, setting up, adjusting, and unjamming such equipment.

Indeed, part 1910.147(c)(4) of the lockout/tagout standard lists six specific steps workers must follow before maintenance or servicing can begin on energized machinery or equipment. Once employees have completed the work and all have indicated clearance of potential "danger zones," authorized employees may release the machinery or equipment from lockout or tagout.

Lockout tagout procedure (step by step)

1) Preparation for shutdown

Employees authorized to shut down equipment or machinery should be aware of and/or review the following: the type and magnitude of energy stored; the hazards involved; and how to control the energy. Affected workers should also be notified that the equipment and machinery will be shut down.

2) Shutdown

Then, follow the company and/or manufacturer guidelines for shutting down the equipment or machinery in a safe and orderly manner.

3) Isolation

After that, employees should use energy isolation devices to disconnect the energy source and render equipment and machinery inoperative. Remember that isolation does not just mean turning something off; it also means physically preventing the transmission or release of energy.

4) Lockout/tagout

Next, place lockout devices (physical locks) on energy isolation devices to keep them in the de-energized position and prevent employees from turning them on without a key. Provide prominent warnings with tagout devices (LOTO tags).

5) Release stored energy

At this point, there may still be residual or stored energy in machinery or equipment. So it’s important to double check for any stored energy and release, relieve, or redirect it in a non-hazardous way before continuing.

6) Isolation verification

Once you have completed lockout or tagout steps 1–5, the machinery and/or equipment should be in a "zero energy state," or ZES. No one may begin work on machines or equipment until an authorized employee has verified that the equipment is in ZES.

It's important to remember that if there is a possibility that the machinery or equipment can begin accumulating stored energy to a hazardous level again, then ZES verification must continue until either: 1) work is complete or 2) the possibility of accumulation ceases.

What the OSHA standard does NOT cover:

• Construction and agriculture
• Drilling and/or servicing oil and gas wells
• Shipyard employment (covered by Standard 1915)
• Marine terminals (covered by Standard 1917)
• Longshoring (covered by Standard 1918)
• Power generators, transmitters, and distributors under the exclusive control of electric utilities
• Exposure to electrical hazards from work on, near, or with conductors or equipment in electric-utilization installations (covered in 1910.147 subpart S)

3) Understand the differences between lockout and tagout

While most people refer to lockout and tagout procedures as one complete set of steps, they are also individual actions within the system of procedures. For instance, lockout (LO) means physically placing a lock on an energy isolation device. In contrast, tagout (TO) is a visual warning system. It tells others that it is not safe to operate tagged machinery until the tag is removed.

Of the two, when you use lockout actions there is more protection for employees. This is because workers physically cannot energize machinery or equipment without a key or forceful removal (i.e. bolt cutters or the like). While tagout procedures are the best way to warn employees, they do not physically prevent energizing equipment.

Lockout and energy isolation devices

An energy isolation device is a mechanical object that physically prevents the transmission or release of energy. Consequently, employees can only achieve lockout by placing a physical lock on the energy isolation device. With this in mind, here are some examples of energy isolation devices for lockout:

• Manually operated electrical circuit breakers
• Disconnect switches
• Manually operated switches by which the conductors of a circuit can be disconnected from all ungrounded supply conductors and, in addition, no pole can be operated independently
• Line valves
• Blocks
• Any similar device used to block or isolate energy

IMPORTANT: Push buttons, selector switches, and other control circuit type devices are NOT energy isolation devices.

Always place lockout tags on the controls of the power source. Line valves, blocks, manually operated electrical circuit breakers, and other devices used to block or isolate energy are all great examples.

4) Make sure you know where to apply LOTO tags

In short, you should always place LOTO tags on the controls an employee would use to energize machinery or equipment. The same goes for any other visual warnings. In fact, this is a direct quote from a Cal/OSHA online resource for lockout-tagout:

"Accident prevention signs or tags or both must be placed on the controls of the power source of the machinery or equipment."  —Cal/OSHA eTool for employers

5) Be clear about who can remove lockout tagout devices

According to OSHA 1910.147(c)(7), there are three types of employees that require lockout and tagout training: (1) authorized, (2) affected, and (3) other. The types of training required for each type of employee are basically a tiered system based on the impact of and proximity to equipment and machines that store energy.

Only authorized employees can remove lockout and tagout energy controls.

Authorized employees

Authorized employees are workers specially trained to safely apply, use, and remove energy controls for lockout-tagout procedures.

Affected employees

Primarily, affected employees are the people who normally operate the machine or piece of equipment under lockout or tagout. However, they may also be employees whose job requires them to work in the area where service or maintenance on such machines is happening.

It should be noted that the affected and authorized employee can be the same person. This happens when the person who normally operates the machine or equipment is also the person who performs servicing or maintenance.

Other

OSHA classifies anyone else who may be working in an area where LOTO procedures are used as "other." Even if these workers are not directly involved in LOTO procedures, employers must still train them on the procedures. Above all, "other" employees must be trained to understand that it is never okay to re-energize or restart equipment or machinery that is locked out or tagged out.

6) Review when tagout can be used in place of lockout

In the event that you want to use tagout procedures alone, it's imperative that you remember that there is much more training required to do so. Indeed, additional training for this specific situation is covered in OSHA 1910.147(c)(7)(ii).

To review, you can use LOTO tags to clearly communicate the status of equipment and/or potential hazards to affected employees and all other employees who may be working in a nearby area. In other words, tagout procedures do not physically prevent equipment from being energized but rather serve as a prominent warning device.

For this reason, most safety and health professionals don't consider it best practice to rely solely on LOTO tags for your energy control program. Nevertheless, here are the two specific instances in which an employer may use tagout alone (according to OSHA):

1. If a lock physically can’t be used on the isolating device.
2. If the facility’s tagout program is comprehensive enough to provide the employee with protection equal to a lockout program.

Avery safety tags come in preprinted packs, printable plastic sheets, and “print & assemble” kits. Choose printable tags and tag kits in blank white or with preprinted danger headers for making LOTO tags onsite.

7) Standardize your lockout tags

There are a several really great reasons to standardize LOTO tags in your facility. The main reason is that OSHA specifically mandates standardization of both locks and LOTO tags in the lockout/tagout standard. This means you must do it in order to achieve compliance.

Secondly, standardizing LOTO tags makes it easier for employees to learn how to identify locked-out machines and equipment. And finally, standardized LOTO tags that follow general OSHA/ANSI guidelines for hazard warnings are more likely to be recognizable to all employees in general. Even if they don’t work in the area and are not specifically trained in lockout or tagout procedures.

One way you can standardize LOTO tags is to buy them in bulk, ready-to-use. However, you can also create custom tag designs using Avery Design and Print Online (ADPO), which is our free online software. Once you create and save your LOTO tag designs, you can print them as needed. You can even apply your saved design to different Avery tag products, so even if you switch, your tags remain standardized.

8) Find the right LOTO tags for your facility

Overall, Avery Industrial LOTO tags are reliable, flexible, and efficient because you can choose between preprinted tags and ones that you can completely customize. In addition to all the standard design elements you can customize (text, color, logos, etc.), you can even add a photo of the employee authorized to perform lockout and tagout. Moreover, our customizable tags can be made right onsite with a standard laser printer, which greatly increases efficiency. To this end, we offer printable plastic tags as well as "print & assemble" tags designed for extra heavy-duty use.

Both the printable plastic tags and "print & assemble" kits come in two versions that are ideal for creating standardized LOTO tags that are custom to your facility. The first version is completely blank, made of white plastic. The second version comes preprinted with a black, red, and white danger header that follows OSHA and ANSI guidelines. Preprinted tags are great for using with non-color printers because the colorful part is already done for you.

"Print & assemble" tag kits

Not only are they customizable, but Avery Industrial safety tag kits are also extremely durable. In fact, they resist up to 100 pounds of pull force when attached to machinery or equipment. That's actually double what OSHA requires when it comes to pull strength and LOTO tags. The reason they're so durable is because the main component is a rigid plastic tag. The kit comes with rigid tags, printable vinyl labels, and nylon zip ties.

First, choose a free lockout-tagout template, then customize it using our free online software. Then, print the design on the vinyl labels, which are waterproof and resistant to tearing, abrasion, chemicals, and UV damage for up to two years outdoors. Once you've printed the labels, apply them to the rigid tags. Finally, attach your super-durable LOTO tags to machinery or equipment with the zip ties.

Printable LOTO tags

Our printable safety and LOTO tags come on sheets of 11 mil plastic that is microperforated and easy to break apart into individual tags. They are similarly waterproof and resistant to tearing, abrasion, chemicals, and UV damage for up to two years outdoors. And of course, together, the hang hole in the plastic and the included zip tie resist 50 pounds of pull force in order to meet OSHA requirements.

Preprinted LOTO tags 

Preprinted boxes of LOTO tags with generic lockout/tagout messaging and space to write in details are convenient and well-suited to average use. The thick, 11 mil plastic resists 50 pounds of pull strength, and you can write on them with permanent markers and ballpoint pens.

9) Lockout/tagout examples and free templates

"Tagout devices shall warn against hazardous conditions if the machine or equipment is energized and shall include a legend such as the following: Do Not Start, Do Not Open, Do Not Close, Do Not Energize, Do Not Operate." —OSHA, 1910.147(c)(5)(iii)

In addition to our free online software (ADPO), we also offer free predesigned lockout tag templates that you can customize. Simply go to our template finder page, enter your Avery product number, and then browse the different designs to choose the one you need. Below are examples of free lockout and tagout templates you can customize and print onsite with a standard laser printer.

As a matter of course, our templates include legends recommended by OSHA 1910.147(c)(5)(iii). Additionally, they make it easy to satisfy the OSHA requirement to identify the person who applied the devices and is authorized to remove them.

Examples of Do Not Start, Do Not Open, and Do Not Close LOTO tags you can make by customizing free Avery templates online. You can even add a photo of the authorized employee.

a) Do Not Start

Lockout tags labeled "Do Not Start" are used to warn employees that a machine or piece of equipment is not to be started up while it is being serviced or maintained.

Customize the Do Not Start LOTO tag example shown above.

b) Do Not Open

Similarly, Do Not Open tags are used to warn employees that a valve or other opening should not be opened while machinery or equipment is being serviced or maintained.

Customize the Do Not Open lockout tag example shown above.

c) Do Not Close

Likewise, Do Not Close tags are used to warn employees that a valve or other opening should not be closed while machinery or equipment is being serviced or maintained. In many cases, this is to prevent the buildup of pressurized liquids or gases.

Customize the Do Not Close LOTO tag example shown above.

Examples of Do Not Energize and Do Not Operate LOTO tags you can make by customizing free Avery templates online. Add or edit text, images, photos, and more.

d) Do Not Energize

Do Not Energize tags are an important safety measure to help prevent accidents and injuries. This message warns employees not to energize machines or equipment while they are being serviced or maintained.

Customize the Do Not Energize LOTO tag example shown above.

e) Do Not Operate

A Do Not Operate LOTO tag is a safety tag used to indicate that a piece of equipment or machinery should not be operated. Failure to observe the warning could result in injury or death from uncontrolled energy.

Customize the Do Not Operate lockout tag example shown above.

Learning about LOTO and how to do it better

In summary, we’ve discussed the importance of lockout tagout (LOTO) procedures in preventing injuries and deaths in the workplace. LOTO is a system of steps that is used to de-energize machines and equipment so that they cannot be turned on accidentally while workers are carrying out repairs or maintenance. What’s more, we also shared 9 tips for practicing LOTO better, including:

1. Knowing the OSHA standard for LOTO
2. Determining when LOTO is required
3. Understanding the differences between lockout and tagout
4. Making sure you know where to apply LOTO tags
5. Being clear about who can remove lockout tagout devices
6. Reviewing when tagout ca be used in place of lockout
7. How to standardize your lockout tags
8. Finding the right LOTO tags for your facility
9. Lockout/tagout examples and free templates

Additionally, we discussed the types of energy that can be found in machines and equipment, the importance of releasing any stored energy before beginning work, and industries not covered by the OSHA LOTO standard. Plus, we provided free lockout/tagout templates you can customize and print using a standard laser printer and Avery Industrial tags. Indeed, Avery templates can be customized with our free online software, Avery Design and Print Online, and saved designs are stored in the cloud for free.

Shop our wide selection of tags for safety and LOTO, as well as maintenance, repair, and organization, now.

Please note that the contents of this article and related articles on avery.com/industrial are for informational purposes only, are general in nature, and are not intended to be relied upon or construed as a legal opinion or legal advice regarding any specific issue or factual circumstance.