Lockout/Tagout Procedure: The Steps OSHA 1910.147 Requires
Lockout/tagout (LOTO) is the procedure that keeps a machine from being energized while someone is servicing it. OSHA 1910.147 makes it mandatory, and getting the sequence wrong is one of the most severe hazards in industry. Here is the procedure, who must be trained, and where most programs fall short.
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The OSHA 1910.147 lockout/tagout procedure has six core steps: prepare for shutdown, shut the machine down, isolate every energy source, apply locks and tags, release stored energy, and verify a zero-energy state before work begins. The procedure is machine-specific, and each authorized employee must be able to perform it on the equipment they actually service.
What Lockout/Tagout Is, and Why OSHA Requires It
Lockout/tagout is the set of practices that protect workers from the unexpected startup of machinery, or the release of stored energy, during service and maintenance. OSHA regulates it under the Control of Hazardous Energy standard, 29 CFR 1910.147. The standard applies to electrical, hydraulic, pneumatic, mechanical, thermal, and chemical energy, any source that could injure a worker if it were released while the machine was being serviced.
The requirement is not just to have locks. It is to have a documented, machine-specific energy control procedure, and to train every authorized employee to execute it correctly on the equipment they work on.
The Six Steps of the LOTO Procedure
- Prepare for shutdown. Identify every energy source on the specific machine and the correct method to control each one. This is the step workers miss most, a secondary energy source that is never isolated.
- Shut down the machine. Use the normal stopping procedure. Never rely on the control switch as the isolation point.
- Isolate energy sources. Operate the disconnects, valves, and blocks that physically separate the machine from its energy.
- Apply lockout/tagout devices. Each authorized employee applies their own lock and tag to each isolation point, so the machine cannot be re-energized by anyone else.
- Release stored energy. Bleed, block, or discharge residual energy, capacitors, springs, hydraulic pressure, elevated parts, until the machine is at a true zero-energy state.
- Verify isolation. Attempt to start the machine using normal controls, confirm it will not operate, then return controls to off. Only now is it safe to begin work.
1910.147
OSHA's Control of Hazardous Energy standard requires a machine-specific procedure and verified authorized-employee competency, not just a signed acknowledgment that a video was watched.
Who Must Be Trained, and How Often
OSHA distinguishes authorized employees (who perform LOTO), affected employees (who operate the machines), and other employees (who work in the area). Authorized employees need the deepest training. Retraining is required whenever the machine, the procedure, or the employee's role changes, and whenever an audit reveals a deviation. A periodic inspection of the energy control procedure is required at least annually.
Where LOTO Training Usually Falls Short
A LOTO procedure learned from a generic video does not transfer to a specific press or processing unit with its own energy sources in their own locations. The worker leaves with a completion record and no verified ability to isolate the machine they will actually service. That gap, between knowing the six steps and performing them correctly under pressure on real equipment, is exactly what immersive practice closes. In VR, a worker performs the full sequence on a virtual replica of their machine, repeatedly, until the data shows they can do it, with a simulated consequence rather than a real one.
If you are evaluating how to build that competency at scale, see our VR lockout/tagout training and our broader manufacturing VR training programs.
WE BUILD THIS IN VR — THE PRIME VR
We build custom VR lockout/tagout programs that put each worker through the full energy-isolation sequence on a virtual replica of your exact machines, so competency is proven, not assumed, and every attempt is recorded for your 1910.147 documentation.
Book a discovery callFrequently Asked Questions
How many steps are in a lockout/tagout procedure? +
OSHA 1910.147 defines six core steps: prepare for shutdown, shut down the machine, isolate energy sources, apply lockout/tagout devices, release stored energy, and verify a zero-energy state. On complex equipment with multiple energy sources, executing these steps can involve 12 to 18 discrete actions in a required order.
Who is required to have LOTO training? +
Authorized employees who perform servicing must be fully trained to execute the procedure. Affected employees who operate the equipment, and other employees who work nearby, need awareness-level training. OSHA requires retraining whenever machines, procedures, or roles change.
Does OSHA require machine-specific LOTO procedures? +
Yes. 1910.147 requires documented energy control procedures specific to each machine or piece of equipment, because energy sources and isolation points differ from one machine to the next. A single generic procedure is not compliant for a facility with varied equipment.
How often must LOTO procedures be inspected? +
OSHA requires a periodic inspection of each energy control procedure at least annually, performed by an authorized employee other than the one using the procedure, to identify and correct deviations.
Turn LOTO knowledge into verified competency
Custom VR programs let every authorized employee prove they can isolate their own machines.