Lockout/Tagout: What OSHA 1910.147 Requires (Plain English)

Short answer: OSHA's lockout/tagout standard, 29 CFR 1910.147, requires employers to have an energy control program made up of written procedures, employee training and periodic inspections at least annually (paragraph (c)(1), (c)(6)). Workers must shut down, isolate, lock or tag, release stored energy and verify isolation before servicing a machine (paragraph (d)).

This is the general industry standard. It applies to servicing and maintenance of machines and equipment where unexpected start-up or release of stored energy could injure employees. It does not cover construction or agriculture, or work under parts 1915, 1917 and 1918 (maritime), among other exclusions in 1910.147(a)(1)(ii). Quotes below are from the standard as published on osha.gov, checked on 7 October 2026. If your state runs its own OSHA-approved plan, check its version too.

What does OSHA 1910.147 require, at a glance?

What is an energy control program?

It's the employer's overall system for controlling hazardous energy. 1910.147(c)(1) says the employer "shall establish a program consisting of energy control procedures, employee training and periodic inspections," to make sure machines are isolated and inoperative before anyone services them.

Two people-related definitions run through the whole standard:

• Authorized employee: the person who locks or tags out a machine to service or maintain it.
• Affected employee: someone whose job requires them to operate or use the machine being serviced, or to work in the area where servicing is done.

Everyone else in the area counts as an "other employee" for training purposes.

What must a written lockout/tagout procedure include?

Each procedure must be "developed, documented and utilized" (1910.147(c)(4)(i)) and must clearly and specifically outline the "scope, purpose, authorization, rules, and techniques" for controlling hazardous energy. Under (c)(4)(ii), it must include at least:

1. (A) a specific statement of the intended use of the procedure
2. (B) specific steps for shutting down, isolating, blocking and securing machines or equipment
3. (C) specific steps for placing, removing and transferring lockout or tagout devices, and who is responsible for them
4. (D) specific requirements for testing the machine to verify that the lockout devices and other energy control measures are working

Is there an exception to writing a procedure?

Yes, but it's narrow. The note to (c)(4)(i) lets an employer skip documenting a procedure for a particular machine only when all eight conditions are met. In short: no stored or residual energy; a single, easily identified energy source; isolating and locking that source fully de-energizes the machine; the machine is isolated and locked out during servicing; a single lockout device does the job; that device stays under the exclusive control of the authorized employee; the work creates no hazards for others; and the employer has had no accidents involving unexpected activation during servicing of that machine. If any one fails, write the procedure.

Procedures work best as machine-specific, one-page documents at the machine, with photos of each isolation point. That's the same discipline as any good work instruction; see work instructions vs SOPs.

What are the steps for applying lockout/tagout?

1910.147(d) sets six steps, in this order:

1. Preparation (d)(1). Before turning the machine off, the authorized employee must know "the type and magnitude of the energy, the hazards of the energy to be controlled, and the method or means to control the energy."
2. Shutdown (d)(2). Turn the machine off using its established procedure. "An orderly shutdown must be utilized to avoid any additional or increased hazard(s)."
3. Isolation (d)(3). Locate and operate every energy isolating device needed to isolate the machine from its energy sources. Push buttons and selector switches are not energy isolating devices under the standard's definition.
4. Apply devices (d)(4). Authorized employees fix a lock or tag to each energy isolating device. Locks must hold it in the "safe" or "off" position. Tags must clearly show that moving it from that position is prohibited.
5. Stored energy (d)(5). Relieve, disconnect, restrain or otherwise make safe all stored or residual energy. If it could build up again to a hazardous level, keep verifying isolation until the work is done.
6. Verify (d)(6). Before starting work, the authorized employee verifies that isolation and de-energization have been accomplished.

Alongside these steps, 1910.147(c)(9) requires affected employees to be notified of the application and removal of lockout or tagout devices: before the controls are applied, and after they are removed.

How do you release lockout/tagout safely?

1910.147(e) sets the release sequence:

1. The machine (e)(1). Inspect the work area to make sure nonessential items have been removed and machine components are operationally intact.
2. The people (e)(2). Check that all employees have been safely positioned or removed. After the devices come off and before start-up, notify affected employees that the devices have been removed.
3. The devices (e)(3). Each device is removed by the employee who applied it. The only exception is a documented employer procedure for when that employee isn't available, which must include verifying they're not at the facility, making all reasonable efforts to contact them, and making sure they know before they resume work.

If you need to energize the machine briefly to test or position it, 1910.147(f)(1) sets the order: clear the machine, clear employees, remove devices, energize and test, then de-energize and reapply controls under paragraph (d).

What training does OSHA require?

1910.147(c)(7)(i) requires training so employees understand the purpose and function of the program and have the knowledge and skills to apply, use and remove energy controls safely. It differs by role:

Where tagout is used, employees also need training on the limits of tags under (c)(7)(ii). As the standard puts it, tags "are essentially warning devices" and "do not provide the physical restraint" of a lock.

Retraining (c)(7)(iii) is required when job assignments change, when machines, equipment or processes change in a way that brings a new hazard, when energy control procedures change, and when a periodic inspection or other information shows deviations or gaps in knowledge.

Certification (c)(7)(iv): the employer must certify that training has been done and kept up to date, with each employee's name and the training dates.

What is the annual lockout/tagout inspection?

1910.147(c)(6)(i) requires a periodic inspection of each energy control procedure "at least annually." Under (c)(6)(i)(A)–(D):

• It's done by an authorized employee other than the ones using the procedure being inspected.
• It's meant to correct any deviations or inadequacies found.
• Where lockout is used, it includes a review between the inspector and each authorized employee of that employee's responsibilities under the procedure.
• Where tagout is used, the review also covers the tagout training elements in (c)(7)(ii).

Under (c)(6)(ii), the employer must certify the inspection. The certification identifies the machine or equipment, the date, the employees included and the person who did the inspection.

What about locks, tags, contractors, groups and shift changes?

• Devices (c)(5). The employer provides locks, tags, chains, wedges and other hardware. They must be singularly identified, be the only devices used for controlling energy, not be used for other purposes, and be durable, standardized and substantial, and must identify the employee who applied them. Tag attachments must be non-reusable and have an unlocking strength of no less than 50 pounds. Tags must carry a warning such as "Do Not Start," "Do Not Open," "Do Not Close," "Do Not Energize" or "Do Not Operate."
• Only authorized employees lock out (c)(8).
• Contractors (f)(2)(i). When outside servicing personnel work on your equipment, you and the outside employer must inform each other of your lockout or tagout procedures.
• Group lockout (f)(3). Group procedures must give each worker protection equivalent to a personal lock. Primary responsibility sits with one authorized employee, and each authorized employee affixes a personal device to the group lockout device or lockbox when they start work and removes it when they stop.
• Shift changes (f)(4). Specific procedures must ensure continuity of lockout or tagout protection, including the orderly transfer of devices between outgoing and incoming employees.

How can a technician check the procedure at the machine?

The procedure has to be right, and it has to be where the work is. With your machine-specific procedures uploaded or synced from Google Drive or SharePoint, a maintenance technician can ask Verika "what are the isolation points for Press 4?" and get the answer from your Press 4 energy control procedure, with the document named. If no procedure covers that machine, Verika says so instead of guessing and logs the gap, which is also a sign the program has a hole to fix. Verika answers from your documents; it doesn't replace the procedure, the training or the annual inspection. See our manufacturing page or try it with your own procedures.

Sources

1. OSHA, 29 CFR 1910.147, The control of hazardous energy (lockout/tagout), paragraphs (a), (b), (c)(1)–(c)(9), (d), (e), (f). https://www.osha.gov/laws-regs/regulations/standardnumber/1910/1910.147
2. OSHA, 29 CFR 1926.702, Requirements for equipment and tools (construction), paragraph (j). https://www.osha.gov/laws-regs/regulations/standardnumber/1926/1926.702