How to Perform Lockout/Tagout

How do you perform lockout/tagout?

Published June 22, 2026 · Last updated July 27, 2026

Short answer: To perform lockout tagout, follow the six-step OSHA 1910.147 energy-control sequence: prepare and identify every energy source, notify affected employees, shut the equipment down, isolate and lock plus tag each energy-isolating device with one lock per authorized worker, release stored or residual energy, then verify a zero-energy state by attempting to start the machine before any work begins.

Part of the Lockout/Tagout: The Complete Buyer's Guide — see the full guide for the OSHA 6-step procedure and device categories.

Learning how to perform lockout/tagout correctly is the difference between routine maintenance and a fatality, because the hazard is invisible until a machine cycles with someone inside it. The federal rule that governs the procedure, OSHA 29 CFR 1910.147, the Control of Hazardous Energy, requires employers to establish a documented energy-control procedure and to physically isolate and lock every energy source before service or maintenance begins. This guide is written for safety managers, maintenance leads, and authorized employees who need the exact step-by-step sequence, not just the definition.

If you only need a plain-language definition of the standard, start with our reference explainer on what lockout/tagout is and why OSHA 1910.147 exists; this article is the procedure itself. Below we break the six-step energy-control sequence into discrete actions, decode the six types of hazardous energy and how to isolate each, and walk through a worked example using real lockout padlocks and lockout hasps so the workflow is concrete on the floor.

Why this matters.
OSHA cites the lockout/tagout standard among its most-cited violations every year, and the agency estimates that compliance with 1910.147 prevents roughly 120 fatalities and 50,000 injuries annually. A single uncontrolled startup - an arm in a press, a hand in a conveyor, a technician inside a machine that energizes - is often fatal, which is why 29 CFR 1910.147(c) makes a written, equipment-specific energy-control procedure mandatory, not optional, for any facility where service or maintenance exposes workers to stored or unexpected energy.

Authorized vs affected employees: know your role first

Before you perform lockout/tagout, the standard defines who may do what. Getting the roles wrong is itself a violation:

• Authorized employee - the person who actually locks out the equipment to service it. Only authorized employees apply and remove locks, and they must be trained on the specific energy-control procedure and the means of isolation.
• Affected employee - someone who operates the machine or works in the area but does not service it. They must be notified before and after lockout but never apply locks.
• Other employees - anyone whose work is or may be in an area where energy-control procedures are used; they receive instruction not to restart locked-out equipment.

Each authorized employee applies their own lock and keeps the only key. This one-worker-one-lock-one-key rule is the backbone of the entire procedure, and it is what makes lockout/tagout a personal protection device rather than a shared warning.

Step 1 to perform lockout tagout: prepare and identify every energy source

The first action is research, not hardware. The authorized employee reviews the machine-specific energy-control procedure required by 1910.147(c)(4) to understand the type and magnitude of energy, the hazards, and the method of control. Walk the equipment and identify every energy source feeding it - not just the obvious main electrical disconnect.

• Electrical: main and control circuits, capacitors, and backup batteries.
• Mechanical: flywheels, springs, and counterweights that hold tension.
• Hydraulic and pneumatic: pressurized lines and accumulators.
• Thermal: hot surfaces, steam, and process heat.
• Gravity: suspended loads, rams, and elevated parts that can drop.

Most equipment has more than one source. Missing a secondary source - a second feed, a hidden accumulator, a charged capacitor - is the most common way a verified-dead machine still injures someone. The decode table below maps each energy type to its isolation method.

Steps 2 and 3: Notify affected employees, then shut down

Step 2 - Notify. Tell all affected employees that the equipment is about to be locked out and why. Notification is required before lockout begins and again after the work is complete and locks are removed. Skipping notification leaves an operator who does not know the machine is down to find out the hard way.

Step 3 - Shut down. Turn the equipment off using its normal stopping procedure - the documented operating controls, in the correct order. Do not yank a disconnect on a running machine if the procedure calls for an orderly stop first; an abrupt shutdown can itself create a hazard or leave more stored energy in the system than a controlled stop would.

Steps 2 and 3 are deliberately separate from isolation. You announce and stop the machine in a normal, predictable way before you ever touch an energy-isolating device.

Step 4: Isolate, then lock and tag each device

This is the heart of how to perform lockout/tagout. Operate each energy-isolating device - the disconnect switch, the manual valve, the breaker - to the safe or off position so the energy source is physically cut, not merely de-energized at a control. A stop button is not isolation; only the disconnecting device itself counts.

Then apply a lock to each device so it cannot be reoperated. Where a device accepts only one lock but several authorized employees are involved, use a lockout hasp so every worker can attach an individual lockout padlock. Match the device to the right hardware - a breaker takes a breaker lockout, a cord takes a plug lockout, and a valve or odd-shaped handle takes a cable lockout.

Tagout is not a substitute for a lock

Under 1910.147(c)(3), a lock must be used whenever the device is capable of accepting one. A standalone tag is permitted only when a device physically cannot be locked, and then it must provide protection at least equivalent to a lock. Always attach a durable lockout/tagout tag alongside the lock identifying who applied it and why.

Step 5: Release stored and residual energy

Isolating the source does not empty the machine. After locks are on, dissipate or restrain every form of stored energy so the equipment is truly at a zero-energy state:

• Bleed hydraulic and pneumatic pressure through relief valves until gauges read zero.
• Block suspended loads, rams, and gravity-loaded parts with safety blocks or stands.
• Discharge capacitors and ground stored electrical energy; remove or disconnect backup batteries.
• Release spring tension and let flywheels coast fully to rest.

Thermal energy is dissipated by allowing hot surfaces and process fluids to cool to a safe temperature, or by isolating and draining them. If stored energy can re-accumulate - a system that can repressurize, a capacitor bank that recharges - the procedure must require continuous verification or restraint until the work is done. This step, required by 1910.147(d)(5), is the one most often skipped because the machine already looks dead.

Step 6: Verify the zero-energy state

The final and non-negotiable step is to verify isolation before any work begins. With all controls clear of personnel and the area checked, the authorized employee operates the normal start controls to confirm the equipment will not run - then returns the controls to off or neutral. This is the famous try step: push start, confirm nothing moves, no light comes on, no pressure builds.

Where electrical work is involved, verification also means testing the circuit with a meter to confirm it is de-energized, consistent with OSHA 29 CFR 1910.333 for electrical safe work practices. Only after the try-and-test confirms zero energy does service or maintenance start. Equip every authorized worker from a stocked lockout station so the locks, tags, and devices needed to complete all six steps are always at hand.

Group lockout, shift change, and lock removal

Single-person lockout is the baseline; real maintenance often involves crews and overlapping shifts, and the standard has rules for each.

Group lockout

When several authorized employees service the same equipment, use a group lockout device - typically a group lockbox. Each isolating point is locked, the keys go into the box, and every authorized worker applies their personal lock to the box. No one can re-energize the equipment until every worker has removed their own lock, giving each person the same protection as if they had locked out personally.

Shift change

Lockout protection must remain continuous across shift changes. The outgoing and incoming authorized employees transfer control in an orderly sequence so the equipment is never unlocked between shifts - the incoming worker applies their lock before the outgoing worker removes theirs.

Removing a lock

As a rule, only the authorized employee who applied a lock may remove it. The standard permits a limited exception when that employee is unavailable: the employer may remove the lock only after verifying the person is not on site, making all reasonable efforts to contact them, and ensuring they are informed before they return - all under a specific written procedure. Browse the full hardware lineup in our lockout/tagout collection to standardize on locks, hasps, and tags before you build the program.

Hazardous energy types and how to isolate each (OSHA 1910.147)

Worked example: perform lockout tagout on a hydraulic press

To make the sequence concrete, here is how to perform lockout/tagout on a hydraulic press with electrical and hydraulic energy, served by a wall disconnect and a hydraulic isolation valve. The authorized employee works from a stocked lockout station using an ABUS 2ALHB/40-75 long-shackle lockout padlock and a hasp for any second worker:

1. Identify all energy sources. Review the press's energy-control procedure and confirm both sources: the electrical feed at the wall disconnect and the hydraulic supply at the isolation valve. Note the accumulator can hold pressure after shutdown.
2. Notify affected employees. Tell the press operator and anyone in the area that the press is going down for service and must not be operated until locks are removed.
3. Shut down normally. Stop the press using its normal operating controls in the correct order so the cycle completes safely, rather than killing power mid-stroke.
4. Isolate, lock, and tag each device. Open the wall disconnect and lock it with the ABUS 2ALHB/40-75 padlock; close and lock the hydraulic valve with a QWORK QS8899 cable lock. If a second authorized worker is involved, add a hasp so each applies a personal lock. Attach a tag at each point identifying who locked it out and why.
5. Release stored energy. Bleed the hydraulic line and accumulator through the relief valve until the gauge reads zero, block the ram against gravity with a safety stand, and discharge any control-circuit capacitors.
6. Verify zero energy. With the area clear, press the start controls to confirm the press will not cycle, then return controls to off. For the electrical side, test the circuit dead with a meter per 1910.333 before touching it. Only now does service begin.
7. Restore and remove locks in order. When work is done, confirm tools and guards are clear, notify affected employees, then each authorized worker removes only their own lock and tag before the press is re-energized.

The same six-step workflow scales from a single disconnect to a full crew on a group lockbox. Standardize on color-coded hardware - red TRADESAFE TS1KD10R locks for one trade, Master Lock 410GRN green padlocks for another - and keep a Brady 123143 personal LOTO kit with each authorized employee. For the underlying definition and citation chain, see our lockout/tagout explainer.

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Frequently asked questions

When do you notify affected employees during lockout/tagout?

Twice: before lockout begins, so operators know the machine is going down, and again after the work is complete and locks are removed, before the equipment is returned to service. Notification is a required step, not a courtesy - an operator who does not know the machine was serviced may start it unexpectedly.

How often must lockout/tagout procedures be inspected?

At least annually. 1910.147(c)(6) requires a periodic inspection of each energy-control procedure at least once a year, conducted by an authorized employee not using the procedure being inspected, to verify it is being followed correctly and to correct any deviations.

What is the 'try' in lock, tag, try?

The verification step spoken as a shop rule: after isolating and locking, attempt to start the equipment — hit the start button, cycle the switch — to prove the isolation actually holds before any work begins. It is the same verification 1910.147(d)(6) requires; 'try out' is simply the field name for it. No successful try, no hands in the machine.

Further reading on this site

• Lockout tagout checklist — the six-step sequence as an interactive walkthrough for audits and toolbox talks.
• Lockout/tagout — the full lineup of locks, hasps, tags, devices, and stations for building a 1910.147-compliant program.
• Lockout padlocks — individually keyed safety padlocks - one lock per authorized employee, color-coded by trade.
• Lockout hasps — multi-lock hasps so several workers can each apply a personal lock to one isolation point.
• Lockout stations — wall-mounted boards that keep locks, tags, and devices stocked and visible at the point of use.
• Lockout/tagout tags — durable do-not-operate tags identifying who applied the lock and why.
• Plug lockouts — enclosures that secure cord-and-plug equipment so the plug cannot be reinserted.
• Cable lockouts — flexible cable devices for valves, multiple points, and odd-shaped handles.
• What is lockout/tagout? — the plain-language definition of OSHA 1910.147 and why the standard exists.
• the full index of 29 CFR sections — all 134 sections the site cites, with the general industry versus construction crosswalk.

Related reference

Closely related on this site: how to choose a lockout padlock, lockout vs tagout difference, what is lockout/tagout (loto)?, lockout/tagout (loto): the complete buyer's guide, osha bathroom requirements for workplaces: 1910.141 in plain language, and best lockout tagout kits.

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WC Safety is an independent, affiliate-supported review site. It is not a retailer: it holds no inventory, takes no orders, and earns only from qualifying purchases through clearly marked links — which never changes what a product is rated to do. Standards language is taken from the regulation text directly, and ratings are reported as the manufacturer publishes them. We run no laboratory and perform no testing of our own. Where published sources disagree, we say so and plan on the conservative figure rather than the flattering one.

Our methodology

Figures come from the regulation and the published specification, in that order. Derated numbers are calculated, not estimated. Nothing here is presented as a measured result, because we measure nothing.

Researched and written by Steven Eaton, editor of WC Safety. Steven holds no safety certification and does not test products; this page compares what manufacturers and regulators publish, with the gaps in that record marked. Last reviewed August 2026.

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