Reference

Inspection tagging has drifted into folk practice, and most of the tags on a typical rack satisfy no federal requirement at all. This guide sorts them equipment by equipment into required, evidence of a required inspection, and pure convention, then gives the hard specification that the tags OSHA does compel by name have to meet.

Switching equipment off proves nothing - an electrically safe work condition exists only after conductors are disconnected, locked and tagged, and tested dead by a qualified person. This guide decodes OSHA 1910.333’s deenergize-default rule, the verification sequence, grounding, and when energized work can be justified.

A lockout/tagout padlock keeps an energy-isolating device off while equipment is serviced, and OSHA 29 CFR 1910.147(c)(5) defines exactly what that lock must be. This guide covers keyed-different, keyed-alike, and master-keyed options, body and shackle materials, group lockout, and a worked example of standardizing a facility lock program.

Lockout tagout (LOTO) prevents hazardous energy releases that kill approximately 120 workers per year in the U.S. This guide covers all six hazardous energy types, the six-step LOTO procedure, lockout vs. tagout, authorized vs.