Machine-Specific Lockout/Tagout Procedure Generator
List the machine's energy sources and where each one is isolated, then the shutdown, lockout, verification and restart steps. The document builds itself as you type and carries the four elements 29 CFR 1910.147(c)(4)(ii) requires an energy control procedure to outline. The lockout and restoring sequences follow 1910.147 Appendix A. Nothing you type is sent to our servers.
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Template for informational purposes only. This document must be reviewed and adapted by a competent or qualified person for your specific jobsite, equipment, and applicable federal, state, and local requirements. It does not constitute legal, engineering, or safety advice and does not by itself establish compliance with OSHA or any other standard. SteelToeTools assumes no liability for its use. Nothing you type is sent to our servers.
How to build a procedure that actually works
- 1Walk the machine with the prints. Find every energy source, not just the main disconnect: hydraulic accumulators, air receivers, springs under compression, suspended rams, steam, hot surfaces, chemicals in a line. 1910.147(d)(5) is where most procedures fail.
- 2Name the device and where it is. “DS-14, north wall behind the press” is a procedure. “Turn off the power” is not — OSHA's interpretation warns that over-generalization produces a document of little or no use to the employee who has to follow it.
- 3Write the verification step for this machine. Element (D) of 1910.147(c)(4)(ii). Say which control is tried, which points are metered, and that the tester is proved before and after. Then say the controls go back to neutral.
- 4Validate it on the machine, then approve it. Have an authorized employee run the procedure step by step on the equipment before it is issued. Print, sign, and put the annual inspection date in your calendar — 1910.147(c)(6)(i).
What 1910.147 requires of a written procedure
| Requirement | Source |
|---|---|
| Procedures developed, documented and used for the control of potentially hazardous energy | 1910.147(c)(4)(i) |
| Documentation waived only when all eight listed conditions are met — including no stored energy, a single readily identifiable energy source, one lockout device, exclusive control by the authorized employee, and no history of unexpected activation during servicing | 1910.147(c)(4)(i), exception |
| (A) A specific statement of the intended use of the procedure | 1910.147(c)(4)(ii)(A) |
| (B) Specific procedural steps for shutting down, isolating, blocking and securing machines to control hazardous energy | 1910.147(c)(4)(ii)(B) |
| (C) Specific procedural steps for the placement, removal and transfer of lockout or tagout devices, and who is responsible for them | 1910.147(c)(4)(ii)(C) |
| (D) Specific requirements for testing a machine, so that the effectiveness of the energy control measures is verified | 1910.147(c)(4)(ii)(D) |
| Lockout devices provided by the employer: durable, standardized, substantial and identifiable | 1910.147(c)(5) |
| Periodic inspection at least annually, by an authorized employee other than the one(s) using the procedure, corrected and certified | 1910.147(c)(6) |
| Training for authorized, affected and other employees, retraining on change, with certification | 1910.147(c)(7) |
| Verification of isolation and deenergization by the authorized employee before work begins | 1910.147(d)(6) |
| Lock removed by the employee who applied it, with a narrow documented exception | 1910.147(e)(3) |
| Group lockout: one authorized employee with primary responsibility, each member's exposure status known, a personal lock on the group device | 1910.147(f)(3) |
ANSI/ASSP Z244.1 covers the same subject in more detail and is widely used as good practice; it is a paid consensus standard, so it is named here and not reproduced. Federal OSHA is the floor — State Plan states may require more.
Frequently asked questions
1910.147(c)(4)(i) requires energy control procedures to be developed, documented and used. It waives the documentation — not the lockout — only when all eight listed conditions are met at once, including no potential for stored or residual energy, a single readily identifiable energy source, one lockout device, exclusive control by the authorized employee doing the work, and no accident involving unexpected activation during servicing of that machine. Miss one condition and the written procedure is required.
1910.147(c)(4)(ii) requires it to clearly and specifically outline four things: (A) a specific statement of the intended use of the procedure; (B) specific procedural steps for shutting down, isolating, blocking and securing the machine; (C) specific procedural steps for the placement, removal and transfer of lockout or tagout devices, and who is responsible for them; and (D) specific requirements for testing the machine, so that the effectiveness of the energy control measures is verified. This generator produces all four.
Yes, within limits. OSHA's interpretation of January 14, 2003 and its inspection directive both state that similar machines using the same type and magnitude of energy, with the same or similar controls, can be covered by a single written procedure — but warn that over-generalization produces a document of little or no use to the employee who has to follow it. If the disconnect numbers and valve locations differ, the procedure has to say so.
When the energy isolating device is not capable of being locked out, a tagout system is used (1910.147(c)(2)(i)). If the device can accept a lock, lockout is required unless the employer can demonstrate that tagout provides full employee protection — which under (c)(3) means the tag goes where the lock would have gone, plus additional measures giving safety equivalent to a lock. A tag is a warning device; it holds nothing shut.
The employee who applied it (1910.147(e)(3)). The standard allows removal by someone else only under a specific documented procedure in the energy control program: the employer must verify the authorized employee is not at the facility, make all reasonable efforts to contact them, and make sure they know the device was removed before they resume work at the facility.
At least annually (1910.147(c)(6)(i)). The periodic inspection is done by an authorized employee other than the one(s) using the procedure being inspected, it must correct any deviation or inadequacy found, and it has to be certified — identifying the machine, the date, the employees included and the person performing the inspection. Record the due date on the procedure so it does not slip.
1910.147(f)(2) requires the on-site employer and the outside employer to inform each other of their respective procedures. Group lockout under (f)(3) requires primary responsibility vested in one authorized employee, a way to know each member's exposure status, and a personal lock affixed by each authorized employee to the group device before they begin work. (f)(4) requires continuity of protection across shift and personnel changes. Tick those sections on the form and they print with the procedure.
Not always. Work on cord and plug connected electric equipment is exempt when unplugging it controls the hazard and the plug stays under the exclusive control of the employee doing the work (1910.147(a)(2)(iii)(A)). Minor tool changes and adjustments that are routine, repetitive and integral to production are outside the standard only when alternative protective measures give effective protection — the exception is narrow and often misused.
No. It builds one machine-specific procedure. The standard also requires the overall energy control program, standardized and durable lockout devices provided by the employer (1910.147(c)(5)), training and retraining with certification (1910.147(c)(7)), and the annual inspection. Have an authorized, knowledgeable person walk the machine and validate every isolation point on this document before anyone uses it.
Sources & references
- 29 CFR 1910.147 — The control of hazardous energy (lockout/tagout): (c)(4) energy control procedures, (d) application of control, (e) release, (f) group lockout and shift change
- 29 CFR 1910.147 App. A — Typical minimal lockout procedure (sequence of lockout and restoring equipment to service)
- OSHA standard interpretation, 01/14/2003 — sufficiently detailed written procedures; similar machines using the same type and magnitude of energy may be covered by a single procedure
- OSHA directive STD 01-05-019 (CPL 2-1.38) — 1910.147 inspection procedures and interpretive guidance
- 29 CFR 1910.333 — Selection and use of work practices (electrical safety-related work practices, verification of deenergization)
Content checked against these sources — last reviewed August 27, 2026.