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Free course · Beginner · 3 h 47 min · v1.0

Lockout/Tagout Fundamentals

Control of hazardous energy under 29 CFR 1910.147 — free and self-paced

Start the courseSee the outline
This course is an optional step of the New to Construction — Learning Path — take it when the work calls for it.
Not OSHA-authorized training. This free course is a study aid. It does not satisfy any OSHA or regulatory training requirement and no certificate or card is issued. Your employer's training program comes first.

Lockout/tagout is the standard federal OSHA cited fourth most often in fiscal year 2025, and the reason is always the same: a machine that everyone believed was dead moved. This free, self-paced course walks through 29 CFR 1910.147 the way a maintenance crew meets it — what hazardous energy is and where it hides, how to find every isolation point on a machine, the six steps the standard requires in the order it requires them, how to verify that isolation actually worked, how a lock comes off, and what a written energy control procedure, training record and annual inspection have to contain. Every requirement is quoted with the paragraph it comes from, so you can read the rule yourself.

What you will be able to do

  • Tell the difference between normal production operations and the servicing work 1910.147 actually covers
  • Identify every energy source and isolation point on a machine, including stored and residual energy
  • Apply and release lockout in the sequence 29 CFR 1910.147(d) and (e) require, and verify isolation properly
  • Work under a group lockout, a shift change and an outside contractor's program without losing protection
  • Judge whether a written energy control procedure, a training record and an annual inspection meet the standard

Course outline

Part 1

Hazardous energy and the standard

What hazardous energy is, what 1910.147 covers and what it deliberately leaves out, the vocabulary the standard uses, and the difference between a program, a procedure and a piece of paper.

  1. 1.1 What hazardous energy is, and who gets hurt12 min
  2. 1.2 What 1910.147 covers — and what it does not13 min
  3. 1.3 The vocabulary: authorized, affected, isolating device12 min
  4. 1.4 Program, procedure and the eight-condition exception13 min
  5. Part 1 quiz5 questions
Part 2

Energy sources, isolation points and devices

Every kind of energy a machine can hold, how to find each isolation point, how stored energy kills after the power is off, and what makes a lock or a tag acceptable hardware.

  1. 2.1 The kinds of energy on a machine12 min
  2. 2.2 Finding every isolation point13 min
  3. 2.3 Stored and residual energy12 min
  4. 2.4 Locks, tags, hasps and lockboxes11 min
  5. Part 2 quiz5 questions
Part 3

Doing the lockout

The six steps of 1910.147(d) in the order the standard sets them, verifying that isolation worked, releasing the equipment, and the four situations that break a simple lockout: testing, groups, shift changes and contractors.

  1. 3.1 The six steps of applying lockout13 min
  2. 3.2 Verification: proving the machine is dead12 min
  3. 3.3 Release: putting the machine back in service12 min
  4. 3.4 Testing, group lockout, shift changes and contractors13 min
  5. Part 3 quiz5 questions
Part 4

Making the program hold up

Writing a procedure someone can actually follow, training and retraining with certification, the annual periodic inspection, and how lockout/tagout meets machine guarding, electrical work and the construction standards.

  1. 4.1 Writing a procedure someone can follow12 min
  2. 4.2 Training, retraining and certification12 min
  3. 4.3 The annual periodic inspection11 min
  4. 4.4 Tagout done right, and the neighbouring standards12 min
  5. Part 4 quiz5 questions
Final exam
20 questions · about 20 minutes
Go to the exam

Who it's for: Maintenance technicians, machine operators, production supervisors, plant safety coordinators, and anyone who has to write or follow an energy control procedure.

Frequently asked questions

No. Under 1910.147(b) an authorized employee is a person who locks out or tags out a machine in order to service it, and 1910.147(c)(7)(i)(A) requires that person to be trained on the energy sources actually present in your workplace, their type and magnitude, and the means of isolating them. Only your employer can designate you and certify your training under (c)(7)(iv). Use this course to understand the standard, then learn your own machines from your own procedures.

No. SteelToeTools is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or authorized by OSHA or the U.S. Department of Labor. We quote the public text of the standards and link to them so you can check every statement yourself.

No. That training duty sits with your employer, it has to cover your specific machines and procedures, and it has to be certified with each employee's name and training dates. Nothing is issued for finishing this course — no card and no document of any kind.

About 3 hours 47 minutes: sixteen chapters of 11 to 13 minutes, four 5-question part quizzes, and a 20-question final exam. Your progress is kept in your own browser, so you can stop and come back.

It is written on 29 CFR 1910.147, which excludes construction at (a)(1)(ii)(A). Part 4 covers the construction rules that do apply — 1926.417 on tagging de-energized circuits and 1926.702(j) on concrete and masonry equipment — and says where they are thinner than the general industry standard.

Z244.1 is a consensus standard on the control of hazardous energy published by ASSP. It is a copyrighted document sold by its publisher, so this course names it and describes its role but never reproduces it. OSHA enforces 1910.147; an employer may choose to follow Z244.1 in addition, particularly for alternative methods on modern equipment.

Sources & references

Content checked against these sources — last reviewed August 28, 2026.

Not OSHA-authorized training. SteelToeTools is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or authorized by OSHA or the U.S. Department of Labor. This free educational content does not satisfy any OSHA or other regulatory training requirement, and no card, certificate, or credential is issued. Only OSHA-authorized trainers can deliver OSHA Outreach Training (10-Hour and 30-Hour) and issue DOL cards. Always follow your employer's training program and applicable federal, state, and local requirements.

By — Editorial team of SteelToeTools.com (published by LSEA SAS) Updated v1.0