3.3 Release: putting the machine back in service
Restoring a machine to service is where the crew is tired, the shift is ending and the pressure to run is highest — and it is the part of a lockout where a bystander is most likely to be hurt. 1910.147(e) is written for exactly that moment: before any device comes off, three things have to be true about the machine, the people and the person removing the lock.
1 The three checks of 1910.147(e)
1910.147(e) opens: "Before lockout or tagout devices are removed and energy is restored to the machine or equipment, procedures shall be followed and actions taken by the authorized employee(s) to ensure the following."
- 1(e)(1) The machine. The work area shall be inspected to ensure that nonessential items have been removed and to ensure that machine or equipment components are operationally intact.
- 2(e)(2)(i) The employees. The work area shall be checked to ensure that all employees have been safely positioned or removed.
- 3(e)(2)(ii) The notification. After the devices have been removed and before the machine is started, affected employees shall be notified that the devices have been removed.
"Nonessential items" is the standard's polite way of saying tools, rags, jumper leads, ladders, parts trays and coffee cups. "Operationally intact" means the guards are back, the covers are on, the fasteners are torqued and nothing has been left disassembled. Both are physical checks of the machine, and both are the reason a rushed restart breaks something expensive even when nobody is hurt.
2 Guards go back on: where LOTO hands over to machine guarding
"Operationally intact" is where the energy control standard passes the machine back to the machine guarding standards in subpart O. 1910.212(a)(1) requires one or more methods of machine guarding to protect operators and other employees from hazards such as those created by point of operation, ingoing nip points, rotating parts, flying chips and sparks.
A machine returned to production with a guard left off has been handed back into normal production operations in a condition that 1910.212 does not permit — and it is now the operator, not the technician, who is exposed. Machine guarding was the tenth most frequently cited federal OSHA standard in fiscal year 2025, and "the guard was off after maintenance" is one of the ordinary ways that happens.
3 Who removes the lock
1910.147(e)(3): "Each lockout or tagout device shall be removed from each energy isolating device by the employee who applied the device."
That is the whole rule, and it is the promise that makes a personal lock mean anything at all. Your lock is your guarantee that the machine cannot start while you are inside it, and that guarantee lasts precisely as long as nobody else can take it off.
The exception exists, and it is narrow. When the authorized employee who applied the device is not available to remove it, the device may be removed under the direction of the employer, provided that specific procedures and training for such removal have been developed, documented and incorporated into the employer's energy control program. The employer must demonstrate that the specific procedure provides equivalent safety to removal by the person who applied it, and the procedure must include at least three elements:
4 The electrical version, and how it differs
Where the work was electrical work on fixed equipment, the reenergizing sequence in 1910.333(b)(2)(v) applies, and it is a little more demanding. It requires, in the order given: a qualified person conducting tests and visual inspections as necessary to verify that all tools, electrical jumpers, shorts, grounds and other such devices have been removed so the circuits can be safely energized; warning employees exposed to the hazards of reenergizing to stay clear; removal of each lock and tag by the employee who applied it, or under their direct supervision; and a visual determination that all employees are clear of the circuits and equipment.
Two differences from 1910.147(e) are worth noticing. The electrical rule expressly names jumpers, shorts and grounds — temporary safety grounds installed for the work are lethal if the circuit is energized with them still fitted. And its absence exception, at (b)(2)(v)(C), is narrower in wording than 1910.147(e)(3): the employer ensures the employee who applied the lock or tag is not available at the workplace, and ensures they are aware the device has been removed before they resume work there.
5 Restoring in the order Appendix A gives
1910.147 Appendix A closes with a five-step "Restoring Equipment to Service" sequence that is worth following literally:
| Step | Action |
|---|---|
| 1 | Check the machine and the immediate area to ensure nonessential items have been removed and components are operationally intact |
| 2 | Check the work area to ensure all employees have been safely positioned or removed from the area |
| 3 | Verify that the controls are in neutral |
| 4 | Remove the lockout devices and reenergize the machine (the appendix notes that removing some forms of blocking may require reenergizing the machine first) |
| 5 | Notify affected employees that the servicing is completed and the machine is ready for use |
Step 3 is the one that pays for itself. It is the mirror of the caution attached to the verification step at the start of the job — if somebody left a start control engaged during the try step, this is where you catch it, before power comes back rather than after.
Step 4's note is a genuine trap for the unwary: some blocks and pins are under load and cannot be removed until hydraulic or pneumatic power is available to lift the member off them. That is a deliberate, planned reenergization with everyone clear, not an afterthought — and it belongs written on the procedure.
6 The last notification
1910.147(c)(9) requires notification of affected employees both before the controls are applied and after they are removed. Step 5 of Appendix A and 1910.147(e)(2)(ii) are the second half of that obligation, and the wording of (e)(2)(ii) is precise: affected employees shall be notified after the devices have been removed and before the machine is started.
There is a real gap between those two moments, and people fill it by walking away. An operator who comes back from break to a machine with no locks on it and no idea it was worked on will start it — and the technician who is still packing tools at the back of the line is the one who finds out.
A good habit closes the loop out loud: locks off, controls in neutral, tell the operator and the line lead the machine is back, then walk away. Ten seconds, and it is the last requirement of the standard for that job.
- Before any device is removed: inspect for nonessential items and confirm components are operationally intact (1910.147(e)(1)), and check that all employees are safely positioned or removed (1910.147(e)(2)(i)).
- "Operationally intact" includes the guards — a machine returned without them is back in production in a state 1910.212(a)(1) does not allow.
- Each device is removed by the employee who applied it (1910.147(e)(3)). The exception requires a documented, trained procedure with three elements: verify the person is not at the facility, make all reasonable efforts to contact them, and ensure they know before resuming work.
- For electrical work, 1910.333(b)(2)(v) adds verification that tools, jumpers, shorts and grounds have been removed, a warning to exposed employees, and a visual determination that everyone is clear.
- Appendix A's restoring sequence includes verifying the controls are in neutral before reenergizing, and warns that removing some blocking may require reenergizing first.
- Affected employees must be notified after the devices are removed and before the machine is started (1910.147(e)(2)(ii), (c)(9)).
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