If your company has employees who service or maintain machines that could potentially cause an injury then most likely the regulations surrounding lockout tagout apply to you.

Any time someone must construct, install, set up, adjust, inspect, modify, maintain, or service a machine or piece of equipment you must have a procedure in place to do it safely.

Even tasks like lubricating, cleaning, unjamming, or changing the attachments must follow the proper lockout procedure.

Essentially, if your people work in or on machines that could smash, cut, shock, trap, burn, or injure in any other way an employee you are better off having a lockout tagout program in place.

There are a few cases that it does not apply to, such as routine servicing that is required in normal production use of the machinery.

CFR 1910.147 does not apply to agriculture, construction, and maritime industries or oil and gas well drilling and service. However, other standards do apply.

• Servicing and maintenance of equipment performed during normal production operations if: the safeguarding provisions of Subpart O, and other applicable general industry standards are effective in preventing worker exposure to hazards created by the unexpected energization or startup of machines or equipment, or the release of energy.
• Minor tool changes and adjustments, and other minor servicing activities that take place during normal production operations which are routine, repetitive, and integral to the use of that production equipment, as long as workers are effectively protected by alternative measures which provide effective machine safeguarding protection (See Subpart O).
• Construction, agriculture, and maritime workers.
• Installations under the exclusive control of electric utilities for power generation, transmission, and distribution.
• Exposure to electrical hazards from work on, near, or with conductors or equipment in electric utilization installations.
• Oil and gas well drilling and servicing.
• Work on cord and plug connected electrical equipment, if: the equipment is unplugged from the energy source and the authorized employee has exclusive control of the plug.
• Hot tap operations that involve transmission and distribution systems for gas, steam, water, or petroleum products on pressurized pipelines, if: continuity of service is essential, shutdown of the system is impractical, documented procedures are followed, and employees are effectively protected by special equipment.

2940.13. Hazardous Energy Control Procedures.

OSHA Standards

There are 28 OSHA-approved State Plans, operating state-wide occupational safety and health programs. State Plans are required to have standards and enforcement programs that are at least as effective as OSHA’s and may have different or more stringent requirements.

Other State Standards and Guidance

• Lockout/Tagout (LOTO) (Control of Hazardous Energy). Washington State Department of Labor & Industries. Landing page for LOTO resources.
• Lockout/Tagout – Oregon OSHA’s guide to controlling hazardous energy. Oregon OSHA Publication 440-3326 (May 2015). This guide is based on the requirements in Oregon OSHA’s standard for hazardous energy control – Subdivision 2/J, 1910.147. Lockout and tagout are the primary methods of controlling hazardous energy.
• Sample Written Program for Control of Hazardous Energy (Lockout/Tagout). Texas Department of Insurance. Sample lockout/tagout program provided as a guide to assist employers and employees in complying with the requirements of 29 CFR 1910.147, as well as to provide other helpful information. It is not intended to supersede the requirements of the standard.
• Control of Hazardous Energy (Lockout/Tagout) — 29 CFR 1910.147 – Sample Program. Maine Department of Labor. Sample hazardous energy control program provided by SafetyWorks! as a guide to help employers implement OSHA’s Control of Hazardous Energy (Lockout/Tagout) standard (29 CFR 1910.147) in their workplace.

Additional Directives

Note: The directives in this list provide additional information that is not necessarily connected to a specific OSHA standard highlighted on this Safety and Health Topics page.

• Electrical Safety-Related Work Practices — Inspection Procedures and Interpretation Guidelines. STD 01-16-007, (July 01, 1991).

National Consensus Standards and Recommendations from other Professional Organizations

American National Standards Institute (ANSI)

• Z244.1, Control of Hazardous Energy – Lockout/Tagout and Alternative Methods, (November 10, 2004). Note: Compliance with the requirements of this consensus standard does not ensure compliance with the OSHA Lockout/Tagout Standard. For additional information, see Recognition of ANSI/ASSE Z244.1 “Control of Hazardous Energy — Lockout/Tagout and Alternative Methods” consensus standard.
• Z244 Committee Information. American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE).