Machine-specific procedures
Clear steps for shutdown, isolation, lock or tag placement, stored-energy control, verification, and safe return to service.
Control of Hazardous Energy
Lockout/Tagout (LOTO)
A practical guide to safer servicing, stronger procedures, and a lockout/tagout program your team can use with confidence.
LOTO protects employees from the unexpected startup of equipment and the release of hazardous energy during service and maintenance. Provenio helps employers turn that responsibility into clear, machine-specific procedures, effective training, and a manageable system.
LOTO Explained
What is lockout/tagout?
Lockout/tagout is a system for preventing hazardous energy from reaching a machine while service or maintenance is performed.
Under OSHA’s Control of Hazardous Energy standard, 29 CFR 1910.147, employers must establish an energy control program when unexpected energization, startup, or release of stored energy could injure an employee performing covered servicing or maintenance.
Lockout physically secures an energy-isolating device in a safe or off position. Tagout places a prominent warning on the isolating device, but a tag does not create the physical restraint of a lock. If an isolating device can be locked out, OSHA generally requires lockout unless the employer can demonstrate full employee protection with tagout.
Important: Turning off a control panel, pressing an emergency stop, or unplugging equipment is not automatically a complete LOTO procedure. The procedure must address every applicable energy source, stored energy, and verification of isolation.
Application of Energy Control
The six-step lockout/tagout procedure
OSHA defines a sequence for applying energy control before service or maintenance begins. Your written procedure should translate that sequence to the exact machine, energy sources, and isolating devices involved.
- 01
Prepare
Identify every hazardous energy source, its magnitude, the hazards involved, and the correct method of control.
- 02
Shut down
Stop the machine with its normal controls using an orderly shutdown that does not create additional hazards.
- 03
Isolate
Locate and operate each energy-isolating device needed to separate the equipment from its energy sources.
- 04
Apply locks or tags
Authorized employees attach lockout or tagout devices to the appropriate energy-isolating devices.
- 05
Control stored energy
Relieve, disconnect, restrain, block, or otherwise make residual and stored energy safe.
- 06
Verify isolation
Before work starts, confirm the equipment is isolated and deenergized using the procedure established for that machine.
This overview summarizes the application sequence in 29 CFR 1910.147(d). It is educational information, not a substitute for a workplace-specific procedure or a complete review of applicable standards.
Energy Control Program
What an effective LOTO program includes
A binder alone is not a program. The written policy, equipment procedures, training, devices, inspections, and day-to-day work practices need to operate as one system.
Role-based employee training
Training matched to authorized employees, affected employees, and other employees who may work near locked-out equipment. Provenio delivers the lockout/tagout training for every role.
Periodic inspections
A documented review of each energy control procedure at least annually, with deficiencies corrected when found. Provenio can support your annual LOTO inspections.
Durable LOTO devices
Standardized, identifiable locks, tags, hasps, and other hardware selected for the equipment and work environment.
Training By Responsibility
Who needs lockout/tagout training?
- Authorized employees
- Apply locks or tags and need to recognize hazardous energy sources, understand the energy present, and know the methods required for isolation and control.
- Affected employees
- Operate the equipment or work where servicing occurs and need instruction on the purpose and use of the energy control procedure.
- Other employees
- May work where LOTO is used and need to understand the procedure and the prohibition against restarting locked- or tagged-out equipment.
A More Manageable LOTO System
LOTO software that keeps procedures current
Provenio pairs hands-on lockout/tagout consulting with TEGIS Safety, a refreshingly straightforward platform for organizing digital LOTO procedures and records.
Instead of chasing paper binders or wondering which revision is current, your team can work from a centralized system designed around real energy-control tasks. Provenio helps connect the technology to the equipment, people, and processes in your facility.
- Organize machine-specific LOTO procedures
- Give teams clearer access to current information
- Support consistent procedure reviews and updates
- Maintain a more useful trail of program activity
- Scale across equipment, departments, and facilities
Technology supports the program; it does not replace it. Effective hazardous energy control still depends on accurate field information, suitable hardware, trained employees, correct execution, and employer oversight.
Common Questions
Lockout/tagout FAQ
Quick answers to common questions about LOTO programs, procedures, training, and software.
What does LOTO stand for?
LOTO stands for lockout/tagout. It describes the practices used to isolate hazardous energy and prevent unexpected startup, energization, or release of stored energy while employees service or maintain machines and equipment.
What is the difference between lockout and tagout?
A lockout device physically holds an energy-isolating device in a safe or off position. A tagout device is a warning and does not provide the same physical restraint. When an energy-isolating device can be locked out, OSHA generally requires lockout unless the employer can demonstrate that tagout provides full employee protection.
What types of hazardous energy can require lockout/tagout?
Hazardous energy may be electrical, mechanical, hydraulic, pneumatic, chemical, thermal, gravitational, or stored energy such as pressure, charged capacitors, elevated parts, or compressed springs.
Who is an authorized employee under LOTO?
An authorized employee is a person who locks or tags out machines or equipment to perform servicing or maintenance. Affected employees operate the equipment or work in an area where the servicing occurs. Training requirements differ by role.
How often must LOTO procedures be inspected?
Under OSHA 29 CFR 1910.147, employers must conduct a periodic inspection of each energy control procedure at least annually. The inspection must be performed by an authorized employee other than the employee or employees using the procedure being inspected.
Can software replace a lockout/tagout program?
No. Software can organize procedures, records, inspections, and access to current information, but it does not replace employer responsibilities, employee training, energy-isolating devices, physical LOTO hardware, or correct field execution.
Make LOTO easier to follow and maintain
Tell us where your program stands today. Provenio can help with LOTO program review and development, machine-specific procedures, employee training, periodic inspections, and practical digital LOTO management.