How to Write a Lockout/Tagout Procedure (Step-by-Step)
A lockout/tagout procedure is only as good as its weakest detail. OSHA Appendix A to 1910.147 lays out what each machine-specific procedure must contain, and the difference between a procedure that passes an audit and one that fails usually comes down to specificity: exact disconnect names, exact valve numbers, exact verification actions.
This guide walks through the eight steps to write a procedure that protects workers and holds up under inspection.
Step 1: Document the equipment
Start with the basics: equipment name, model, location, and the area or room it sits in. Use the same naming your maintenance team uses on the floor so the procedure is easy to find when someone needs it. One procedure covers one machine or process — resist the urge to write "several similar conveyors" into one document.
Step 2: Identify every energy source
Walk the machine and list every form of hazardous energy: electrical, mechanical, hydraulic, pneumatic, chemical, thermal, and gravity or stored mechanical energy. Record the magnitude and hazard of each — 480V three-phase, 150 PSI air, 300°F steam, a raised 800 kg counterweight. Missing stored energy (accumulators, springs, capacitors, suspended loads) is one of the most common and dangerous procedure gaps.
Step 3: Identify isolation points and devices
For each energy source, identify the exact point where it can be isolated: the panel and breaker number, the disconnect switch tag, the valve tag, the blank flange location. Specify the lockout device used at each point — breaker lock, hasp, valve clamp, plug lock. The worker should never have to guess which switch is which.
Step 4: Write the sequence in order
Write the shutdown, isolation, lock-and-tag, and verification steps as a numbered sequence in the exact order performed: notify affected employees, shut down normally, isolate each source, apply devices, release stored energy, verify zero energy. Each step should be an instruction, not a suggestion — "Lock out 480V disconnect at Panel P3, position 2" beats "disconnect power."
Step 5: Address stored and residual energy
After isolation, the machine can still hurt someone. Add explicit steps to vent pneumatic pressure, discharge hydraulic accumulators, block or lower suspended parts, release spring tension, allow hot surfaces to cool, and dissipate capacitor charge. Include the verification method for each.
Step 6: Add photos and diagrams
A photo of the exact disconnect or valve removes ambiguity that text alone cannot. Photograph isolation points from the perspective of the worker standing at the machine, and annotate breaker and valve numbers. Procedures with photos are dramatically faster to follow under time pressure.
Step 7: Review with the people who use it
Have the authorized employees who service that machine walk the procedure at the equipment. They will catch wrong breaker numbers, missing actuators, and unrealistic steps. Their review is also required by the standard — the annual inspection must involve the employees who use the procedure.
Step 8: Publish, deploy, and keep current
A procedure in a binder in an office is not available at the point of work. Publish the procedure where technicians can reach it — printed at the machine, in a PDF, or better, behind a QR code attached to the equipment. Update the procedure whenever the machine, its energy sources, or its isolation points change, and review it at least annually.
Key takeaways
- Be machine-specific: exact panel, breaker, valve, and device names.
- Never skip stored energy release or the try-start verification.
- Photos of isolation points eliminate dangerous guesswork.
- Deploy the procedure at the point of work and keep it current.
Frequently asked questions
What must every lockout/tagout procedure include?
Per OSHA 1910.147 Appendix A: the intended use of the procedure, specific procedural steps for shutting down and isolating the machine, the equipment and lockout devices to be used, the sequence for releasing stored energy, and the requirements for testing and verification of isolation.
Can I use one generic procedure for all machines?
Only when each machine has a single energy source, a single isolation point that fully de-energizes it, and no stored energy. Anything with multiple sources, accumulators, or gravity hazards needs its own machine-specific procedure.
How often should a lockout/tagout procedure be updated?
Whenever the equipment or its energy sources change, after an audit finds a deviation, and at minimum once per year through the required periodic inspection.
Who should author the procedures?
A collaboration: safety or engineering staff structure the document, but the authorized employees who actually service the machine must verify the steps at the equipment. Procedures written without floor input routinely contain wrong isolation points.
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