This free lockout/tagout checklist takes one machine or job through its energy control procedure in the order set by OSHA’s hazardous energy standard, 29 CFR 1910.147: prepare and notify, shut down, isolate, lock and tag, release stored energy, verify, work, then release and restore. Group lockouts, contractors and the annual periodic inspection appear only when the job needs them. It is written for maintenance technicians, supervisors and EHS leads in US and UK plants.
Under 1910.147(c)(1), an energy control programme has three parts: written procedures, training and periodic inspections. Paragraph (c)(4)(ii) says each procedure must state its intended use, the steps for shutting down, isolating and securing the equipment, the steps for placing, removing and transferring locks and tags, and how to test that the controls work. This checklist applies that procedure on the day and records that it was followed.
The standard sorts people into three groups, each trained differently under (c)(7)(i). Under (c)(8), only the authorised employees doing the servicing apply locks.
Who: the technician or fitter who services the machine and applies their own lock.
Trained in: recognising the energy sources, their type and magnitude, and how to isolate and control them.
Owns: the isolation, the try-out and removing their own lock.
Who: the operator, and anyone whose job puts them in the area while servicing happens.
Trained in: the purpose and use of the energy control procedure.
Must be told: before locks go on and after they come off, under (c)(9).
Who: forklift drivers, cleaners and quality staff working nearby.
Trained in: what the procedure is, and that they must never try to restart locked-out equipment.
Sees: locks and tags that name the person who applied them.
The standard covers servicing and maintenance, including clearing jams and cleaning, but not minor tool changes that are routine, repetitive and integral to production and done with other effective protection. It excludes cord-and-plug equipment that is unplugged with the plug under the exclusive control of the person working on it. Exposure to electrical hazards from work on conductors and equipment in electric-utilization installations falls under Subpart S, where 1910.333(b)(2) sets its own lockout and tagging rules. Lockout/tagout is third on OSHA’s preliminary list of most cited standards for fiscal year 2026 (1 October 2025 to 31 August 2026).
Seven phases follow the application sequence in 1910.147(d), the release steps in (e) and the extra requirements in (f). Group lockout, contractor and periodic inspection tasks appear only when they apply. Work cannot start until the area supervisor approves the verified isolation.
Owned by the lead authorised employee. Scope questions: lockout type (Individual / Group), are outside contractors working on the equipment (Yes/No), is this run also the annual periodic inspection (Yes/No). The contractor task is shown only when contractors is Yes.
Assigned to the lead authorised employee. The isolation table in the last task is what Phase 4 checks against.
The last two tasks are shown only when lockout type is Group. The primary authorised employee for a group lockout is the lead authorised employee named in Phase 1.
The try-out is done by the authorised employee. The start-work approval is assigned from the area supervisor field, and the checklist halts until it is Approved.
Assigned to the lead authorised employee. Mark the test-or-position and shift-change tasks not applicable if they do not happen.
Assigned to the lead authorised employee. Locks come off only after the machine and the area have been checked.
Shown only when “Is this run also the annual periodic inspection?” is Yes. Owned by the periodic inspector named in the first task. The EHS lead approves the certification, and the checklist halts until it is Approved.
The dangerous source is usually the one nobody listed: the second feed, the accumulator or the part that drops when a cylinder bleeds down. Use the table to check each written procedure names every source. Your procedure decides the actual points and methods.
| Energy | Typical isolation point | Stored energy to release | How to verify |
|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical | Lockable disconnect or circuit breaker; plug under the worker’s control | Capacitors, batteries, UPS units and backfeed from other circuits | Try the start controls, then test for absence of voltage with a proved tester |
| Hydraulic | Pump motor isolator and lockable line valves | Accumulators and trapped pressure in cylinders and hoses | Gauges at zero after bleeding; actuator does not move when the valve is operated |
| Pneumatic | Lockable dump valve or quarter-turn ball valve on the supply | Air receivers and trapped air in cylinders and lines | Exhaust open and gauges at zero; cylinders do not move |
| Mechanical | Drive isolation plus blocks or pins on moving parts | Springs under tension, flywheels and parts still coasting | Wait for rundown, check springs are relaxed and parts are blocked |
| Gravity | Mechanical blocks, safety props or pins | Raised rams, platens, forks and loads | The part is resting on the block, not held by a cylinder or brake |
| Thermal | Heater and steam supply isolation | Hot surfaces, steam, hot fluids | Measured surface or fluid temperature is safe to touch or open |
| Chemical and process fluids | Blanks, spades or double block and bleed on the lines | Line contents and pressure behind valves | Drained and vented; bleed point shows no flow |
In the UK, regulation 19 of the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 requires suitable means, where appropriate, to isolate work equipment from all its energy sources, clearly identifiable and readily accessible, and measures so that reconnecting a source puts nobody at risk. The Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 require means of cutting off and isolating the supply (regulation 12) and precautions so that equipment made dead cannot become charged during the work (regulation 13). For process plant, HSE’s HSG253, The safe isolation of plant and equipment, sets baseline standards for isolating lines that carry hazardous substances. Check the current text of each.
A one-person lockout on a conveyor shows the core sequence. Choose Group and the lockbox tasks appear; add a contractor and the procedure exchange appears. The inspection phase appears once a year, on the run you choose.
The start-work approval halts the checklist until the area supervisor has checked that every isolation point in the table was locked, released and proved dead.
The audit trail shows who did each step and when, and photos of locks or gauge readings can be uploaded on the task. A recurring schedule starts each machine’s annual inspection before the twelve months run out.
CheckFlow is not a CMMS or an electronic permit-to-work system, and it does not hold your locks or keys. It runs the human steps around them, so every lockout follows the written procedure in the same order. See how CheckFlow’s manufacturing checklist software handles maintenance routines, quality checks and safety work on the shop floor.
This template applies one procedure to one job. For a walk-round of the whole facility, from guarding and PPE to stocked lockout stations, use the Safety Inspection Process for a Manufacturing Facility. Planned work that needs a lockout usually starts in the Equipment Maintenance Workflow.
OSHA’s 1910.147(d) sets the order: know the type and magnitude of the energy, shut the machine down, isolate every energy source, apply locks or tags, release or restrain stored energy, and verify isolation before work starts. Release under (e) checks the machine and the area, confirms everyone is clear, has each person remove their own lock and tells affected employees.
At least annually, under 1910.147(c)(6). The inspector must be an authorised employee other than the ones using the procedure being inspected, must correct any deviations found, and must review each authorised employee’s responsibilities with them, and affected employees’ too where tagout is used. The employer certifies the inspection, naming the machine, the date, the employees included and the inspector.
When the isolating device cannot take a lock. If it can, 1910.147(c)(2) requires lockout unless the employer can show tagout gives full employee protection, which means attaching the tag where the lock would go and adding measures such as removing a circuit element or a valve handle. Since 2 January 1990, new machines, and machines that are replaced or undergo a major repair, renovation or modification, must have isolating devices designed to accept a lock.
Normally nobody: each device is removed by the employee who applied it. The exception in 1910.147(e)(3) allows removal under the employer’s direction only through a documented procedure, with training, that verifies the person is not at the facility, makes all reasonable efforts to contact them, and ensures they know before they resume work.
Not under that name. PUWER 1998 regulation 19 requires means of isolating work equipment from its energy sources, and regulations 12 and 13 of the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 cover electrical isolation and work on equipment made dead. They set duties rather than a fixed sequence, so UK procedures often follow much the same steps as the OSHA sequence.
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