Lockout Tagout Procedure: Free LOTO Template for Small Businesses

By Nicole Hullihen, former SaaS Chief Operating Officer and Microsoft MVP · Updated October 25, 2026

Machines that start up unexpectedly during cleaning, repair or jam clearing cause serious injuries. Lockout tagout, often called LOTO, is the process of shutting equipment down, isolating its energy and locking it out so nobody can turn it back on while someone is working on it.

This guide includes a free LOTO procedure template and explains what OSHA's standard requires, how to write machine-specific procedures, the steps to lock out and release equipment, training and annual inspections.

Note: This is general information, not legal or safety engineering advice. Read the OSHA standard, follow the equipment manufacturer's instructions and check your state's rules if your state runs its own OSHA-approved plan.

What Is Lockout Tagout?

OSHA's standard for the control of hazardous energy, 29 CFR 1910.147, covers the servicing and maintenance of machines and equipment where unexpected energization, startup or release of stored energy could injure employees. Lockout means placing a lock on an energy-isolating device, such as a disconnect switch or valve. Tagout means placing a warning tag on it. Locks physically prevent startup; tags only warn.

What OSHA Requires

Under 1910.147, employers covered by the standard must establish a program consisting of energy control procedures, employee training and periodic inspections. The key requirements include:

• Written procedures: procedures must be developed, documented and used for controlling hazardous energy. A narrow exception exists for certain simple equipment that meets specific conditions in the standard.
• Locks and tags: devices must be durable, standardized, substantial and identifiable, showing who applied them.
• Training: employees must understand the program and their role in it.
• Periodic inspection: each procedure must be inspected at least annually.

The standard does not apply to work on cord-and-plug equipment when unplugging it controls the hazard and the plug stays under the exclusive control of the employee doing the work.

Free Lockout Tagout Procedure Template

Shutdown and Lockout Steps

1. Notify affected employees that the equipment will be locked out and why.
2. Shut down the equipment using its normal stopping procedure.
3. Operate each energy-isolating device listed above.
4. Apply your personal lock and tag to each isolating device.
5. Release or restrain stored energy: bleed lines, block parts, discharge capacitors, let parts cool.
6. Verify isolation: confirm no one is exposed, try the normal start controls, test with a meter where appropriate, then return controls to off.

Release From Lockout

1. Remove tools and materials and confirm the equipment is intact.
2. Make sure all employees are clear.
3. Notify affected employees that locks are being removed.
4. Each employee removes their own lock and tag.
5. Restore energy and test the equipment.

Authorized by: __________  |  Signature: __________  |  Date: ______

Adapt the steps to the equipment and follow the manufacturer's instructions. The standard also sets rules for group lockout, shift changes and removing a lock when the employee who applied it isn't available.

The Lockout Sequence

The OSHA standard lists the order for applying energy controls:

Authorized, Affected and Other Employees

Keep training records. See the employee training log.

Locks, Tags and Devices

• Use locks only for energy control, not for toolboxes or lockers.
• Give each authorized employee their own locks, with one key.
• Use standardized colors, shapes or sizes so LOTO locks are easy to recognize.
• Make sure tags show who applied them.
• Stock valve covers, breaker lockouts, plug lockouts and multi-lock hasps for group work.

Tags alone give no physical protection. If equipment can be locked out, locking it is generally the stronger choice.

Annual Procedure Inspections

OSHA requires a periodic inspection of each energy control procedure at least annually. It must be done by an authorized employee other than the ones using the procedure being inspected. The inspection confirms the procedure is being followed and still fits the equipment.

Where Small Businesses Use LOTO

Example: A Small Food Plant

A small bakery cleaned its mixers by turning them off at the switch. One day a coworker turned a mixer on while a cleaner's hand was still inside the bowl area; luckily it stopped in time. The owner wrote a one-page procedure for each mixer, bought individual locks for the cleaning crew, trained everyone and added LOTO to the cleaning checklist. Inspections each year confirmed the steps were followed.

Common LOTO Mistakes

• Turning off a switch instead of isolating energy.
• Forgetting stored energy like pressure, springs or gravity.
• Skipping verification.
• Shared locks or locks without names.
• Generic procedures that don't match the machine.
• No annual inspection.
• Untrained affected employees restarting equipment.

LOTO Program Checklist

Building Your Equipment List

Start your program by listing equipment that is serviced, cleaned, adjusted or unjammed. For each one, note every energy source and where it is isolated.

Walk the equipment with the people who maintain it. They often know about energy sources that aren't obvious, like a second power feed, a backup battery or an air tank.

Stored Energy Checklist

• Springs under tension or compression.
• Raised parts that could fall.
• Pressure in hydraulic or air lines.
• Capacitors that hold an electrical charge.
• Flywheels or parts still moving after shutdown.
• Hot surfaces or liquids.

Stored energy is one of the most common reasons lockouts fail. Each procedure should say exactly how stored energy is released or restrained.

Group Lockout

When several people work on the same equipment, each should be protected by their own lock. A common method is a group lockout box or a multi-lock hasp: the isolating device is locked, the key goes in a box and each worker adds their own lock to the box or hasp. Equipment can't be restarted until every worker removes their lock. The OSHA standard includes specific requirements for group lockout and for shift or personnel changes, so review them before setting up group procedures.

Contractors and Outside Service Technicians

When an outside contractor services your equipment, you and the contractor need to share information about each other's energy control procedures, and your employees need to understand and follow the contractor's restrictions. Talk about lockout before the work starts, not after. See the certificate of insurance tracking log for managing vendor paperwork.

Minor Servicing and Jam Clearing

Many injuries happen during quick tasks like clearing a jam or wiping a blade, when people skip lockout because it "only takes a second." The standard has a limited exception for minor tool changes and adjustments that are routine, repetitive and integral to production, but only if other effective protection is used. If you're not sure whether a task qualifies, treat it as servicing and lock it out.

LOTO Training Topics

Retrain when job assignments, equipment or procedures change, or when inspections show employees aren't following the procedure.

Writing a Procedure Employees Will Use

• Keep it to one or two pages per machine.
• Use photos of each isolation point, labeled with numbers.
• Label isolation points on the equipment to match the procedure.
• Use plain language and short steps.
• Post the procedure on or near the equipment.

Procedures that are easy to follow are far more likely to be used every time. Have an authorized employee walk through the draft procedure on the actual machine before finalizing it.

Removing Someone Else's Lock

Normally, each lock is removed only by the employee who applied it. The standard allows an exception when that employee isn't available, but only under specific procedures that include verifying the employee isn't at the facility, making reasonable efforts to contact them and making sure they know before returning to work. Write this procedure in advance so supervisors don't improvise.

LOTO Records to Keep

Keep records organized and easy to find in case of an inspection or incident.

Starting a LOTO Program in a Small Business

1. List all equipment that is serviced, cleaned or unjammed.
2. Identify energy sources and isolation points for each.
3. Write one procedure per machine, starting with the highest-risk equipment.
4. Buy locks, tags and devices.
5. Train employees by group.
6. Put the procedures into use and watch the first lockouts.
7. Schedule annual inspections.

Small businesses don't need to do everything in one day. Start with the equipment most likely to hurt someone and work through the list.

Annual Inspection Tips

The annual inspection is a good chance to improve procedures, not just check a box. Watch an authorized employee perform the lockout on the actual equipment. Ask them to explain each step. Look for steps that are skipped, unclear or outdated because equipment changed. Update the procedure and retrain if needed, then record the inspection with the equipment, date, employees involved and inspector.

LOTO and Your Safety Culture

A lockout program works only if people use it every time, even when they're in a hurry. Leaders set the tone: managers should never pressure workers to skip lockout to save time, and they should follow the procedure themselves. Recognize employees who speak up when a step is skipped. See how to start a workplace safety committee.

Equipment Changes

When you buy new equipment, move a machine or change its power or air supply, update the procedure before the equipment is serviced. New equipment manuals often include lockout information that can help you write the procedure.

Lockout tagout takes a few extra minutes, and those minutes protect the people who keep your equipment running. Write clear procedures, give people their own locks, train everyone who works near the equipment and check every year that the procedures are still followed.

Lockout Station Setup

A lockout station keeps locks, tags, hasps, valve covers and breaker lockouts in one visible place near the equipment. Label each lock with the employee's name, keep a list of lock assignments and restock devices after use. When everything needed is close by, employees are far less tempted to skip steps.

If you're unsure whether a task or piece of equipment is covered, read the standard, ask your equipment supplier or contact OSHA's free On-Site Consultation Program for small businesses, which is separate from enforcement.

Keep Safety Procedures Organized With Updoot

Updoot's SOP management stores machine-specific procedures where crews can find them, and asset tracking keeps equipment records together. See also the equipment maintenance log.

Sources

• eCFR: 29 CFR 1910.147, The Control of Hazardous Energy (Lockout/Tagout)
• OSHA: On-Site Consultation Program

Frequently Asked Questions