OSHA's lockout/tagout standard spells out a specific 6-step sequence for de-energizing equipment — and a separate 3-step sequence for bringing it back online. Authorized vs. affected employees, group lockout, and machine-specific procedures.
“What is the final step in lockout/tagout” is a common quiz question, and
the honest answer depends on which of two separate sequences you mean:
the sequence for shutting a machine down, or the sequence for bringing it
back up. Confusing the two is the most common way this specific question
gets answered wrong.
OSHA’s own Lockout/Tagout standard, 29 CFR 1910.147, and its
companion publication lay out this sequence for shutting equipment down
before service or maintenance:
| Step | What happens |
|---|---|
| 1 | Prepare for shutdown |
| 2 | Shut down the machine |
| 3 | Disconnect or isolate the energy source(s) |
| 4 | Apply the lockout/tagout device(s) |
| 5 | Release, restrain, or render safe any stored or residual energy |
| 6 | Verify the isolation and de-energization (the “try-out”) |
Step 6 — verifying the machine is actually de-energized, not just
assuming it is because the lock is on — is OSHA’s own final numbered step
in this sequence, and it’s the most defensible answer to “what is the
final step in lockout/tagout” if the question is about shutting a machine
down before service.
Bringing equipment back into service after maintenance follows a
different sequence entirely, covered under 1910.147(e):
Only after those three steps does the equipment actually get
re-energized, and affected employees are notified beforehand. If a quiz
question is asking about this end-of-job sequence instead, the “final
step” is re-energizing itself, after device removal and notification.
A group lockout — multiple people servicing the same machine — adds a
layer most quiz questions skip entirely: each authorized employee applies
their own personal lock, often to a group lockbox that holds the actual
energy-isolating device, so the machine can’t be re-energized until every
single person has removed their own lock. Nobody’s safety depends on
someone else remembering they’re still in the machine.
An “authorized” employee is the one who actually performs the
lockout/tagout and the service or maintenance work. An “affected”
employee works on or near the machine but doesn’t perform the lockout
themselves — their job is to know the procedure is happening and stay
clear, not to apply or remove devices. Other employees who simply work in
the area get baseline instruction not to tamper with a lock or tag they
encounter, even if they don’t fall into either category above.
Lockout/tagout consistently ranks among OSHA’s most-cited standards
nationally — this isn’t a rarely-checked rule. Common citations trace
back to skipping the verification step, using a tag when a physical lock
was actually feasible and required, incomplete group lockout procedures
when multiple people are servicing one machine, and someone removing a
lock that wasn’t theirs to remove without following the specific
exception procedure.
A single generic LOTO poster covering “all equipment” is a common
shortcut that doesn’t actually meet the standard’s intent. Different
machines have different energy sources — electrical, pneumatic,
hydraulic, gravity, stored spring tension — and a procedure needs to
identify all of them for that specific machine, not just the obvious
electrical disconnect. A press with a raised ram that could drop under
gravity needs a blocking step a simple electrical panel doesn’t, and a
generic one-size-fits-all sheet routinely misses exactly that kind of
machine-specific hazard.
Lockout/tagout procedure training isn’t a standalone course in
SCMEP’s current catalog — it connects directly to our
OSHA training guide, which
covers the broader OSHA 10/30 landscape and South Carolina’s own state
OSHA plan. What we do offer is
safety culture and plant safety event programs. As
a NIST Manufacturing Extension Partnership affiliate
serving South Carolina manufacturers since 1989, our focus is
building the ongoing habits that keep a LOTO program actually followed,
not just documented.
If your plant needs to review or rebuild its lockout/tagout program,
you can browse the Safety training catalog or
email the training
team.
In the shutdown sequence before service, the final step is verifying the isolation and de-energization — actually confirming the equipment is safe, not just assuming it is once the lock is applied. A separate, later sequence covers safely removing the device and re-energizing after the work is done.
Per OSHA 1910.147: prepare for shutdown, shut down the machine, disconnect or isolate the energy source, apply the lockout/tagout device, release any stored or residual energy, then verify the isolation. Re-energizing after service follows a separate three-step sequence: inspect and clear the area, confirm employees are safe, then remove the device.
Normally only the same authorized employee who applied it. Removal by someone else requires a specific documented exception procedure under OSHA 1910.147(e).
An authorized employee performs the lockout/tagout and the actual service or maintenance work. An affected employee works on or near the equipment but doesn’t perform the lockout themselves — their responsibility is knowing the procedure is underway and staying clear.
