What is lockout-tagout (LOTO)?

Physically isolating energy sources so a machine can't start while it's being worked on.

LOTO is the procedure for isolating hazardous energy — electrical, hydraulic, pneumatic, stored — with a physical lock and a tag naming who locked it. Each worker applies their own lock; the equipment can't re-energise until every lock comes off.

LOTO steps belong inside the job plan and work order: which isolations, in what order, verified how. It's the difference between a repair and a fatality on stored-energy machines.

• How it's used