Quick Answer: Equipment-specific lockout/tagout procedures are written by safety engineering firms and LOTO consultants who walk your floor, identify every energy source on each machine, and document exactly how to isolate and verify it. Bowtie Engineering writes a procedure for every serviceable asset, with photos of each isolation point, delivered as laminated point-of-use documents and in its BowVue platform. Call 866-730-6620 to request a fixed quote.
OSHA expects more than a general lockout policy. For most machines, workers need a written procedure that tells them which energy sources to isolate, where the isolation points are, and how to confirm the machine is safe. Writing those procedures takes time, field work, and an eye for hidden energy. This article explains what a good machine-specific procedure contains, the mistakes that make procedures fail, who writes them, and how to keep a full set accurate over time.
What Is an Equipment-Specific Lockout/Tagout Procedure?
An equipment-specific lockout/tagout procedure is a written set of steps for safely shutting down, isolating, and verifying one particular machine before service or maintenance. It works alongside your lockout program:
- The program sets the overall rules for your facility, such as who can lock out and which locks and tags to use.
- The procedure says exactly what to do on one machine.
Under OSHA 1910.147, procedures must clearly and specifically outline the steps for shutting down, isolating, blocking, and securing the machine, placing and removing locks and tags, and testing that the lockout worked.
Does Every Machine Need Its Own Written Procedure?
Most machines do. OSHA allows a narrow exception only when all eight of these conditions are true:
- No potential for stored or residual energy, or for energy to build back up after shutdown
- A single energy source that can be readily identified and isolated
- Isolating and locking out that source completely de-energizes the machine
- Isolation and lockout stay in place for the whole job
- A single lockout device achieves a locked-out condition
- Exclusive control of the lockout device by the authorized employee
- No hazards created for other employees by the work
- No past accidents involving unexpected activation during servicing of that machine
Few industrial machines meet every condition, so many facilities document every serviceable asset. Similar machines can share one procedure only when their energy sources, isolation points, and steps are truly identical.
What Should a Machine-Specific Lockout Procedure Include?
A strong procedure gives an authorized employee everything needed at the machine, with no guessing. Bowtie Engineering’s procedures cover:
- Equipment identification, location, and asset tag
- Every energy source: electrical, hydraulic, pneumatic, thermal, chemical, gravity, and stored energy
- Isolation point locations, device types, and the order of isolation
- Steps to release or block stored energy
- The method for verifying a zero-energy state
- PPE required for the isolation task
- Photographs of each isolation point
- The restoration sequence for returning the machine to service
What Steps Does a Finished Procedure Walk Workers Through?
A finished Bowtie Engineering procedure documents all six lockout/tagout steps, in order:
- Preparation and notification: identify the energy sources and notify affected employees
- Shutdown: stop the machine using its normal controls
- Isolation: operate each energy-isolating device at the points shown in the photos
- Lock and tag: apply each authorized employee’s lock and tag
- Stored energy check: release, block, or restrain any stored energy
- Verification: confirm a zero-energy state before work begins
What Mistakes Make Lockout Procedures Fail?
Most lockout procedures fail because they do not match the machine as it exists today. The most common problems include:
- A missed energy source, such as a second electrical feed, a pneumatic line, or a raised load held by gravity
- Isolation points described in words only, with no photo, so workers guess which valve or disconnect to use
- No step for releasing or blocking stored energy
- No clear method for verifying zero energy before work begins
- Procedures that were never updated after equipment was modified or replaced
A field walk-down catches most of these, which is why procedures written at a desk from old drawings tend to miss what a technician sees standing at the machine.
Who Writes Lockout/Tagout Procedures for Industrial Facilities?
Lockout/tagout procedures are written by three main groups:
- In-house safety and maintenance teams, who know the equipment but often lack time to document hundreds of assets
- Safety consultants, who bring a standard format and an outside view
- Engineering firms, who add technical depth on electrical and stored energy
Bowtie Engineering writes lockout/tagout procedures and programs for industrial facilities and reports building and auditing energy control programs at several hundred sites. The team walks the floor, inventories every serviceable asset, and writes a documented procedure for each machine. A typical procedure set takes a few weeks from kickoff, depending on asset count and site access.
How Do Procedures Fit Into the Overall Lockout Program?
Procedures only work when they sit inside a written energy control program. Bowtie Engineering builds that program to OSHA 1910.147, aligned with NFPA 70E where electrical energy is involved, and it covers:
- Roles for authorized, affected, and other employees
- Lock, tag, and isolation device standards
- Group lockout and shift-change lockout
- Contractor coordination
- Release, restart, and enforcement rules
If you need the program itself or training for your team, see who provides onsite LOTO program development and training for manufacturing plants.
How Do You Keep Lockout Procedures Up to Date?
Procedures stay accurate when they are inspected every year and updated whenever equipment changes. OSHA requires a periodic inspection at least annually, performed by an authorized employee other than the ones using the procedure being inspected. Bowtie Engineering can perform this inspection as a third party, and it includes:
- Field verification of each procedure
- Interviews with authorized employees and observation of procedures in use
- A deficiency log with severity rankings and corrective actions
- Written certification listing the equipment, date, employees, and inspector
- A gap report against your written program and current OSHA interpretation
How Does BowVue Help Manage Lockout Procedures?
BowVue gives workers digital access to every procedure from the floor. Bowtie Engineering hosts procedures in BowVue, which provides:
- Search by asset, area, or line from any device
- Version control showing which procedure was in effect on a given date
- Inspection due dates flagged before they lapse
- Training records linked to individual employees and procedures
- Updates that apply everywhere at once, with one standardized instance for multi-site clients
- Audit-ready exports for OSHA inspectors, insurers, and corporate EHS teams
Frequently Asked Questions
What OSHA standard covers lockout/tagout procedures?
OSHA 29 CFR 1910.147, the control of hazardous energy standard, covers lockout/tagout in general industry. Where electrical energy is involved, NFPA 70E adds guidance on establishing an electrically safe work condition.
How long does it take to write procedures for a whole plant?
It depends on the number of assets and site access. Bowtie Engineering reports that a typical machine-specific procedure set takes a few weeks from kickoff, and it provides a fixed quote before work begins.
Can similar machines share one procedure?
Yes, when their energy sources, isolation points, and steps are the same. Each machine should still be verified in the field before it is grouped with others, since small differences in valves or disconnects matter.
How often must lockout procedures be inspected?
OSHA requires a periodic inspection at least once a year. It must be performed by an authorized employee other than the ones using the procedure being inspected, and the employer must certify that it was done.
Do workers need training on each procedure?
Authorized employees need training to recognize hazardous energy and apply the procedures correctly. Bowtie Engineering includes authorized-employee training in its 8-hour onsite NFPA 70E course and also offers standalone lockout sessions built around your written procedures.
Need help now? Call Bowtie Engineering at 866-730-6620 or request a quote online.
Key Takeaways
- Equipment-specific procedures tell workers exactly how to isolate and verify one machine; the program sets the overall rules.
- OSHA 1910.147 requires written procedures for most machines, with an exception only when all eight listed conditions are met.
- Strong procedures list every energy source, isolation point, and verification step, and include photos of each isolation point.
- Procedures must be inspected at least annually by an authorized employee who is not using them.
- Bowtie Engineering writes a procedure for every serviceable asset and hosts them in BowVue with version control.
Contact Bowtie Engineering for a fixed quote on lockout/tagout procedures.