Lockout/tagout JHA template for US servicing work

A lockout/tagout (LOTO) JHA identifies the servicing task, all energy sources, the people exposed and the points at which work must stop until isolation is verified. It is not the equipment-specific energy-control procedure required by the applicable standard. The authorized employees must use the employer's actual shutdown, isolation, lock/tag, stored-energy, verification and restoration instructions for the named machine. A generic form cannot identify a hidden backfeed, trapped pressure or the right disconnect.

In US general industry, OSHA 29 CFR 1910.147 applies to covered servicing and maintenance where unexpected energization, startup or release of stored energy could injure employees. It requires an energy-control program with procedures, training and periodic inspections. It does not cover construction employment; construction circuit tagging has 1926.417, and exposed electrical parts in general industry also require the applicable 1910.333 practices. Check the task and State Plan before applying this worksheet. The existing Complys LOTO overview owns the broad legal explanation; this URL is a copyable task analysis.

Job identity and isolation boundary

No-work gate: affected workers must not enter the danger zone until authorized employees apply the correct energy-control procedure and verify that it is effective. Do not treat a stopped motor, emergency stop, control button or software status as an energy-isolating device. If a source cannot be identified or secured, hold the task and obtain the competent specialist's decision. Do not improvise a tag-only route where the standard requires lockout or full equivalent protection.

Fillable JHA task steps

Record Pass / Action / Hold with actual evidence and the person who accepts the control. This is a coordination record; it does not replace the procedural sequence in 1910.147(d).

For complex, group, multi-employer or shift-continuing work, the procedure must address who controls each lock and how protection survives handover. A supervisor saying “everyone is clear” is not a substitute for the actual group-control process. Electrical maintenance may need separate absence-of-voltage verification and qualified-person controls under 1910.333; use N5-205's task worksheet only after that page is independently cleared.

Three common failure points

Isolating a control circuit instead of energy

An emergency stop, push button or selector switch can stop motion but may not isolate the energy source. The authorized employee must identify the actual energy-isolating device and follow the equipment-specific procedure. Check for backup supplies, capacitors, compressed air, hydraulic accumulators, springs and gravity. A single-line or pneumatic diagram may be outdated; verify in the field with the competent person.

Treating tags as locks

1910.147(c)(2) distinguishes devices capable of lockout from those that are not; tagout where lockout is possible requires demonstration of full employee protection under the standard's conditions. A bright tag is a warning, not a physical restraint. The JHA should point to the approved program's selection and extra measures, not invent a company-wide exception.

Forgetting reaccumulation and handover

A line can be depressurized once and then refill; a suspended element can settle; a shift change can separate the worker from their personal protection. Record how stored energy is controlled and how work will be safely transferred. Stop if the procedure does not cover this configuration. 1910.147 has requirements for group lockout, shift/personnel change, outside personnel and removal of devices; the actual employer procedure must implement them.

Example: clearing a conveyor jam

The belt has stopped, but a worker must reach behind guarding. The supervisor does not treat the stopped status as isolation. The authorized employee identifies main electrical power, an automatic restart signal, pneumatic actuators and stored belt tension, then follows the machine-specific shutdown and isolation procedure. Affected operators are informed; energy is secured and verified; the jam is cleared without exposing others; guards and tools are checked before a controlled release. If the task changes from clearing to electrical testing, the crew stops and reassesses under the appropriate electrical safe-work rules. The JHA records the decision trail, not the device-by-device switching method.

Training, program inspection and records

1910.147(c)(7) differentiates authorized, affected and other employees' training. Make sure each person knows their role and the prohibition on restarting locked/tagged equipment. 1910.147(c)(6) requires periodic inspection of each energy-control procedure at least annually under stated conditions. That program inspection is separate from this job's pre-work verification. Do not mark the company program “compliant” solely because one JHA is signed.

Keep the signed/current JHA with the equipment-specific procedure reference, permit if any, lock/control record and change/restart decisions. Restrict editing of completed sign-offs. The site must be able to show who had control of the hazardous energy when the work was performed, not merely that a form existed.

What a site-specific version must add

Insert the exact equipment and energy map, authorized employees, shutdown and isolation points, lock/tag devices, stored-energy release, verification/test method, group and shift-transfer procedure, adjacent hazard boundaries, emergency response and restoration sequence. Have a qualified specialist approve electrical or unusual stored-energy decisions. This JHA must never be presented as the actual lockout procedure or a permit for live work.

The observed Complys US OSHA page markets JHA and records but is not proof of a tested LOTO function. Verify the exact money route and current US plan before CTA. Do not claim Complys isolates machines, verifies zero energy, manages physical locks, trains authorized people or certifies OSHA compliance. A safe CTA is: Ask Complys to demonstrate how its current product records an approved JHA, equipment procedure reference and corrective action.

Source, claim, owner, product and writer-side QA register — 5 October 2026

Terminal writer-side disposition: READY. No Complys repository or live-site content was changed.