If you have a written lockout/tagout program but no procedures for your individual machines, you have a gap. A program document describes your facility’s overall approach to controlling hazardous energy. Lockout/tagout procedures tell a worker exactly how to shut down, isolate, and verify a specific piece of equipment before they put their hands inside it.
Cal/OSHA treats these as two separate requirements. Title 8 CCR Section 3314(g)(2)(A) requires “separate procedural steps for the safe lockout/tagout of each machine or piece of equipment affected.” A generic template that says “lock out all energy sources” does not meet that standard. This piece explains what an equipment-specific procedure actually contains, why a downloadable template falls short, and how these procedures get built. For the full picture of what a compliant program includes, see our lockout tagout program services overview.
What an Equipment-Specific Procedure Actually Contains
A real procedure is written for one machine. It accounts for that machine’s energy sources, its physical isolation points, and the order those steps have to happen in. Here is the anatomy of one.
| Element | What it documents |
|---|---|
| Equipment name and ID | The specific machine, its location, and an identifier that matches your equipment list |
| Energy sources | Every source present on that machine: electrical, mechanical, pneumatic, hydraulic, thermal, gravity |
| Energy-isolating devices | The exact disconnect, valve, or breaker that controls each source, and where it is |
| Required LOTO equipment | The locks, hasps, valve covers, and tags needed to isolate that machine |
| Shutdown sequence | The order of operations to bring the machine to a safe state |
| Lockout and verification | Applying the devices, releasing stored energy, then confirming zero energy by trying to start the machine |
| Restart sequence | How to remove devices and return the equipment to service safely |
The verification step is the one most often skipped on paper. Cal/OSHA expects the worker to confirm isolation worked before any servicing begins. A procedure that stops at “apply lock” leaves out the step that actually protects the person.
Why Generic Templates Fall Short
A template assumes every machine is the same. Your floor proves otherwise. A single-energy machine like a conveyor motor needs one electrical disconnect locked out. An autoclave runs on steam and electrical. An HVAC unit combines electrical and pneumatic. A boiler can involve thermal, chemical, and electrical energy at once. A generic checklist cannot tell a worker which valve to close first on a machine it was never written for.
Sequence is the part templates get wrong most. The order matters. If you cut electrical power before you bleed off the air, you lose the ability to test whether the pneumatic system actually released. When our team reviews procedures, sequencing logic is the first thing we check, because a procedure that isolates energy in the wrong order can read as complete and still leave a hazard live.
The other failure is usability. We regularly see existing procedures that read like “lock out breaker panel F3.” That technically references a lockout point. It does nothing for the maintenance tech who started last month and has never seen panel F3. When a new person takes over a role, a text-only instruction does not transfer the knowledge that left with the last employee.
Not sure whether your existing procedures meet the machine-specific requirement? Call (925) 551-7300 or request a consultation. We can review what you have against Cal/OSHA Section 3314 and tell you which machines are covered and which are not.
Photo-Annotated Procedures: What They Look Like
CDMS procedures are built around photographs of the actual equipment. Each step includes an image of the control or isolation point, with an arrow pointing to the exact button, breaker, or valve the worker needs to operate. Sometimes a control panel does not make it obvious which switch matters. The arrow removes the guesswork.
The finished procedure is laminated and placed at or near the machine. Any authorized worker can walk up, follow the sequence step by step, and isolate the equipment correctly without having to remember training from months ago. This is the difference between a document that satisfies a binder and one that works on the floor. Lamination is a field practice we recommend rather than a regulatory rule, but it is what keeps a procedure usable in a shop environment.
How Procedures Get Developed Onsite
Procedures cannot be written from a desk. The energy sources, isolation points, and physical layout have to be observed on the machine itself. Our process is built around being at your facility.
- Initial assessment visit. A specialist walks your facility with someone who knows the equipment. We confirm the machine count, identify energy types, and flag which machines are complex. We typically build a few sample procedures and send them back for your review before full production starts.
- Equipment walk-through and photography. We photograph each machine and its isolation points, documenting every energy source present.
- Documentation. Each procedure is written using our photo-annotated format, then reviewed for correct shutdown and restart sequencing.
- Verification and delivery. Procedures can be tested on the actual machine, then delivered laminated for placement at each station.
A knowledgeable escort makes a real difference here. When the person walking the floor with us knows where every disconnect is, we move faster and your cost comes down. The first thing we confirm on any LOTO project is the equipment list, because most facilities undercount or overcount their machines by a wide margin. For more on what drives the size of a project, see what affects the cost of a LOTO program.
For what to line up before we arrive, see how to prepare your facility for a LOTO engagement.
Multi-Energy Equipment Is Where Templates Break Hardest
Single-energy machines are straightforward. The complexity, and the real value of equipment-specific work, shows up on machines with more than one energy source. A food production line might include a clean-in-place system, a boiler, a filler, and a packer, all running on a mix of air and electrical. Each one needs its own procedure that addresses every source in the right order.
This is also where California regulation goes further than the federal standard. Cal/OSHA Section 3314 explicitly brings unjamming into scope and requires lockout for equipment with lockable controls rather than tags alone. For the full breakdown of how California requirements differ from federal OSHA, see our guide to Cal/OSHA lockout tagout requirements.
Multi-shift, high-equipment-count floors add their own complications. See our guide to lockout/tagout for California manufacturing facilities.
Need equipment-specific procedures developed for your machines? Call (925) 551-7300 or request a consultation. Send us your equipment list and we will scope the work to your facility, starting with your highest-risk equipment if that fits your budget.
