Out of Service Tags for Equipment: OSHA Rules and Penalties

Out-of-service tags for equipment are governed by OSHA’s control of hazardous energy standard at 29 CFR 1910.147, which sets specific rules for when a tag is allowed in place of a lock, what the tag must display, how it must be attached, who can remove it, and how the underlying program must be trained and inspected.¹ Getting any one of those pieces wrong is a citable violation, and this standard is consistently one of OSHA’s most-cited.

When Equipment Has to Be Tagged

The rule kicks in whenever a worker services or maintains equipment where unexpected startup or a release of stored energy could cause injury. That covers routine maintenance like changing a motor on a conveyor, and it covers clearing a jam inside a press. Before that work starts, every energy source on the machine has to be isolated and then locked out, tagged out, or both.

The standard also reaches machines that cannot be operated safely until repairs are finished. A tag in that case signals a temporary removal from service. Some employers extend the practice to permanently decommissioned equipment to keep anyone from re-energizing a machine that no longer meets safety standards, but 1910.147 itself is written around active servicing.

When a Tag Alone Is Allowed Instead of a Lock

If the energy-isolating device can accept a lock, the employer has to lock it out. Tagout alone is permitted in only two situations: the isolating device physically cannot accept a lock, or the employer can demonstrate that its tagout program provides protection equivalent to what a lockout program would provide.¹

Equivalent protection is not a paperwork exercise. The employer has to layer in additional safety measures to make up for the fact that a tag cannot physically stop anyone from throwing a switch. Acceptable measures include removing a circuit element, blocking a controlling switch, opening an extra disconnecting device, or removing a valve handle. The idea is to build a real physical barrier on top of the warning.¹

What the Tag Must Look Like

OSHA’s tag specifications at 29 CFR 1910.145(f) set the formatting baseline so that any worker recognizes a hazard tag on sight.² Danger tags are recommended to be red or predominantly red with contrasting lettering. Caution tags are recommended to be yellow or predominantly yellow with contrasting lettering. The color scheme is a recommendation rather than a mandate, but workplaces that improvise their own scheme run into trouble because standardization is what allows instant recognition.

Handwritten notes taped to a breaker, off-color tags, or inconsistent markings invite citations for the same reason.

What the Tag Must Say

The tag has to warn clearly against the hazardous condition that would exist if the equipment were energized, and it must identify the employee who applied it.³ Most employers add the date it was placed and a description of the work or hazard, since supervisors and other crews need that context to understand the scope and timeline.

Durability is part of the rule. Tags must not deteriorate in weather, moisture, or damp conditions, and the printed message must stay legible for the full duration of the tag-out.⁴ In areas where acids, alkalis, or other corrosives are handled, the tag has to survive that environment too. No specific material is required, but a tag that smudges or falls apart violates the standard regardless of what it is made from.

How the Tag Is Attached

The fastener that holds the tag to the equipment has performance requirements of its own. It must be non-reusable, self-locking, hand-attachable, and capable of withstanding at least 50 pounds of force before releasing. OSHA describes the baseline as equivalent to a one-piece, all-environment-tolerant nylon cable tie.³ The 50-pound threshold is designed to keep tags from falling off on their own and to make casual removal impossible.

Placement matters as much as the fastener. The tag goes directly on the energy-isolating device, or as close to it as practical, so anyone reaching for the switch, valve, or breaker sees the tag before they can activate anything. When both a lock and a tag are used, both go at the same attachment point.

Applying and Removing the Tag

The authorized employee starts by identifying every energy source on the machine. That can include electrical, hydraulic, pneumatic, mechanical, thermal, and chemical energy. They then notify all affected workers that the equipment is coming out of service. Skipping notification is one of the fastest ways to create a dangerous gap between shifts or crews.

After notification, the employee shuts the equipment down through normal stopping procedures, physically isolates each energy source, and secures the tag with an approved fastener. Then comes verification: attempting a restart or checking gauges to confirm no stored energy remains. Springs, pressurized lines, and elevated components can injure just as badly as a live circuit, so this step is not optional.

When the work is done, the authorized employee inspects the area, confirms tools and personnel are clear, and removes the tag. As a general rule, only the employee who applied the tag may remove it. That one-to-one accountability is what prevents a machine from restarting while someone is still inside it.

Removing a Tag When the Authorized Employee Is Gone

Sometimes the person who placed the tag cannot come back to remove it. OSHA allows the employer to remove it, but only if three conditions are met. The employer must have already developed, documented, and built specific removal procedures into the energy control program. The employer must verify that the authorized employee is not at the facility. And the employer must make all reasonable efforts to contact that employee to inform them the tag has been removed.⁵

Before that employee resumes work at the facility, the employer has to make sure they know their tag was removed. Otherwise the returning worker may approach the equipment believing it is still isolated.⁵

Group Work and Outside Contractors

When a crew works on the same equipment, each authorized employee attaches a personal lockout or tagout device to a group lockout device or lockbox. No one’s personal device is removed until that individual is finished with their portion of the work. A single authorized employee takes primary responsibility for tracking exposure across the group.⁶

When multiple crews or departments overlap on one job, the employer assigns overall coordination to a single authorized employee who ensures protection carries across all groups. Every worker still applies their own tag or lock when they start and removes it when they stop.⁶

Contractors bring another layer. The host employer and the contractor must inform each other of their respective lockout/tagout procedures before work begins, and the host employer must make sure its own employees understand and comply with the contractor’s energy control program.⁷ Contractors often use their own devices and their own written procedures, so without an explicit exchange, both sides end up guessing whose tags mean what.

Training

OSHA divides training into three tiers based on how closely a worker interacts with the tagged equipment:

Authorized employees, who apply and remove the tags, must be trained to recognize applicable hazardous energy sources, understand the type and magnitude of that energy, and know the methods for isolating and controlling it.
Affected employees, who operate the equipment or work in the area where servicing occurs, must be trained on the purpose and proper use of the energy control procedure.
Other employees, whose work brings them near an area where energy control procedures are in use, must understand the procedure and know that attempting to restart or re-energize tagged-out equipment is prohibited.

The depth of training scales with the risk. Where tagout is used instead of lockout, employees must also be trained on the specific limitations of tags as warning devices rather than physical restraints.⁸

Annual Inspections

Every energy control procedure has to be inspected at least once a year to confirm it is being followed. The inspection has to be performed by an authorized employee who is not one of the people routinely using the procedure being reviewed.¹

When tagout is the method in use, the inspection includes a review with each authorized and affected employee of their responsibilities and the limitations of a tag-based system. The employer must certify each inspection in writing, documenting the specific machine or equipment reviewed, the date, the participating employees, and the person who conducted the inspection.¹ Any gaps found have to be corrected. This is a commonly cited failure point, usually because the employer has a written program but never audits whether anyone follows it.

Penalties

OSHA adjusts civil penalties for inflation each year. For 2026, a serious violation of the lockout/tagout standard carries a maximum fine of $16,550 per violation. Willful or repeat violations reach $165,514 per violation, and failure-to-abate penalties can hit $16,550 per day past the correction deadline.⁹ Inspectors treat missing tags, missing documentation, absent training records, and skipped annual inspections as separate violations, and they stack.

1
Occupational Safety and Health Administration. 29 CFR 1910.147 – The Control of Hazardous Energy (Lockout/Tagout)
2
Occupational Safety and Health Administration. 29 CFR 1910.145 – Specifications for Accident Prevention Signs and Tags
3
Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Lockout-Tagout eTool – Tutorial – Materials and Hardware
4
UpCodes. 29 CFR 1910.147(c)(5) – Protective Materials and Hardware
5
Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Lockout-Tagout eTool – Tutorial – Release from Lockout/Tagout
6
UpCodes. 29 CFR 1910.147(f)(3) – Group Lockout or Tagout
7
Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Lockout-Tagout eTool – Tutorial – Outside Personnel (Contractors)
8
Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Lockout-Tagout eTool – Tutorial – Employee Training and Communication
9
Occupational Safety and Health Administration. 2026 Annual Adjustments to OSHA Civil Penalties