A Guide to Lockout Tagout (LOTO) for Australian Workplaces
Lockout tagout (LOTO) is the safety procedure used to make sure hazardous energy is isolated and equipment can’t restart before maintenance or repair work begins. In Australia, the process generally follows seven steps: preparation, shutdown, isolation, lockout/tagout, stored energy check, isolation verification, and re-energising. It’s governed by state WHS regulations and standards including AS/NZS 4836:2023 and AS/NZS 4024.1603:2019.
What is the Australian standard for lockout tagout?
Two standards apply directly to LOTO in Australia:
- AS/NZS 4836:2023 – Safe working on or near low-voltage electrical installations and equipment. This replaced the 2011 edition and adds updated guidance on risk assessment, working near asbestos and PCBs, and use of test equipment.
- AS/NZS 4024.1603:2019 – Safety of machinery: design of controls, interlocks and guards, prevention of unexpected start-up. This replaced the 2006 edition.
State WHS regulators, including SafeWork NSW and WorkSafe Victoria, also publish isolation guidance that sits alongside these standards rather than replacing them. Always check your state regulator’s current guidance as well as the national standard.
What are the 7 LOTO steps?
Locksafe’s seven step model breaks the process into distinct, auditable stages. You’ll also see LOTO described as a five or six step process (shut down, identify, isolate, lock and tag, de-energise, test), which covers the same ground with steps grouped differently. Neither version is wrong, they’re different ways of organising the same safety controls.
Step 1: Preparation
Identify the equipment correctly, including its exact location, and investigate every type of hazardous energy involved (electrical, hydraulic, pneumatic, thermal, gravitational). Confirm the isolation points before you touch anything.
Step 2: Shut Down
Power down the equipment using its normal operating controls. Notify all affected workers of the timing and expected duration of the work.
Step 3: Isolation
Disconnect the equipment from every energy source. This might mean switching off at a breaker, shutting a valve, or another isolation method specific to that energy type. Document the exact steps so anyone following the procedure gets the same result.
Step 4: Lockout/Tagout
Attach a lock and tag to each isolation point. On equipment with a single isolation point, one personal lock is enough. On equipment with several isolation points or several workers involved, a hasp lets each authorised worker attach their own personal lock to a single point, so the equipment can’t be re-energised until every lock is removed. The tag identifies who applied the lock and why.
Step 5: Stored Energy Check
Isolating the primary source doesn’t remove residual energy such as trapped heat, pressurised gas, or tension in a spring. Relieve, restrain, or otherwise neutralise any stored energy before work begins.
Step 6: Isolation Verification
Test for dead. Confirm the equipment cannot start, either through direct testing or by attempting normal start-up controls, before anyone works on it.
Step 7: Re-Energising Equipment
Once maintenance is complete and tools are clear, restore power in the documented sequence. Update the procedure if anything changed during the job so the next person has an accurate reference.
What is the correct procedure for lock out tag out?
The correct procedure is whichever documented sequence your workplace has adopted, provided it covers all seven functions above: identifying hazards, shutting down, isolating every energy source, locking and tagging, checking for stored energy, verifying isolation, and safely re-energising. A written, site-specific procedure that names the isolation points for each piece of equipment is what AS/NZS 4836:2023 and your state regulator expect. A generic checklist copied from elsewhere isn’t enough.
How often should LOTO procedures be reviewed?
At least annually, and immediately after any change to equipment, layout, or operating procedure. Standards are also updated periodically, as they were in 2019 and 2023, so check your references against the current version each time you review.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need lockout tagout signage?
Signage isn’t a substitute for a lock and tag, but it’s commonly used alongside physical isolation to warn other workers that equipment is out of service, for example a “do not operate” sign at the control point or an isolation point identification label. Check your site’s isolation procedure and state regulator guidance for specific signage requirements, they vary by workplace and industry.
What is a group lockout procedure?
A group lockout applies when more than one worker, or more than one isolation point, is involved in the same job. Each worker attaches their own personal lock, often to a group lockout hasp or lock box covering all isolation points, and the equipment stays isolated until every individual lock has been removed. This prevents one worker clearing the isolation while others are still exposed.
What is an isolation register, and do I need one?
An isolation register is a log of every active lockout on site: what’s isolated, who applied the lock, and why. It’s not mandated by name in the standards, but it’s considered good practice on any site with multiple contractors, shift changes, or several isolations running at once, since it lets a supervisor confirm what’s locked out without walking the whole site.
Does the LOTO procedure change for electrical equipment?
The same seven steps apply, but electrical isolation adds specific checks under AS/NZS 4836:2023: confirming isolation at the switchboard or breaker, using a proving unit to test for absence of voltage before and after work, and using insulated or non-conductive lockout devices on live panels. Battery-powered plant and vehicles isolate differently again. Their isolation switches are specified by continuous and intermittent amperage ratings rather than by voltage, and mismatching those ratings against the equipment’s actual load is a common reason isolation switches fail on mobile plant.
What equipment requires lockout tagout devices?
Any equipment with a hazardous energy source that a person could be exposed to during maintenance or repair. That includes electrical switchboards and panels, machinery with mechanical or hydraulic energy, valves on gas, water or chemical lines, pressure vessels, and conveyors. If it can move, energise, or release stored energy while someone is working on it, it needs an isolation point covered by LOTO.
Do I need lockout tagout software, or is a paper-based system enough?
A paper-based tag and lock system, backed by a written procedure and an isolation register, is enough to meet WHS obligations on most sites. Larger sites, multi-contractor environments, or facilities managing a high volume of isolations at once often add software to track permits and isolations digitally and keep an audit trail. Either approach can be compliant, what matters is that isolation records are accurate and current, not which format they’re kept in.
Talk to Locksafe about your isolation setup
Locksafe supplies lockout hardware and advises on isolation procedures for Australian industrial sites. Call 08 9455 7255 or get in touch to check your current setup against AS/NZS 4836:2023.
