Short answer: Lockout tagout training teaches employees how hazardous energy is isolated before equipment is serviced. Under OSHA 1910.147, authorized employees learn to recognize energy sources and isolate them, affected employees learn the procedure's purpose and use, and everyone else learns never to restart locked-out equipment. Retraining follows job, equipment, or procedure changes and gaps found in inspections.
Key takeaways
- OSHA 1910.147 sets three training levels: authorized, affected, and other employees. The employer must certify that training is done and kept current.
- Retraining is event-driven: new job assignments, new equipment or hazards, changed procedures, or deviations found during the at-least-annual periodic inspection.
- Electrical work on conductors falls under 29 CFR 1910.333, which adds requirements such as a qualified person testing to verify the circuit is deenergized.
- Online courses build awareness. Authorized-employee training must be specific to your employer's energy control program and equipment.
Lockout/tagout training courses for data center teams
Our Data Center Electrical Safety course includes a lockout/tagout awareness module covering what every employee should know, even when they are not the one applying the lock. Electrical Safety & Best Practices covers lockout/tagout concepts within a broader NFPA 70E-aligned course, and the UPS and generator courses explain the stored and remote-start energy sources that LOTO has to control in a data center.
Data Center Electrical Safety Training
Foundational electrical safety practices for anyone working around data center power systems.
Electrical Safety & Best Practices
NFPA 70E-aligned electrical safety fundamentals for facility staff.
Data Center Arc Flash Safety Training
NFPA 70E arc flash safety specific to data center switchgear and power distribution.
Data Center UPS and Battery System Safety Training
Safety-focused training for anyone working around data center UPS and battery systems.
Generator Operations & Maintenance
Size, test, and maintain backup generators with confidence.
Save 38% with the bundle
Power & Electrical Systems Bundle
These online courses are self-paced knowledge and awareness training with a certificate of completion. They do not authorize you to perform lockout/tagout. Authorized-employee training must cover your employer's written energy control procedures and the specific equipment you will lock out, with hands-on practice, and the employer certifies it.
What is OSHA's lockout/tagout standard?
OSHA 29 CFR 1910.147, The Control of Hazardous Energy, covers servicing and maintenance where the unexpected energization or start-up of equipment, or the release of stored energy, could injure workers. It applies to electrical, mechanical, hydraulic, pneumatic, thermal, and other energy.
The standard requires an energy control program with three parts:
- Written energy control procedures for the equipment being serviced.
- Training so employees understand the program and have the knowledge and skills to apply, use, and remove energy controls safely.
- Periodic inspections of each energy control procedure at least annually, performed by an authorized employee other than the ones using the procedure being inspected.
One important exclusion: exposure to electrical hazards from work on, near, or with conductors or equipment in electric-utilization installations is governed by OSHA's electrical standards in Subpart S instead. That is why data centers deal with both rules, as described below.
Authorized vs affected vs other employees
OSHA 1910.147 sorts employees by what they do around locked-out equipment, and each group gets a different level of training.
| Category | OSHA definition (summary) | Data center examples | Training they need |
|---|---|---|---|
| Authorized | Locks or tags out machines or equipment to perform servicing or maintenance | Facility electricians, critical facilities and HVAC technicians, UPS and generator field engineers | Recognizing hazardous energy sources, the type and magnitude of energy present, and the methods and means to isolate and control it |
| Affected | Operates or uses equipment being serviced under LOTO, or works in the area where the servicing happens | Operations engineers and NOC staff who monitor the equipment, technicians working in the same electrical or mechanical room | The purpose and use of the energy control procedure |
| Other | Works in an area where energy control procedures may be used | IT technicians, cabling crews, security officers, janitorial staff | That the procedure exists, and that they must never try to restart or reenergize locked or tagged equipment |
People move between categories. An operations engineer is affected when a contractor services a CRAH unit, and becomes authorized the day their own duties include servicing covered equipment.
Lockout tagout training requirements
OSHA lockout tagout training must give each employee the knowledge and skills for their category, and the employer must certify that it has been done and kept up to date.
- Authorized employees must be trained to recognize applicable hazardous energy sources, the type and magnitude of energy in the workplace, and the methods and means necessary for energy isolation and control.
- Affected employees must be instructed in the purpose and use of the energy control procedure.
- All other employees whose work may be in an area where energy control procedures are used must be instructed about the procedure and the prohibition on attempting to restart or reenergize locked or tagged equipment.
- Where tags are used without locks, employees must also be trained in the limitations of tags, which are warnings and do not physically stop anyone from operating a switch.
- Certification. The training record must include each employee's name and the dates of training.
For electrical work, NFPA 70E adds its own lockout/tagout program, training, and audit expectations, so most data centers run a single program that satisfies OSHA and 70E together. See NFPA 70E Training.
When is lockout tagout retraining required?
OSHA 1910.147 does not set a fixed calendar interval for retraining. It requires retraining for authorized and affected employees whenever:
- Their job assignments change.
- Machines, equipment, or processes change in a way that presents a new hazard.
- The energy control procedures change.
- A periodic inspection reveals deviations from or inadequacies in the employee's knowledge or use of the procedures, or the employer has reason to believe they exist.
Retraining must reestablish proficiency and introduce new or revised control methods. Many data centers also refresh LOTO training annually, alongside the required annual inspection, because the equipment, contractors, and procedures change so often.
Electrical lockout/tagout under OSHA 1910.333
When employees work on or near exposed deenergized electrical parts, OSHA's electrical work practice rule, 29 CFR 1910.333, sets the lockout and tagging requirements. Procedures that comply with 1910.147 are accepted if they also address the electrical hazards and include 1910.333's verification and tagging provisions. Key electrical points:
- The employer keeps a written copy of the procedures available for inspection.
- A lock and a tag go on each disconnecting means used to deenergize the circuits and equipment.
- Control circuit devices, such as push buttons, selector switches, and interlocks, may not be the only means of deenergizing.
- Stored electric energy that could endanger personnel must be released, and stored non-electrical energy that could reenergize circuit parts must be blocked or relieved.
- A qualified person must use test equipment to verify that the circuit elements and equipment parts are deenergized, including checking for induced voltage. Above 600 volts nominal, the tester must be checked immediately before and after the test.
How lockout/tagout works in a data center
In a data center, LOTO is planned inside a method of procedure (MOP) because almost every piece of critical equipment has more than one source and the IT load has to stay up while it is isolated.
Map every source in the MOP
Use the one-line diagram to list normal and alternate feeds, the UPS input, bypass, and battery, generator and transfer switch connections, and any backfeed from paralleled or dual-fed equipment.
Move the load, then notify
Transfer the load to the redundant path, confirm it is carried, and notify the control room, affected employees, and customers as the change process requires.
Isolate and lock each point
Open and lock every breaker and disconnect, including UPS battery breakers and maintenance bypass positions, and disable generator auto-start so a utility blip cannot start the engine mid-task.
Deal with stored energy
Battery strings stay live regardless of the UPS, and UPS capacitors and drive DC buses need the manufacturer's discharge time. Mechanical systems may need valves closed and pressure bled.
Verify, then work
A qualified person tests for absence of voltage with a tester checked on a known live source before and after. Group lockboxes keep multi-crew jobs and shift changes under control.
Contractors add another layer. OSHA requires the on-site employer and outside employers to inform each other of their energy control procedures, so a UPS field engineer and the site team agree on whose locks go where before work starts. Mechanical LOTO matters just as much: Cooling System & Refrigerant Safety covers isolating CRAC and CRAH units, whose fans can restart automatically.
Can lockout tagout training be done online?
Partly. Online training works well for awareness: affected and other employees can learn what LOTO is, why locks and tags must never be removed or bypassed, and how energy control fits into a data center MOP. Authorized employees also benefit from online modules for the concepts.
What online training cannot replace is authorized-employee training on your program: your written procedures, your lock and tag hardware, your switchgear and UPS isolation points, and supervised practice. OSHA expects employees to have the skills to apply and remove energy controls, which takes hands-on instruction.
Lockout tagout training near me
Our courses are online and available anywhere in the United States, so teams across shifts and sites can complete the awareness portion on their own schedule. For hands-on authorized-employee training, start with your employer's safety program and the equipment manufacturers' field service teams.
Know your LOTO steps? Test yourself on lockout/tagout, arc flash, and battery hazards.
Take the Safety QuizFrequently asked questions
Does OSHA require lockout tagout training?
Yes. OSHA 29 CFR 1910.147 requires employers to train authorized, affected, and other employees at levels matched to their roles, and to certify that the training has been accomplished and kept up to date, with each employee's name and training dates.
How often is lockout tagout training required?
OSHA does not set a fixed interval. Retraining is required when job assignments change, when equipment or processes change in a way that presents a new hazard, when procedures change, or when a periodic inspection shows deviations or gaps. Periodic inspections of each procedure must happen at least annually, and many employers refresh training on the same cycle.
What is the difference between an authorized and an affected employee?
An authorized employee locks or tags out equipment to service or maintain it. An affected employee operates or uses that equipment, or works in the area where the servicing is done. Authorized employees need in-depth training on energy sources and isolation; affected employees need to understand the purpose and use of the procedure.
Is online lockout tagout training enough?
For awareness, often yes. For authorized employees, no. Their training must cover the employer's own energy control procedures and the specific equipment they will lock out, with hands-on practice, before they apply locks on their own.
Does lockout tagout apply to electrical work in a data center?
Yes. Electrical work on conductors and equipment is covered by OSHA's electrical work practice rule, 29 CFR 1910.333, which accepts 1910.147-compliant procedures if they also address electrical hazards and include its testing and tagging provisions. Most data centers run one energy control program covering electrical and mechanical work.
Sources
- OSHA, 29 CFR 1910.147, The control of hazardous energy (lockout/tagout).
- OSHA, 29 CFR 1910.333, Selection and use of work practices.
- OSHA letter of interpretation, August 5, 2015, Lockout/tagout of electrical hazards by workers who install, maintain, repair or replace premises wiring systems.
Keep learning
NFPA 70E Training
Who needs it, what it covers, and how often to retrain.
Read the page → TrainingArc Flash Training
Boundaries, labels, and PPE categories explained.
Read the page → TrainingUPS & Battery Training
The stored energy that LOTO cannot switch off.
Read the page → GuideData Center Safety Guide
Every major data center hazard and how it is controlled.
Read the guide →This page is general educational information, not legal or compliance advice. Follow your employer's energy control program, written procedures, and the regulations that apply at your site. Data Center Training is not affiliated with OSHA.