Most safety folks know the standard LOTO steps: shut it down, isolate, lock and verify. But here’s the thing, real-world hazards rarely fit the neat examples in training manuals. If you’re managing worker safety, one shortcut or hidden energy source can turn into a tragedy. Below, you’ll find ten often overlooked hazards and a solution that actually prevents incidents rather than checking a box.
• Every year in the United States, OSHA estimates that proper LOTO prevents about 120 fatalities and 50,000 Injuries. OSHA Fact Sheet
• The overall workplace fatality rate in 2023 was 3.5 deaths per 100,000 workers. That’s one life lost every 99 minutes. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• Lockout/tagout programs don’t just protect compliance numbers. The stop real people from being crushed, electrocuted, or killed by stored energy, unexpected startups, or control failures.
Each of the 10 overlooked hazards below isn’t just a checklist items, they are fault lines where someone can get seriously hurt.
1. Stored and Residual Energy
Energy that isn’t visible doesn’t mean it is harmless. Pressurized hydraulics, tensioned springs, and charged capacitors can still inflict severe harm. OSHA identifies residual energy as a top cause of LOTO failures. One unexpected release can cost a life.
2. Complex or Group Lockout
Multiple energy sources, multiple crews, and multiple shifts without a proper group system, you have a ticking time bomb waiting for human error. Shift handoffs fail without a system that accurately tracks who’s still locked on.
3. Control Circuit vs. True Isolation
Stop buttons or HMI shutdowns only interrupt signals, not energy. That motor can restart the moment someone resets the system or power is restored. Fatalities have happened because someone trusted a button instead of isolating the breaker.
4. Non-Obvious Energy Sources
Dual feeds, emergency generator back feeds, and shared piping systems are hidden killers. Workers lock out the “main” source, but energy sneaks in from a side route they didn’t know about. In audits, these are the blind spots that catch even seasoned teams.
5. Alternative Procedures
Full LOTO can sometimes be impractical, like troubleshooting live circuits or clearing jams. OSHA allows “alternative methods”, but only if they’re equally protective. Workers doing minor adjustments without lockout are a huge risk. Alternative doesn’t mean weaker, it means engineered solutions.
6. Verification Practices
Locks and tags are just the start. The critical step is verification, trying to restart the system after it’s locked out. A pressurized line or charged capacitor won’t care that a lock is on the breaker. Without testing, you’ve only created a false sense of security.
7. Human Factors and Shortcuts
Most workers know the rules. They break them anyways because the process is too slow or tools aren’t nearby. Every bypassed lockout is an accident waiting to happen. Programs fail when workers see LOTO as optional.
8. Weak Spots in Programs
Even with a written program, gaps can appear. Missing procedures, unlabeled disconnects, or faded tags. A faded tag or missing device seems minor until it leaves a worker guess which switch to isolate. Guessing isn’t part of safety.
9. Special Environments
Construction, mining and utilities are dirty, unpredictable and involve mobile or high-voltage equipment. Generic devices won’t cut it. A value left unsecured at a power plant or crane energized during maintenance can be deadly.
10. Training that Sticks
Classroom training checks a box, but doesn’t build awareness. Workers learn best by doing. Walking through a lockout, spotting mistakes and practicing real steps. A worker who’s seen what happens when LOTO fails will never forget why every step matters.
LOTO isn’t paperwork. It’s the difference between a worker going home safe or not at all. These 10 hazard areas are where programs often fail and where workers get hurt. Use education to close the gaps and keep safety top of mind.
We’re grateful for our valued partner, Master Lock. Explore Master Lock products, available through SPI.
Thank you for your partnership SPI! We appreciate you very much!
A pleasure as always!! Working together to make America safe 🙂