The Reality Behind the Procedure
Lockout Tagout is rarely questioned in terms of importance. The real challenge is not whether it is necessary, but how much time it requires once work begins. On paper, the process looks structured and predictable. In the field, it rarely unfolds that way.
This work is often planned as a defined step before maintenance starts. In reality, it becomes a condition that must be established, verified, maintained, and sometimes revisited throughout the job. That distinction alone explains why timelines extend, even when procedures are followed correctly.
The time invested also exists for a reason. OSHA estimates that proper lockout tagout procedures prevent roughly 120 worker fatalities and more than 50,000 injuries every year. Those numbers make it clear that LOTO is not administrative overhead. It is a critical control that directly reduces serious harm, even if it adds time to a job.
How LOTO Actually Unfolds on the Job
What often gets overlooked is that LOTO does not move forward in a straight line. Even when procedures are clearly defined, the process expands as conditions are confirmed and re-confirmed in the field.
Step 1: Identifying Equipment and Energy Sources
Most procedures start here, but this step alone can take longer than expected. Equipment may have been modified, energy sources may be shared or rerouted, and drawings may not reflect current conditions. Teams frequently pause to trace feeds, validate documentation, or physically confirm disconnect locations before proceeding.
Step 2: Coordinating the Shutdown
Once energy sources are identified, coordination becomes unavoidable. Operations may need to complete a run or reach a stopping point. Another crew may already be working in the area. A shutdown window that looked straightforward on the schedule can shift or compress, changing when locks can actually be applied.
Step 3: Applying Locks and Tags
With isolation points reached, locks and tags are applied. At this stage, the system is controlled, but not yet verified. The process is not complete.
Step 4: Verifying Absence of Voltage
Verification is where time is often underestimated. Absence of voltage must be confirmed at appropriate test points, with proper PPE and safe access. In complex systems, this may involve multiple locations and repeated checks, especially if conditions change or work pauses and resumes.
Step 5: Maintaining the Controlled State
LOTO does not end once verification is complete. Any change in configuration, handoff between teams, or interruption in work creates a reason to reassess and, in many cases, re-verify. What begins as a single process becomes a condition that must be actively maintained.
Where Time Quietly Compounds
Time in the LOTO process rarely disappears in one large delay. It accumulates in smaller increments. Ten minutes confirming a feed. Fifteen minutes waiting for release. Additional time re establishing PPE and test setup. Each step on its own feels reasonable. Together, they reshape the timeline of the job.
This compounding effect is why LOTO often feels slower than planned, even when teams are following procedures and communicating well. The process expands because the system itself demands careful attention.
What the Industry Is Experiencing
To better understand where teams feel the greatest time impact, Grace Technologies recently took a poll on LinkedIn: What part of your LOTO process takes the most time?
As more responses came in, coordinating with other teams emerged as the most time-intensive part of the LOTO process, followed closely by verifying absence of voltage.
This aligns with broader industry data as well. The OSHA standard for control of hazardous energy consistently ranks among the most frequently cited workplace safety violations. That does not suggest a lack of awareness. It reflects how challenging consistent, real world execution can be across complex systems and changing conditions.
When LOTO Takes Longer Than Planned, Risk Shifts
Longer LOTO timelines are often framed as inefficiency. In reality, they are usually a sign that the system being worked on is complex. Multiple energy sources, shared equipment, limited access, and coordination requirements all demand more time and attention.
The greater risk emerges when that time is not acknowledged or planned for. When crews feel behind before work begins, pressure builds. That pressure can lead to rushed steps, reduced communication, or hesitation to re verify when conditions change, a challenge often highlighted in practical safety guidance for industrial manufacturers.
Industry data continues to show that failures related to hazardous energy control contribute to fatal incidents and thousands of lost or restricted workdays each year. That context reinforces why verification, coordination, and repetition are built into the process, even when schedules are tight.
Designing LOTO Around Real Conditions
Understanding why LOTO takes longer allows teams to plan more realistically. It also creates space for more meaningful conversations about where time is spent, how the process is supported, and where engineering controls can help reduce risk at the source.
In many cases, improvement does not mean changing the procedure itself. It means acknowledging how the procedure actually unfolds and ensuring teams have what they need to carry it out consistently, even when conditions shift.
For teams looking to better support the verification step, Permanent Electrical Safety Devices (PESDs) like the ChekVolt are designed to support safer lockout/tagout by enabling voltage verification without opening an enclosure, helping reduce exposure during one of the most critical moments of electrical work.
Final Thoughts
LOTO is not slow because it is broken. It takes time because it is deliberate, collaborative, and dependent on real world conditions that cannot always be predicted.
When teams plan for that reality instead of an idealized timeline, LOTO becomes less of a bottleneck and more of what it is intended to be. A controlled, intentional process that protects people before work begins.
To safer, smarter operations,
