Lockout/Tagout Training Requirements in California: Cal/OSHA §3314 Explained

California’s lockout rule is Title 8 §3314, written by Cal/OSHA rather than copied from federal 1910.147. Who must be trained, what the written procedure must contain, the annual inspection, and the training-record rule that is stricter than federal.

California is an OSHA State Plan state, and its lockout/tagout rule is Cal/OSHA’s own: Title 8 §3314, Cleaning, Repairing, Servicing and Adjusting Prime Movers, Machinery and Equipment, with the electrical rules in §2320.4 through §2320.6. The structure differs from federal 29 CFR 1910.147, but the obligations line up: machinery must be stopped and de-energized before cleaning, servicing or adjusting (c), locked out for repair and set-up (d), each machine needs a written hazardous energy control procedure (g), the procedures are inspected at least annually (j), and authorized, affected and other employees are trained (l). The one place California is stricter is the record: §3314 points to §3203, which requires training documentation with the employee’s name, the training dates, the type of training and the provider, kept at least one year. There is no state license or approved course.

Who Enforces Lockout Rules in California

Cal/OSHA, for private employers and state and local government. Inspectors cite §3314 and, for electrical work, §2320.4.

The Rule: Title 8 §3314

Scope (a): cleaning, repairing, servicing, setting up and adjusting prime movers, machinery and equipment, including unjamming.
Stop and de-energize (c): machinery or equipment capable of movement shall be stopped and the power source de-energized or disengaged, and moving parts blocked, before cleaning, servicing or adjusting.
Lockout for repair and set-up (d): the power source locked out or positively sealed in the off position.
Written procedure (g): a hazardous energy control procedure with separate procedural steps for the safe lockout/tagout of each machine; group procedures allowed in two defined situations. Group lockout (h), shift change (i) and outside personnel (k) are covered in their own subsections.
Periodic inspection (j): at least annually, by an authorized employee other than one using the procedure; the certification identifies the machine, the date, the employees included and the inspector.
Training (l): authorized employees trained on the procedures and hazards; affected employees instructed in the purpose and use of the procedure; other employees instructed on the prohibition against restarting. Documented per §3203.
Minor servicing exception: tool changes and adjustments during normal production are exempt only if routine, repetitive and integral to production and performed with alternative measures that provide effective protection.

What Is Different From Federal OSHA

Point	Federal 1910.147	Cal/OSHA §3314
Structure	Energy control program, procedures, devices, training, inspection	Cal/OSHA-original text; same duties under different headings
Training record	(c)(7)(iv): employee name and dates of training	§3203(b)(2): name or identifier, dates, type of training and provider, kept at least one year
Annual inspection	(c)(6): at least annually, certified	(j): at least annually, certified; identical in substance
Retraining triggers	(c)(7)(iii): job change, new hazard, procedure change, inspection deficiency	Not listed in rule text; Cal/OSHA guidance: retrain on observed failures and on changes
Electrical	1910.333	§2320.4 to §2320.6; tag-only permitted where the disconnect is accessible only to personnel instructed in the tagging procedure
Supervisors	Not addressed	Cal/OSHA guide: supervisors of authorized and affected employees are trained

Does California Require a Lockout/Tagout License or Approved Course?

No. Cal/OSHA does not approve or license lockout training. The documentation it expects is the §3203 training record and the §3314(j) annual inspection certification.

How Online Lockout/Tagout Training Fits in California

Cal/OSHA does not approve or license lockout/tagout courses. The rule asks the employer to train authorized employees to recognize hazardous energy and apply the isolation methods, to teach affected employees the purpose and use of the procedure, and to tell everyone else not to restart locked-out equipment; then to keep a written certification of who was trained and when. Shield’s lockout/tagout course covers the knowledge portion in 40 to 55 minutes, in English or Spanish: energy sources, lockout devices, the six-step procedure, group lockout and shift change, with a 10-question exam, a certificate and a phone wallet card. The part no course can do is your site’s machine-specific procedures; walk the authorized employees through those, then log the training with our free certification tool. Cal/OSHA’s own guide, Controls for Hazardous Energies, is available in English and Spanish and pairs well with the course for the site-specific part.

Lockout/tagout step-by-step checklist (printable)

Free tool: fill in and print the lockout/tagout training certification (employee, role, procedures covered, trainer, date)

Cal/OSHA Resources

Cal/OSHA publishes Controls for Hazardous Energies (English and Spanish, October 2022), an employee fact sheet, sample forms, a tailgate topic and an employer eTool whose training page recommends recording trainer and trainee names, signatures, date and subject. Cal/OSHA Consultation Services are free; see our California forklift guide.

Frequently asked questions

What does a California lockout training record have to contain?

Under §3203(b)(2): the employee’s name or identifier, the training dates, the type of training and the training provider, kept at least one year. That is more than federal (c)(7)(iv), which requires only name and dates. Our free certification tool captures all four.

Does §3314 require an annual inspection like federal OSHA?

Yes. §3314(j) requires a periodic inspection at least annually by an authorized employee not using the procedure, with a certification naming the machine, date, employees and inspector.

Can I use a tag without a lock in California?

For electrical work under §2320.4, tag-only is allowed only when the disconnecting means is accessible exclusively to personnel instructed in the tagging procedure. For machinery under §3314(d), the power source must be locked out or positively sealed.

Does Cal/OSHA accept online lockout training?

For the knowledge portion, yes. The employer still trains authorized employees on each machine’s written procedure and documents the training under §3203.

Lockout/tagout training in other states

Related California guides

Sources: Cal/OSHA Title 8 §3314, Cleaning, Repairing, Servicing and Adjusting Prime Movers, Machinery and Equipment; Cal/OSHA Title 8 §2320.4, Work on De-energized Equipment or Systems; Cal/OSHA Title 8 §3203, Injury and Illness Prevention Program (training records); Cal/OSHA guide: Controls for Hazardous Energies (2022); Cal/OSHA guía: Controles para energías peligrosas (2022); Cal/OSHA lockout/tagout employer eTool; OSHA 29 CFR 1910.147, The control of hazardous energy (lockout/tagout)

Lockout/Tagout Safety Certification, $59, English and Spanish, for authorized and affected employees, training certification tool included.