Lockout/Tagout Training Requirements in Florida: OSHA 1910.147 and the Port Everglades Case

Florida follows federal 1910.147 for lockout/tagout. The training and certification rule, a 2024 Fort Lauderdale fatality that turned on host-contractor coordination, and how online training fits a Florida crew.

Florida is a federal OSHA state, so lockout/tagout in Florida is governed by 29 CFR 1910.147 as written, enforced from OSHA’s Fort Lauderdale, Jacksonville, Orlando and Tampa area offices. The employer needs a written energy control program, a procedure for each machine, an annual periodic inspection, training for authorized, affected and other employees, retraining when jobs or procedures change, and a written certification with each employee’s name and training dates. There is no Florida license or approved course. The Florida case worth studying is Port Everglades, February 2024: a contractor’s worker was killed when a crew removed locks and re-energized a screw conveyor; OSHA cited both the contractor and the host for missing procedures and for failing to coordinate, which is the (f)(2) outside-personnel duty that most programs skip.

The Rule: 29 CFR 1910.147

Energy control program (c)(1) and machine-specific procedures (c)(4).
Periodic inspection (c)(6): at least annually, certified with machine, date, employees and inspector.
Training (c)(7)(i): authorized employees recognize hazardous energy and apply isolation; affected employees understand the purpose and use of the procedure; others know not to restart equipment.
Retraining (c)(7)(iii): job reassignment, new hazard, procedure change, or inadequacies found.
Certification (c)(7)(iv): each employee’s name and dates of training.
Outside personnel (f)(2): the host and the contractor inform each other of their lockout procedures and make sure their employees understand and follow the other’s restrictions.

The Port Everglades Case

In February 2024 OSHA announced citations after a 39-year-old worker repairing a screw conveyor atop a cement silo at Port Everglades, Fort Lauderdale, was killed when the crew removed locks and re-energized the conveyor to rotate the shaft. The contractor was cited for unguarded conveyors, no energy-control procedures and failure to inform the host of its lockout procedures ($38,715); the host cement company was cited for no procedures, no periodic inspections and no coordination with the contractor ($43,554). Neither company’s training would have passed an inspection, and the gap between them is where the worker died.

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

No. Florida has no state OSHA program for private employers and no agency approves lockout courses. The certification OSHA asks for is the employer’s written training certification.

How Online Lockout/Tagout Training Fits in Florida

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.

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

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

Enforcement Context

Lockout/tagout is the third most-cited OSHA standard in the preliminary fiscal 2026 figures, and OSHA renewed its National Emphasis Program on amputations in manufacturing in June 2025 for five more years. Federal penalties for assessments after January 15, 2026 run up to $16,550 per serious violation and $165,514 per willful or repeated violation. USF SafetyFlorida offers free consultation but publishes no lockout material; OSHA’s lockout/tagout fact sheet is available in English and Spanish.

Frequently asked questions

What does a Florida lockout training record need?

Each employee’s name and dates of training (1910.147(c)(7)(iv)). Add the role, trainer and procedures covered to make it useful; our free certification tool does that.

My contractor does the maintenance. Do I still need a lockout program?

Yes. Under (f)(2) the host and the contractor must inform each other of their procedures and ensure their people follow them. The Port Everglades host was cited for having no procedures and no coordination even though the contractor’s crew did the work.

How often is lockout retraining required in Florida?

No fixed interval; retrain on a job change, new hazard, procedure change or inadequacies found. The annual periodic inspection is separate.

Is online lockout training accepted in Florida?

For the knowledge portion. Authorized employees also need training on your site’s machine-specific procedures, which you document on the certification.

Lockout/tagout training in other states

Related Florida guides

Sources: OSHA State Plans; OSHA 29 CFR 1910.147, The control of hazardous energy (lockout/tagout); OSHA Lockout/Tagout fact sheet (FS-3529); OSHA Lockout/Tagout fact sheet, Spanish (FS-4416); OSHA top 10 most frequently cited standards; OSHA news release, June 26, 2025: National Emphasis Program on Amputations in Manufacturing renewed (CPL 03-00-027); OSHA news release, February 13, 2024: Port Everglades, Fort Lauderdale lockout fatality; OSHA penalties in effect after January 15, 2026

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