Lockout/Tagout Training Requirements in Texas: OSHA 1910.147 and Recent Cases
Texas follows federal 1910.147 for lockout/tagout. The training and certification rule, three recent Texas citations over $250,000 each, TDI’s free bilingual LOTO program, and how online training fits.
Texas is a federal OSHA state, so lockout/tagout in Texas is governed by 29 CFR 1910.147 exactly as written and enforced by OSHA’s nine Texas area offices. The employer needs a written energy control program, a procedure for each machine, an annual periodic inspection of each procedure, training for authorized, affected and other employees, retraining when jobs or procedures change, and a written certification of training with each employee’s name and training dates. Lockout/tagout is the third most-cited OSHA standard nationally in the preliminary fiscal 2026 figures, and OSHA renewed its National Emphasis Program on amputations in manufacturing in June 2025. Texas enforcement has been heavy: three recent Texas cases each topped $250,000, and each named lockout failures. There is no Texas license or approved course; the Texas Department of Insurance publishes a free lockout/tagout program, fact sheet and sample written program in English and Spanish.
The Rule: 29 CFR 1910.147
- Energy control program (c)(1) and machine-specific procedures (c)(4): the scope, the steps to shut down, isolate, block and secure, and the steps to verify isolation, written for each machine unless the narrow exception in (c)(4)(i) applies.
- Periodic inspection (c)(6): at least annually, by an authorized employee not using the procedure, with a certification naming the machine, date, employees and inspector.
- Training (c)(7)(i): authorized employees recognize hazardous energy sources, their type and magnitude, and the isolation methods; affected employees understand the purpose and use of the procedure; other employees know the procedure exists and not to restart equipment.
- Retraining (c)(7)(iii): on job reassignment, a new hazard, a procedure change, or an inspection or other evidence of inadequacies.
- Certification (c)(7)(iv): the employer certifies training has been done and is kept up to date, with each employee’s name and dates of training.
Recent Texas Cases
| Date | Employer | What happened | Proposed penalty |
|---|---|---|---|
| September 2024 | Copper alloy manufacturer, Sealy | Worker’s hand caught between a conveyor and coil rack, partial arm amputation; 24 serious violations including no energy-control procedures | $253,750 |
| August 2024 | Pallet manufacturer, Jacksonville | Follow-up inspection found lockout violations like those cited in 2012, 2014, 2020 and 2022, including inadequate LOTO training | $254,527 |
| September 2023 | Glass recycler, Midlothian | 13 violations (1 willful, 3 repeat, 9 serious) including no lockout procedures and unguarded sprockets and shafts | $370,995 |
Does Texas Require a Lockout/Tagout License or Approved Course?
No. Texas has no state OSHA; TDI’s Division of Workers’ Compensation is consultative only. The certification OSHA asks for is the employer’s written training certification under (c)(7)(iv).
How Online Lockout/Tagout Training Fits in Texas
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 Texas Resources
TDI-DWC publishes a Control of Hazardous Energy (Lockout/Tagout) workplace program, a lockout/tagout fact sheet and a sample written program, each in English and Spanish, and runs free Safety Program Builder webinars on lockout program development. Its OSHCON program offers free, confidential on-site consultation; see our Texas forklift guide for contact details.
Frequently asked questions
What must a Texas lockout training record contain?
Under 1910.147(c)(7)(iv): each employee’s name and dates of training, in a certification that the training has been accomplished and is kept up to date. Adding the role, the trainer and the procedures covered is what makes it useful when an inspector asks who is authorized on what; our free tool records all of it.
How often is lockout retraining required in Texas?
OSHA sets no fixed interval; retraining is triggered by a job change, a new hazard, a procedure change or inadequacies found. The annual periodic inspection under (c)(6) is separate and is why most sites refresh LOTO training yearly.
Does online lockout training satisfy 1910.147?
The knowledge portion, yes. Authorized employees must also be trained on your site’s machine-specific procedures, which is why our certification tool has a line for the procedures covered.
Why are Texas LOTO penalties so high?
Amputation cases bring willful and repeat classifications, and repeat employers are cited at up to $165,514 per violation. All three Texas cases above involved either an amputation or prior citations for the same failures.
Lockout/tagout training in other states
Related Texas 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, September 26, 2024: Sealy, Texas amputation; OSHA news release, August 6, 2024: Jacksonville, Texas repeat lockout violations; OSHA news release, September 13, 2023: Midlothian, Texas; TDI-DWC Control of Hazardous Energy (Lockout/Tagout) workplace program; TDI-DWC Programa para el Área de Trabajo: Bloqueo y Etiquetado; TDI-DWC lockout/tagout fact sheet
Related guides
- Lockout vs. Tagout: What’s the Actual Difference?
- The 3 Types of Employees Under OSHA’s LOTO Standard
- OSHA LOTO Annual Inspection Requirements: What Gets Checked
- Group Lockout: When Multiple Workers Need to Lock Out the Same Machine
- Free checklist: Lockout/Tagout Step-by-Step Checklist
- Free checklist: Group Lockout Sign-In/Sign-Out Sheet