No, lockout/tagout addresses hazardous electrical, mechanical, hydraulic, pneumatic, chemical, thermal and other energy. Electrical LOTO is one application of a broader hazardous-energy-control program. A lock provides physical restraint; a tag communicates warning and identification. Whether a separate tag is required with a lock depends on the applicable rule and the employer’s written procedure.
If your team treats lockout/tagout as an “electrical-only” task, you are likely leaving other energy sources unaddressed on the same equipment. A single machine in your facility can store electrical, mechanical, hydraulic, pneumatic, chemical and thermal energy at the same time, and each one needs its own isolation method before you or your crew can work on it safely. The table below breaks down how these energy types typically show up on a plant floor.
| Energy Type | Example Stored Energy | Isolation Method | Typical Device |
|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical | Live circuits, capacitors, charged panels | De-energize and isolate at breaker, disconnect or plug | Breaker lockout, plug lockout, panel lockout |
| Mechanical | Springs, flywheels, moving parts under tension | Block, chock, or de-tension the mechanism | Chain, cable, or valve lockout devices |
| Hydraulic | Pressurized fluid in lines and cylinders | Bleed pressure, isolate and lock valves | Gate valve or ball valve lockout |
| Pneumatic | Compressed air in lines, tanks, actuators | Bleed air, lock the shut-off valve | Pneumatic lockout, plug or valve device |
| Chemical | Residual product in piping or vessels | Purge, isolate and lock supply valves | Valve lockout, blind flange |
| Thermal | Hot surfaces, steam lines, cooling systems | Allow cooldown, isolate heat source | Valve lockout, warning tags |
Notice that electrical lockout devices only appear in the first row. If your business only issues electrical panel lockout devices to your maintenance team, you may be controlling one hazard while leaving stored pneumatic or hydraulic energy on the same machine untouched. A complete hazardous energy control program looks at every source on the equipment, not just the one that is easiest to see.
Electrical LOTO is the set of steps you take to identify, de-energize and isolate electrical energy sources before you or your crew perform service or maintenance work. It typically involves locating the disconnecting means — a breaker, switch, plug or panel — applying an electrical lockout device to that point, and verifying the absence of voltage before work begins.
What electrical LOTO does not do is replace your broader energy control procedure. You still need to identify every other hazardous energy source on the same equipment, follow your site’s written procedure for each one, and verify that all sources are controlled before authorizing work. Electrical lockout devices are physical tools that support your program — they are not a substitute for the verification and authorization steps your procedure requires.
While your specific electrical LOTO procedure should be documented in writing for each piece of equipment, most programs follow a similar high-level sequence:
Your written procedure — not this outline — is what governs the exact steps your team must follow at each facility.
Once you have identified the electrical isolation points on your equipment, the next step is matching the right device to the right hardware. This is where a lot of businesses run into friction, because breaker styles, plug types and panel configurations vary widely across manufacturers.
For circuit breakers specifically, you generally need a device sized to the breaker’s handle shape, pole count and mounting position. Prolockey’s circuit breaker lockout range covers miniature and molded-case breakers across common handle profiles.
Some of your equipment may combine electrical and pneumatic isolation points on the same line — for instance, a control cabinet feeding an air-actuated valve. In that case, pairing an electrical device with a compatible electrical and pneumatic lockout solution lets you address both energy sources without sourcing from separate suppliers.
If your facility standardizes on smaller breakers throughout its panels, a dedicated miniature circuit breaker lockout device is usually a better fit than a general-purpose clamp, since it is built for the narrower handle and tighter spacing found in MCB panels.
Consider a packaging machine on your production line. It draws power from a 3-pole molded-case breaker, runs a pneumatic cylinder off a compressed air line, and has a spring-loaded tensioning arm that stays under load even after the machine is shut off. If your maintenance technician only locks out the breaker, two hazards remain live: the pneumatic line can still actuate the cylinder, and the tensioning arm can still release stored mechanical energy.
A correct lockout on this machine would involve three separate isolation points: an electrical lockout device on the breaker, a pneumatic lockout on the air supply valve, and a mechanical block or chock on the tensioning arm. This is a common real-world example of why treating LOTO as “an electrical task” leaves gaps — your procedure needs to account for every energy path into the equipment, not just the one that trips a switch.
It helps your team to understand the distinct role each plays, rather than treating “lockout/tagout” as one interchangeable word:
Rather than buying generic devices and hoping they fit, your business gets better results by building an electrical LOTO kit around the actual hardware installed at your facility — the specific breaker brands, plug types and panel layouts your technicians work on every day.
A well-matched kit typically pulls from a few categories: circuit breaker lockout devices sized to your panel’s handle shapes, plug lockout devices for equipment that disconnects at a cord-and-plug point, and panel-level lockout hardware for larger distribution boards.
Tags remain part of a complete kit as well. If your program requires identification tags alongside your locks, Prolockey’s customised safety tags can be configured with hazard warnings or identification fields, so the tagout side of your procedure is covered along with the lockout hardware.
For a closer look at how breaker device selection works in practice, check our guide to circuit breaker lockout devices.
When you are ready to request a quote, having this information ready speeds up the matching process significantly:
Prolockey is the lockout/tagout brand of Lockey Safety Products Co., Ltd., founded in 2015 in Yueqing, Zhejiang, China. The company operates an 8,000 m² facility, has 100+ employees and serves customers in 140+ countries. Prolockey is positioned for industrial buyers who need reliable LOTO products, flexible customization, and a competitive total procurement cost — devices designed for use in an OSHA-aligned energy-control program, matched to your actual equipment rather than sold as one-size-fits-all.
Send Prolockey clear breaker or plug photos, brand/model details, dimensions and order quantities. We can help match compatible electrical lockout devices and prepare a kit quotation.
Is lockout/tagout only used to protect against electrical hazards?
No. Lockout/tagout addresses hazardous energy in general, including electrical, mechanical, hydraulic, pneumatic, chemical and thermal energy. Electrical LOTO is one application within this broader hazardous energy control program.
What is electrical lockout/tagout?
Electrical LOTO is the process of identifying an equipment’s electrical disconnecting means, applying a lockout device to that point, controlling stored electrical energy, and verifying the absence of voltage before service work begins.
What devices are commonly used in an electrical LOTO kit?
A typical kit includes circuit breaker lockout devices, plug lockout devices, panel lockout covers, and identification tags, selected to match the breaker brands, plug types and panel layouts on your equipment.
What should be included in a basic electrical LOTO procedure?
A basic procedure typically covers identifying energy sources, notifying affected employees, shutting down equipment, isolating and applying lockout devices, controlling stored energy, verifying isolation, and following a documented release-to-service step once work is complete.
Does a locked circuit always need a separate tag?
Not necessarily. Whether a lock alone is sufficient, or a tag is also required, depends on the applicable rule and your site’s written energy control procedure — this varies by facility and should not be treated as a universal requirement.
How do I choose a circuit breaker lockout?
Match the device to your breaker’s brand, model, pole count, handle shape and size, and confirm whether the breaker has an existing lock hole or needs a clamp-style device. Panel clearance and spacing also affect which device style will fit.
Can one universal breaker device fit every breaker?
Not reliably. Breaker handle shapes, sizes and spacing vary across manufacturers and models, so a device that fits one breaker style may not fit another. Sending photos and model details lets Prolockey match a device to your specific breakers.
Prolockey provides lockout tagout devices; employers are responsible for establishing and implementing site-specific energy control procedures.
