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What is electrical, hydraulic, or
mechanical lockout?

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Definition of lockout

Lockout, whether electrical, hydraulic, or mechanical, is the process of securing equipment or an installation to allow safe intervention.

A failure or absence of lockout can lead operators to dangerously come into contact with live electrical parts, pressurized fluids, or moving mechanical components. The electrical, hydraulic, and mechanical lockout process therefore consists of isolating and securing equipment, installations, and machines.

For electrical lockout, it is the sequential set of essential, regulated operations that ensures the safety of both personnel and equipment before working on electrical devices or installations. In fact, only work performed with the power switched off can provide full protection against electrocution-provided that all voltage is truly removed and remains so. This is the purpose of lockout.

Electrical, hydraulic, and mechanical lockout processes require robust procedures to guarantee strict compliance with safety rules under current legislation.

It’s important to note that just because an installation is shut down does not mean it is secured for intervention. Accidents - often serious - frequently occur due to this misconception.

LOTO (Lock Out Tag Out) and LOTOTO processes

In international groups where English terms are preferred, the lockout process is often referred to as LOTO (Lock Out Tag Out). The principle remains the same.


Step 1: Lockout. After the installation has been stopped, it is locked out. More precisely, its power supply mechanism is locked with a lockout device and padlock. This ensures the equipment cannot be accidentally restarted.

Step 2: Tagout. The padlock is labeled with the following information: the reason for the lockout, the date, the person who performed it, and possibly the associated operating instructions.


A third step may be added, known as LOTOTO (Lockout - Tagout - Tryout). This involves testing the effectiveness of the lockout. Is the padlock correctly installed? Can we be absolutely sure the equipment cannot be reactivated?

Lockout: a critical safety issue

Lockout is mandatory to prevent accidents, which remain too frequent. This process is crucial in industries such as manufacturing, maintenance, and construction, where interventions on electrical equipment are common.
Around half of workplace accidents during maintenance or servicing operations are linked to lockout errors, or the total absence of lockout.

Lockout addresses three main challenges:
  • Operator safety: preventing accidents by eliminating the risk of accidental energization of equipment being serviced
  • Protection of assets: avoiding damage to equipment and infrastructure caused by unexpected re-energization
  • Regulatory compliance: meeting safety standards and regulations, such as the NFC 18-510 standard in France, which governs work on electrical installations

What are the lockout regulations?

Lockout is mandatory for employers and is governed in France by the following regulations:
  • NFC 18-510 and UTE C18-510 (electrical applications)
  • Articles R4323-15 and R4544-5 of the French Labor Code
  • Decree 1016 of August 30, 2010, and NFC 18-510
  • Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC
  • Decree of April 26, 2012

The NFC 18-510 standard is the key regulatory technical reference for managing operations in electrical risk environments. It defines the roles and responsibilities of managers and operators and specifies the requirements for authorizations depending on the type of work and voltage levels.

The NFX 60-400 standard, compared with NFC 18-510, covers the prevention of risks such as lockout procedures related to non-electrical energies. It ensures the protection of personnel from energy hazards, fluids, and other situations during maintenance or adjustments on installations involving utilities, networks, processes, and work equipment.

These lockout regulations clearly define the responsibilities of different stakeholders, whose roles and authorizations are issued by their company in accordance with NFC 18-510:
  • Planner / Order issuer
  • Lockout supervisor
  • Operations supervisor
  • Work supervisor / Operator

Lockout is therefore based on a rigorous process, clearly formalized and mastered by all stakeholders.

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