Lock Out Tag Out (LOTO) on Farms: The Simple Process That Prevents Life-Changing Injuries

If a person can be injured by unexpected start-up or release of energy, LOTO must happen before anyone touches the machine.

Why LOTO is a non-negotiable in agriculture

Agriculture is unique. You’ve got mixed machinery ages (new tech sitting next to 40-year-old gear), seasonal workers and contractors, multiple people on-site doing different tasks, long hours and fatigue, remote locations and “make do” repairs, and pressure to keep things moving during harvest, spraying, feeding, or processing.

Those conditions are exactly where LOTO pays for itself.

The common accident pattern

Most “failure to isolate” injuries follow a predictable chain:

1. Machine is stopped but not isolated
2. Someone assumes “it’s off” or “no one will touch it”
3. Another person restarts it (or an automatic cycle resumes)
4. The machine moves unexpectedly, or energy releases
5. A hand, arm, leg, or body is caught, crushed, amputated, or worse

LOTO breaks that chain. Every time.

What LOTO actually controls: it’s not just electricity

A common misunderstanding is thinking LOTO only applies to electric motors. On farms, energy comes in many forms:

• Electrical: mains power, generators, solar inverters, control panels
• Mechanical: rotating shafts, PTOs, belts, chains, blades, flywheels
• Hydraulic: rams, loaders, booms, implements under pressure
• Pneumatic: compressed air, valves, pressurised lines
• Gravitational: raised implements, suspended loads, tailgates, doors
• Thermal: hot surfaces, steam, heat exchangers
• Chemical: pressurised lines, dosing systems, chemical transfer pumps
• Stored energy: springs, tensioned belts, capacitors, accumulators, trapped pressure

If you can’t confidently say, “All energy sources are isolated and all stored energy is controlled,” then the job is
not safe to proceed.

The core LOTO workflow for farms

Below is a practical farm-ready approach aligned to a simple sequence your team can remember.

1) Shutdown

Bring the machine to a complete stop using the correct procedure:

• Normal stop controls first (don’t just yank power)
• Wait for all motion to cease (spindles, belts, blades, augers)
• Follow manufacturer instructions where relevant

Key point: “Stopped” does not mean “safe”.

2) Isolation

Identify every energy source and isolate it. Examples:

• Switch off main isolator at the machine
• Unplug and secure plug (where appropriate)
• Isolate hydraulic supply valve
• Shut off compressed air supply and isolate
• Remove PTO and secure so it can’t reconnect
• Shut fuel supply if required (depending on asset)

Tip: If you’re relying on a single “off switch”, you probably haven’t isolated properly.

3) Lock Out

Apply a physical lock to the isolation point(s) so it cannot be re-energised.

• Personal locks are best practice: one lock per person
• If multiple people are involved, use a group lock box or hasp system
• Keep keys under the control of the person doing the work

Rule of thumb: If you can’t lock it, you need another control method — but you must still prevent re-energisation.

4) Tag Out

Attach a clear tag to warn others:

• Who locked it out (name)
• Why it’s locked out (job)
• Date/time applied
• Contact method (if relevant)
• Clear “Do not operate” statement

A tag is not a substitute for a lock — it’s the communication layer that stops assumptions and mistakes.

5) Stored energy control

This step separates “mostly safe” from actually safe. Examples:

• Bleed hydraulic pressure (and verify rams are supported)
• Drain air lines
• Discharge capacitors (only if trained and appropriate)
• Block/brace raised components (mechanical supports, stands)
• Release or restrain springs and tensioned components
• Chock wheels and secure rotating parts

Farm reality check: Many fatal or permanently disabling injuries happen after isolation, because stored energy wasn’t controlled.

6) Verification (Try-Start Test)

Before anyone begins work, verify the isolation:

• Attempt to start the machine using normal controls
• Confirm nothing activates
• Confirm indicators are dead/zero energy
• Confirm there is no movement

Then return controls to “off” so the system doesn’t start when re-energised later.

This one step prevents “I thought it was isolated” injuries.

7) Removal (Controlled return to service)

When the job is finished:

• Confirm tools are removed and guards are reinstalled
• Confirm people are clear of danger zones
• Remove locks only by the people who applied them
• Remove tags
• Restore energy in a controlled way
• Test run safely, observing for abnormal behaviour

8) Completion (Record and review)

Completion matters because it creates accountability, learning for next time, a history of issues and fixes, and evidence
of due diligence. Even for small farms, a simple record closes the loop and improves reliability.

Where LOTO fails on farms (and how to fix it)

Failure point 1: “It’ll only take a second”

This is the most dangerous sentence in agriculture. Fix: Make LOTO the default, not the exception. If it’s a 30-second job, LOTO should be a 30-second habit.

Failure point 2: No one owns the process

If nobody is responsible, everybody assumes somebody else did it. Fix: Assign a role per task: the person
doing the job owns the LOTO steps, and a second person verifies for higher-risk work.

Failure point 3: Isolation points aren’t obvious

Old machinery, modified wiring, and missing labels create confusion. Fix: Label isolation points on priority assets and include a quick isolation map in SOPs.

Failure point 4: Contractors and casual workers don’t follow local rules

They use habits from other sites, or they rush. Fix: Make LOTO a mandatory part of induction and permit-to-work for maintenance.

Failure point 5: Tags and locks aren’t available where the work happens

If the locks are in the office and the breakdown is 600m away, people will skip it. Fix: Keep lockout kits in service utes, workshops, and near high-risk plant areas.

Tips and tricks that make LOTO stick

• LOTO kits everywhere: Put kits where work happens, not where paperwork lives.
• Standardise tags: Same colour, same fields, same “Do not operate” message.
• One person = one lock: Never share locks or keys.
• Use a group lock system: Especially for bigger teams and contractor jobs.
• Label the isolators: Even a basic laminated label prevents mistakes.
• Make verification non-negotiable: Try-start test is the cultural line in the sand.
• Add LOTO checks into pre-starts: If maintenance is planned, LOTO is planned.
• Train on real farm assets: People learn by doing, not by slides.
• Treat bypassing LOTO as serious misconduct: Not to be harsh — because it can kill someone.

Non-compliance: the hard line farms must take

Failure to LOTO is a key driver in serious agricultural accidents. That’s why farms need a clear stance on non-compliance.

Non-compliance isn’t “forgetting paperwork.” It’s the deliberate or negligent removal of a life-safety barrier.

Examples of non-compliance

• Starting or attempting to start a machine with a tag/lock in place
• Removing someone else’s lock or tag
• Bypassing an isolator or safety interlock
• “Holding” a switch, taping a sensor, or overriding a control
• Assuming isolation was done without verification
• Working on equipment while it’s only “stopped” not isolated

There must be consequences, and they must be consistent. Not to punish people — but to keep everyone alive and protect
families, teams, and the business.

The golden rule (print this on the tag)

Do not ever tamper with a machine with a tag or lock.
If you didn’t apply it, you don’t touch it — full stop.

If something urgently needs to happen:

• Stop and contact the person named on the tag
• Escalate to the supervisor / manager
• Follow an agreed, documented process for lock removal (only under strict controls)

Closing the loop with AirAgri: LOTO records inside asset management

LOTO works best when it’s repeatable, visible, and recorded — especially across larger properties, multiple crews,
contractors, and mixed fleets.

That’s where AirAgri’s Asset Management capability becomes a practical advantage. Instead of LOTO living in someone’s head (or a paper pad that gets lost), AirAgri lets you:

• Maintain an asset register so every piece of plant has an owner, location, and risk profile
• Attach LOTO procedures to specific assets (including isolation points and “how to make safe” notes)
• Record lockout/tagout events against the asset, creating traceability over time
• Link LOTO actions to maintenance tasks, permits to work, SOPs, and incidents
• Prove due diligence with timestamped records and consistent workflows
• Identify patterns (e.g., the same asset repeatedly jams, overheats, trips, or requires emergency intervention)

The end result is a safer farm and a more reliable operation: fewer rushed fixes, fewer near misses, and better visibility
over what’s happening in your machinery fleet.

If you want to operationalise LOTO across your farm or remote teams — with simple, consistent processes that actually get followed — reach out to the AirAgri team for a demo of how asset management and safety workflows can support lockout/tagout in the real world.