Energized equipment keeps manufacturing businesses running by way of electricity, steam, mechanical forces, hydraulic power and compressed air. When workers are performing equipment service or maintenance, however, all that energy needs to stop.

An effective lockout/tagout program includes the policies and procedures that identify the points of hazardous energy at a facility, the steps for shutting down equipment, and training—and, of course, lockout/tagout gear.

What Is Lockout/Tagout (LOTO) Gear, and Why Is It Critical?

Lockout/tagout (LOTO) gear refers to any physical device used to control or isolate the hazardous energy of a piece of equipment. These devices are as important as any personal protective equipment in keeping workers safe.

“If you’re going into a facility, you have to wear safety shoes, a hard hat, safety glasses and hearing protection,” says Scott Gehring, global product manager for lockout/tagout at Brady. “The right lockout gear is basically the same thing. It might not be on your person, like your hard hat, but providing the correct and easily accessible lockout gear is not only a requirement but also ensures that workers are safe. You don’t want somebody to come up and accidentally energize an electrical lockout point.”

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requires that employers apply a lockout or tagout device on any equipment with hazardous energy that could injure a worker while servicing or maintaining the equipment.

OSHA does not specify the type of LOTO device, but experts agree it’s a best practice to have the right device for each application.

“You’ve got to make sure you have the proper tool for the job,” Gehring says. “Different energy sources require specific tools, and mismatches lead to unsafe improvising, which could render the device useless.”

Here’s a look at the top five lockout/tagout devices your facility might need.

Read more: Your Guide to OSHA Lockout/Tagout Rules: Preventing Deadly Accidents

1. Padlocks and Tags

Lockout padlocks are traditional-looking locks that use a key to physically lock a device so the energy source can’t be accessed. But not any lock will do. “This isn’t your padlock on a gate that you’re trying to keep an intruder out with,” Gehring says. “This is meant to be a specific tool that is of a certain color to identify who is locked out and why they’re locked out.”

Lockout tags are generally used with a padlock to clearly communicate that the equipment is locked out, and by whom.

“Anytime you see those big pieces of equipment with a red lock or tag on it,” Gehring adds, “you’ve got to assume somebody’s life is on the line.”

2. Group Lockout Boxes and Lockout Hasps

Group lockout boxes are ideal for complex applications. “If you have large-group lockout events where you have multiple isolation points, you have a device and a lock out there in the field, and you need to put that key somewhere,” Gehring says. “Guess what? You put it in a lock box.” A supervisor would then put their lock on the box, as would anyone working on the machine. The box can’t be unlocked—or the machine reenergized—until all work is completed and all locks are off.

Lockout hasps are suitable for smaller groups (usually six workers or fewer) working on a single energy point. The hasp goes on the isolation point, and each worker secures their lock in one of six or so open holes. The hasp is a sleek and effective alternative to a group lock box, especially for small to midsized companies, says Josh Harper, senior national accounts manager at Master Lock.

“Anytime you have multiple workers working on an area, everybody should have a lock on that piece of equipment for their own personal safety, and you can’t remove it until everybody is done,” he says.

Read more: 4 Ways to Improve Your Lockout/Tagout System

3. Valve Lockouts

Valve lockouts are generally used at isolation points that are energized by something other than electricity, such as water, steam or compressed air.

Quarter-turn ball valves are the most common valves in manufacturing, followed by gate valves, Harper says. Each of these valve types takes a lockout device made for that purpose.

A ball valve lockout device covers the valve to secure it in the off position (perpendicular to the pipe). A gate valve lockout device is a cover that prevents the handle from being rotated open.

4. Cable Lockouts

Cable lockouts are durable steel cables that can be fed through handles or levers, then secured with a padlock, making them ideal for equipment with multiple energy sources or applications that don’t have a specific lockout device made for it.

“We have a customer with a breaker that has a 2-foot-long racking arm. You have to pull it down with two hands to rack the breakers, to turn it off. Nobody makes a device for that,” Harper says. “So, they run that cable over the arm and cinch it to eyebolts on the floor so that nobody can lift it back up to turn the electricity back on.”

5. Circuit Breaker Lockouts

Circuit breaker lockouts cover the circuit breaker for a piece of equipment once the breaker is turned off, then are locked closed by a padlock.

Because there are different-sized breakers, it’s important to select the right lockout device for correct coverage. Except for the heaviest-duty electrical needs, Harper says, “most breakers inside of most facilities are the standard 120- to 240-volt breaker, like we have in our houses.”