How do you calculate lockout/tagout time?

Count the energy-isolation points on the machine and multiply by the minutes needed to lock and verify each one. With 6 isolation points at 4 minutes each, lockout is 6 x 4 = 24 minutes, and the full round-trip including restoration is 48 minutes.

What counts as an energy-isolation point?

Any device that must be locked to control a hazardous energy source: a main electrical disconnect, a pneumatic block-and-bleed valve, a hydraulic isolation valve, a chained-off manual valve, or a mechanical block for stored gravity or spring energy. Each one is a separate point in the count.

Why does the round-trip figure double the time?

The 48-minute round-trip covers both applying every lock and verifying zero energy at the start, and then removing locks and safely re-energizing at the end. Both halves are hands-on work, so a full service event carries roughly twice the one-way lockout time.

How many minutes per isolation point is realistic?

Simple padlock-and-hasp electrical disconnects can be 2-3 minutes, while block-and-bleed pneumatic or hydraulic points that require verifying zero pressure often run 5-8 minutes. The 4-minute default is a reasonable mixed-machine average; time your own points to refine it.

Does tagout-only take longer than lockout?

Tagout without a physical lock is only permitted when a lock cannot be applied, and OSHA requires additional means to make it equivalently safe, which usually adds verification steps and time. Treat tagout-only points as at least as long as, and often longer than, a lockable point.

How do I use this to plan a PM window?

Add the round-trip LOTO time to the actual wrench-turning time. If the repair itself is 90 minutes and round-trip LOTO is 48 minutes, block out about 138 minutes of machine downtime, plus a buffer for the lockout verification walk.

Safety & Workforce calculator

Lockout Tagout Time Calculator

Lockout/tagout (LOTO) time is the labor minutes needed to de-energize and secure every hazardous energy source on a machine before authorized service or maintenance. Maintenance planners, reliability engineers, and EHS coordinators use it to schedule downtime windows, staff PM events, and prove that servicing crews are not skipping isolation steps to save time. On a shop floor it matters because an underestimated LOTO window is the single most common reason technicians bypass a lock — and bypassed energy control is one of OSHA's most-cited standards (29 CFR 1910.147). Getting the number right upfront keeps the machine, the schedule, and the technician safe.

What this calculator does

Estimate lockout/tagout time for Safety & Workforce from the number of energy-isolation points and time per point.
Use it to budget LOTO time into maintenance and changeover windows in Safety & Workforce.
It computes total lockout/tagout minutes as energy-isolation points multiplied by the minutes required to lock and verify each point, plus a round-trip figure that also covers restoring energy afterward.

Formula used

Lockout/tagout time = energy-isolation points × minutes per point
Round-trip doubles it for lockout plus restoration

Inputs explained

Energy-isolation points:
Minutes per point:

How to use the result

Use it when writing a machine-specific LOTO procedure, quoting maintenance downtime, or sizing the PM window for equipment with multiple energy sources (electrical, pneumatic, hydraulic, stored gravity or spring).
It assumes every isolation point takes the same time and that a single technician works sequentially; complex machines with team lockout, permit-required steps, or hard-to-reach valves will run longer than the flat per-point average suggests.

Current U.S. benchmarks

Manufacturing hourly earnings average $30.27 (BLS, Jun 2026), up 4.4% from a year earlier. Median machinist pay is $28.24/hr (OEWS 2025), with state medians on each state page. Manufacturers have 529k open positions nationally (BLS JOLTS).

Common questions

How do you calculate lockout/tagout time? Count the energy-isolation points on the machine and multiply by the minutes needed to lock and verify each one. With 6 isolation points at 4 minutes each, lockout is 6 x 4 = 24 minutes, and the full round-trip including restoration is 48 minutes.
What counts as an energy-isolation point? Any device that must be locked to control a hazardous energy source: a main electrical disconnect, a pneumatic block-and-bleed valve, a hydraulic isolation valve, a chained-off manual valve, or a mechanical block for stored gravity or spring energy. Each one is a separate point in the count.
Why does the round-trip figure double the time? The 48-minute round-trip covers both applying every lock and verifying zero energy at the start, and then removing locks and safely re-energizing at the end. Both halves are hands-on work, so a full service event carries roughly twice the one-way lockout time.
How many minutes per isolation point is realistic? Simple padlock-and-hasp electrical disconnects can be 2-3 minutes, while block-and-bleed pneumatic or hydraulic points that require verifying zero pressure often run 5-8 minutes. The 4-minute default is a reasonable mixed-machine average; time your own points to refine it.
Does tagout-only take longer than lockout? Tagout without a physical lock is only permitted when a lock cannot be applied, and OSHA requires additional means to make it equivalently safe, which usually adds verification steps and time. Treat tagout-only points as at least as long as, and often longer than, a lockable point.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.