Lockout/tagout (LOTO) is the safe-work procedure for de-energizing electrical equipment and securing it against re-energization before work begins — applying locks and tags so a circuit cannot be switched back on while someone is working on it. In NFPA 70E terms, LOTO is a core step in establishing an electrically safe work condition, the preferred alternative to working energized.
LOTO appears in the electrical safety content of Texas electrician CE as part of NFPA 70E's safe work practices, alongside:
- Energized work permits — the documented justification and authorization required when de-energizing isn't feasible
- Hazard identification and risk assessment before work starts
- Conditions and considerations for working on or near energized equipment
NFPA 70E outlines methods for complying with OSHA's electrical safety requirements (29 CFR 1910 Subpart S and 1926 Subpart K), so the LOTO practices in your CE align with the same framework federal workplace-safety enforcement uses. The same CE content also covers how the human body reacts to electric current and the hazards of shock, flash, and blast — the reasons the procedure exists.
What it means for your renewal
Every individual Texas electrical license — Apprentice through Master — refreshes this material annually, because electrical safety is a mandatory CE topic and the license renews every year. One 4-hour course covers it together with the NEC and Texas law, no final exam.