In California, a serious Lockout/Tagout (LOTO) violation carries a maximum penalty of $25,000 per violation in 2026, rising to $162,851 for a willful or repeat violation. Lockout/Tagout (LOTO) is enforced for private construction employers by Cal/OSHA (Division of Occupational Safety and Health), under 8 CCR §3314 (applied to all employments by §3202(a)) rather than 29 CFR 1910.147. California sets its own maximums, above the federal amount for serious violations and below it for willful and repeat violations.
29 CFR 1910.147 · California
Lockout/Tagout (LOTO) Requirements in California
Lockout/Tagout (LOTO) in California: 2026 penalties, who enforces 8 CCR §3314 (applied to all employments by §3202(a)), the paragraphs cited and free tools.
Verified vs OSHA sources · 2026-10-05
CaliforniaGeneral Industry (29 CFR 1910)State Plan: Cal/OSHA (Division of Occupational Safety and Health)State-set maximums
29 CFR 1910.147 does not apply to construction work. In California, Cal/OSHA (Division of Occupational Safety and Health) enforces the state's own rule on this subject, 8 CCR §3314 (applied to all employments by §3202(a)). A serious violation carries up to $25,000 in California.
$25,000
maximum for a serious violation in California
$162,851
maximum for a willful or repeat violation in California
2.4
fatal work injuries per 100,000 full-time workers, all industries, California, 2024 (BLS)
What California's own rule says
“This Section applies to the cleaning, repairing, servicing, setting-up and adjusting of machines and equipment in which the unexpected energization or start up of the machines or equipment, or release of stored energy could cause injury to employees.”
This is the standard where California and federal law part company hardest. Federal 1910.147(a)(1)(ii)(A) does not cover "Construction and agriculture employment" at all. Section 3314 contains no such exclusion, and §3202(a) provides that the General Industry Safety Orders "apply to all employments and places of employment in California" unless an industry-specific order takes precedence where inconsistent. California also names more operations than the federal "servicing and maintenance": cleaning, repairing, servicing, setting-up and adjusting, and §3314(a)(2) states that those activities include unjamming. A contractor who has been told that lockout/tagout is a general-industry rule is being told the federal position, not the California one.
8 CCR §3314 (applied to all employments by §3202(a))The duty itself differs from the federal text.
Read in Cal/OSHA (Division of Occupational Safety and Health)'s own rule text · verified 2026-08-08
Contact incidents and work deaths in California, 2024
California recorded 419 fatal work injuries in 2024, down from 439 in 2023. BLS did not publish a separate 2024 count of deaths from contact incidents for California. Construction accounted for 82.
Source: BLS Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries, California, 2024
How California Enforces Lockout/Tagout (LOTO)
California runs an OSHA-approved State Plan administered by Cal/OSHA (Division of Occupational Safety and Health), which covers private-sector construction. Its compliance officers enforce California's own standards, which must be at least as effective as federal OSHA's and may go further. On this subject the rule is 8 CCR §3314 (applied to all employments by §3202(a)), which differs from the federal text (see the state rule above). California also sets its own civil-penalty maximums, above the federal amount for serious violations and below it for willful and repeat violations (see the penalty table below).
29 CFR 1910.147 is a general-industry standard and does not govern construction work. “This standard does not cover the following: (A) Construction and agriculture employment”. Branding a construction program “1910.147 compliant” cites the wrong standard. Unlike confined spaces, Part 1926 has no wholesale re-enactment of 1910.147: construction energy-control duties are spread across hazard-specific provisions, so no single construction equivalent is named here. A California contractor auditing against 29 CFR 1910.147 is auditing against the wrong standard. The citation an officer writes on a construction site will name the 1926 provision, not this one.
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Help and oversight in California
Free, confidential help: OSHA On-Site Consultation
In California, the program is CAL/OSHA Consultation Services Branch (Department of Industrial Relations). OSHA describes it as “Primarily for smaller businesses, no-cost, confidential consultations help employers identify and address hazards and establish or improve safety and health programs.” It is separate from OSHA enforcement; the employer commits to correcting serious hazards.
California consultation program · OSHA consultation directory
Read on osha.gov and the state's official statute site, September 26, 2026.
California Penalty Amounts for Lockout/Tagout (LOTO) (2026)
Verified · 2026-10-05| Violation type | 2026 maximum | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Serious | $25,000 | California state maximum |
| Willful | $162,851 | California state maximum |
| Repeat | $162,851 | California state maximum |
| Failure to abate | $15,000/day | California state maximum per day |
Cal/OSHA sets its own maximums (8 CCR §336; willful/repeat adjusted annually, 2025 amount): serious up to $25,000 (statutory cap); willful/repeat up to $162,851. Amounts are ceilings per violation. Cal/OSHA (Division of Occupational Safety and Health) computes proposed penalties under its own State Plan procedures.
Key Lockout/Tagout (LOTO) Requirements Under the Federal Standard 29 CFR 1910.147
- Develop machine-specific energy control procedures
- Train authorized, affected, and other employees
- Use standardized lockout/tagout devices
- Follow the 6-step LOTO sequence
- Conduct annual periodic inspections of procedures
- Coordinate group lockout for multi-employee servicing
Who enforces it in California: Cal/OSHA (Division of Occupational Safety and Health) inspects private employers, construction included, under an OSHA-approved State Plan. Cal/OSHA (Division of Occupational Safety and Health) can add requirements beyond the federal standard above, so check its own rules as well.
The compliance checklist, the paragraphs OSHA cites nationally and what an inspector checks under 29 CFR 1910.147 are on the 29 CFR 1910.147 page.
What a Lockout/Tagout (LOTO) Violation Looks Like
Each item below breaches a specific paragraph of 29 CFR 1910.147. It is a list of requirements, not a ranking. A serious violation carries up to $25,000.
- No documented, machine-specific energy control procedures (1910.147(c)(4)).
- Failure to conduct the required at-least-annual periodic inspection of procedures (1910.147(c)(6)).
- Authorized/affected employees not trained (or retrained after changes) (1910.147(c)(7)).
- Stored or residual energy not released or restrained before servicing (1910.147(d)(5)).
- No verification of de-energization/isolation before work begins (1910.147(d)(6)).
California Safety & Enforcement Profile
3,546
FY2025 construction citations
Cal/OSHA (Division of Occupational Safety and Health)
Enforces private construction
- Construction trades inspected most in California, FY2025: Commercial and Institutional Building Construction (395), Roofing Contractors (223) and New Single-Family Housing Construction (except For-Sale Builders) (198), out of 2,196 inspections opened (federal OSHA and State Plan combined).
- Construction fatality rate in California, 2024: 6.2 per 100,000 full-time workers, 37th highest of the 40 states BLS published (all industries: 2.4).
- Cal/OSHA's heat illness standard, 8 CCR §3395, applies to all outdoor places of employment, and it lists construction among the industries that must also follow its high-heat procedures. (8 CCR §3395(a)(1)-(2))
HazComFast count from the Labor Department's OSHA enforcement data: inspections of construction employers (NAICS 23) opened from October 1, 2024 to September 30, 2025, federal OSHA and State Plan combined, grouped by the inspected employer's 2022 NAICS industry. Industry names are the Census Bureau's 2022 NAICS titles. data.dol.gov · BLS fatality rates by state, 2024
Free Lockout/Tagout (LOTO) Compliance Tools
Lockout/Tagout (LOTO) FAQ for California
What are the penalties for Lockout/Tagout (LOTO) violations in California in 2026?
In California, a serious Lockout/Tagout (LOTO) violation carries a maximum penalty of $25,000 per violation, and a willful or repeat violation up to $162,851. California sets its own maximums, above the federal amount for serious violations and below it for willful and repeat violations. Cal/OSHA sets its own maximums (8 CCR §336; willful/repeat adjusted annually, 2025 amount): serious up to $25,000 (statutory cap); willful/repeat up to $162,851. Each distinct violation can be cited as its own item. (Source: 8 CCR §336; verified 2026-10-05.)
Which California industries most often face a Lockout/Tagout (LOTO) inspection?
Lockout/Tagout (LOTO) inspections reach general-industry employers in California, not the construction trades. Cal/OSHA (Division of Occupational Safety and Health) inspects these employers directly and may apply requirements beyond the federal standard. A construction employer is not governed by 29 CFR 1910.147, and the construction-side duties on this subject are not concentrated in a single standard. Check your Part 1926 obligations instead.
How often is Lockout/Tagout (LOTO) cited in California?
29 CFR 1910.147 is enforced against general-industry employers in California, so the construction citation totals published for California (OSHA Frequently Cited Standards, NAICS 23) do not measure it. “This standard does not cover the following: (A) Construction and agriculture employment”. Branding a construction program “1910.147 compliant” cites the wrong standard. Unlike confined spaces, Part 1926 has no wholesale re-enactment of 1910.147: construction energy-control duties are spread across hazard-specific provisions, so no single construction equivalent is named here. A construction employer is not governed by 29 CFR 1910.147, and the construction-side duties on this subject are not concentrated in a single standard. Check your Part 1926 obligations instead.
Does California require lockout/tagout procedures?
Yes. Under Title 8 §3314, machinery must be stopped and its hazardous energy isolated and locked out before cleaning, repairing, servicing or adjusting, with written accountable procedures and training. Cal/OSHA enforces this rather than the federal 1910.147, at serious penalties up to $25,000.
Who enforces lockout/tagout in California?
Cal/OSHA, the Division of Occupational Safety and Health within the Department of Industrial Relations. California runs an OSHA-approved State Plan and enforces hazardous-energy control under Title 8 §3314.
Can I get free OSHA help in California without an inspection?
Yes. OSHA's On-Site Consultation Program in California is CAL/OSHA Consultation Services Branch (Department of Industrial Relations). OSHA describes it this way: "Primarily for smaller businesses, no-cost, confidential consultations help employers identify and address hazards and establish or improve safety and health programs." Consultations are separate from OSHA enforcement, and the employer commits to correcting serious hazards.
Lockout/Tagout (LOTO) Guides & Resources
Compare this combination against any other state and standard with the enforcement risk lookup.
Related standards
Lockout/Tagout (LOTO) in Other States
6 other state plans write a rule of their own for 29 CFR 1910.147 rather than adopting the federal text unchanged. Those are listed first. Compare all of them side by side.
Hawaii29 CFR 1910.147 as incorporated by HAR §12-60-50(a), with §12-60-4 and §12-60-6Indiana29 CFR 1910.147 as applied in Indiana; review by the board of safety review, not OSHRCown maxKentucky803 KAR 2:309, Section 3own maxMinnesotaMinn. R. 5207.0600Nevada29 CFR 1910.147 as applied in Nevada, with NRS 618.383UtahUtah Admin. Code R614-1-5.D.6.bown maxAlabamaArkansas
Other OSHA Standards in California
Sources & verification
Penalty amounts and plan-type data were checked on 2026-10-05 against eCFR, OSHA.gov, and the Federal Register. This page is informational and not legal advice; consult the enforcing agency or counsel for your specific situation.
Get the Binder in Order Before the Inspector Arrives. Are You Ready?
OSHA does not give advance notice of inspections (29 CFR 1903.6). Get the binder in order before the opening conference, not during it.
Serious violation, California
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per violation (max)
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