In Minnesota, a serious Lockout/Tagout (LOTO) violation carries a maximum penalty of $16,550 per violation in 2026, rising to $165,514 for a willful or repeat violation. Lockout/Tagout (LOTO) is enforced for private construction employers by Minnesota OSHA (MNOSHA), under Minn. R. 5207.0600 rather than 29 CFR 1910.147.
29 CFR 1910.147 · Minnesota
Lockout/Tagout (LOTO) Requirements in Minnesota
Lockout/Tagout (LOTO) in Minnesota: 2026 penalties, who enforces Minn. R. 5207.0600, the paragraphs cited and free tools.
Verified vs OSHA sources · 2026-10-05
MinnesotaGeneral Industry (29 CFR 1910)State Plan: Minnesota OSHA (MNOSHA)
29 CFR 1910.147 does not apply to construction work. In Minnesota, Minnesota OSHA (MNOSHA) enforces the state's own rule on this subject, Minn. R. 5207.0600. The federal maximum for a serious violation is $16,550.
$16,550
federal maximum for a serious violation
$165,514
federal maximum for a willful or repeat violation
2.9
fatal work injuries per 100,000 full-time workers, all industries, Minnesota, 2024 (BLS)
What Minnesota's own rule says
“Any main electrical power disconnect means which controls a source of power or material flow shall be locked out with a lockout device whenever employees are maintaining, cleaning, adjusting, or servicing machinery or equipment, if the disconnect is not in clear sight of the employee.”
Federal 1910.147 does not reach construction work. Minn. R. 5207.0600 is a Minnesota standard written into the construction and general chapter, and it states the duty in concrete terms: lock out the main disconnect whenever it is out of the employee's line of sight, and hang a "Do Not Start" tag meeting 1910.145(f)(4) on the operating controls. Three further subparts cover what the federal general-industry rule handles through the stored-energy provisions: bleed pneumatic and hydraulic lines and lock the holding valve, block or relieve spring tension, and lower suspended mechanisms to their lowest position and block them before work begins.
Minn. R. 5207.0600The duty itself differs from the federal text.
Read in Minnesota OSHA (MNOSHA)'s own rule text · verified 2026-08-08
Contact incidents and work deaths in Minnesota, 2024
Minnesota recorded 84 fatal work injuries in 2024, up from 70 in 2023. Contact incidents caused 13 of them (15%). Construction accounted for 18.
Source: BLS Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries, Minnesota, 2024
How Minnesota Enforces Lockout/Tagout (LOTO)
Minnesota runs an OSHA-approved State Plan administered by Minnesota OSHA (MNOSHA), which covers private-sector construction. Its compliance officers enforce Minnesota's own standards, which must be at least as effective as federal OSHA's and may go further. On this subject the rule is Minn. R. 5207.0600, which differs from the federal text (see the state rule above). Minnesota OSHA (MNOSHA) issued no citations under 29 CFR 1910.147 in Minnesota construction in FY2025. Minnesota applies the federal penalty maximums.
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 Minnesota 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 Minnesota
Free, confidential help: OSHA On-Site Consultation
In Minnesota, the program is Workplace Safety Consultation (Minnesota Department of Labor & Industry). 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.
Minnesota consultation program · OSHA consultation directory
Read on osha.gov and the state's official statute site, September 26, 2026.
Minnesota Penalty Amounts for Lockout/Tagout (LOTO) (2026)
Verified · 2026-10-05| Violation type | 2026 maximum | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Serious | $16,550 | Federal max · 29 CFR 1903.15(d) |
| Willful | $165,514 | Federal max · 29 CFR 1903.15(d) |
| Repeat | $165,514 | Federal max · 29 CFR 1903.15(d) |
| Failure to abate | $16,550/day | up to $16,550 per day; total capped at 30x the daily amount (FOM Ch.6) |
Minnesota applies the federal OSHA maximums. Amounts are ceilings per violation. Minnesota OSHA (MNOSHA) 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 Minnesota: Minnesota OSHA (MNOSHA) inspects private employers, construction included, under an OSHA-approved State Plan. Minnesota OSHA (MNOSHA) 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 $16,550.
- 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)).
Minnesota Safety & Enforcement Profile
435
FY2025 construction citations
Minnesota OSHA (MNOSHA)
Enforces private construction
- Construction trades inspected most in Minnesota, FY2025: Commercial and Institutional Building Construction (49), New Multifamily Housing Construction (except For-Sale Builders) (43) and Roofing Contractors (32), out of 266 inspections opened (federal OSHA and State Plan combined).
- Construction fatality rate in Minnesota, 2024: 9.1 per 100,000 full-time workers, 21st highest of the 40 states BLS published (all industries: 2.9).
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 Minnesota
Which Minnesota industries most often face a Lockout/Tagout (LOTO) inspection?
Lockout/Tagout (LOTO) inspections reach general-industry employers in Minnesota, not the construction trades. Minnesota OSHA (MNOSHA) 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 Minnesota?
29 CFR 1910.147 is enforced against general-industry employers in Minnesota, so the construction citation totals published for Minnesota (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 MNOSHA require a written lockout/tagout program in Minnesota?
Yes. 29 CFR 1910.147 requires an energy control program with documented procedures for the equipment serviced, employee training, and a periodic inspection of each procedure at least annually. In Minnesota, MNOSHA, the state's own OSHA program, can cite the missing program, missing machine-specific steps, or the failure to isolate stored energy before service.
Who enforces lockout/tagout (1910.147) in Minnesota?
MNOSHA, Minnesota OSHA. Minnesota runs a full OSHA-approved State Plan, so a state compliance officer inspects and cites 1910.147 on private jobsites.
Can I get free OSHA help in Minnesota without an inspection?
Yes. OSHA's On-Site Consultation Program in Minnesota is Workplace Safety Consultation (Minnesota Department of Labor & Industry). 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
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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.
California8 CCR §3314 (applied to all employments by §3202(a))own maxHawaii29 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 maxNevada29 CFR 1910.147 as applied in Nevada, with NRS 618.383UtahUtah Admin. Code R614-1-5.D.6.bown maxAlabamaArkansas
Other OSHA Standards in Minnesota
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.
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