The term “lockout/tagout” is so common in safety compliance circles that oftentimes its individual components, “lockout” and “tagout,” are misinterpreted as essentially the same thing. While both terms refer to safety procedures for isolating a machine’s hazardous energy sources during maintenance, repair, installation etc., lockout is entirely different from tagout.
 
To substantiate this fact, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requires the implementation of a lockout procedure instead of a tagout procedure whenever possible. Although independent, you can and should implement both procedures in conjunction with each other to provide the highest level of occupational safety ...