The continuity of lockout or tagout protection during shift changes requires that a procedure for orderly transferring lockout or tagout devices between outgoing and incoming employees be included in the written energy-control procedures. A multiple-lock hasp may be used so incoming employees can apply their locks before outgoing employees remove their locks.

Following a shift change and before starting work, each group of incoming authorized employees must reverify that a locked or tagged out machine remains isolated and de-energized.

In situations where outgoing employees remove lockout or tagout devices before the incoming employees arrive, such as a change from second-shift to first-shift employees, this procedure could allow for outgoing employees to apply a tagout device to indicate that the lock had been removed but the machine or equipment had not been reenergized. Any incoming employee would verify that the system was still de-energized, would remove the interim tag, and would replace it with a personal lockout device. This would ensure that continuous protection is maintained from one shift to another.