Lockout Tagout Accident Attorneys in Kirkland 

We Represent Factory Injuries & Electrical Injuries from LOTO Failures

LOTO failures are among the leading causes of serious injury and death in factories and industrial facilities across the country. When heavy machinery, conveyor systems, presses, mixers, or assembly line equipment is not properly locked out, the injuries that result are devastating: amputations, crush injuries, traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord damage, severe burns, and death.

Electrical injuries are particularly common in LOTO cases. Many industrial machines involve high-voltage systems, and when workers contact live electrical components during maintenance or cleaning, the consequences can include severe electrical burns, cardiac arrest, neurological damage, and wrongful death. OSHA's LOTO standard specifically covers electrical energy because the risk of electrocution during servicing and maintenance is well-documented and serious.

These injuries can leave survivors facing permanent disability, long-term medical care, lost income, and immeasurable personal loss. Families may be left without their primary wage earner, without the person who held everything together. The financial and emotional toll is enormous.

Washington State workers have rights under both state and federal law, and families who have lost loved ones to LOTO failures in factories, warehouses, manufacturing plants, food processing facilities, and other industrial settings have the right to pursue legal action separate from any workers' compensation claim. 

Lindquist & Kornfeld represents families in Kirkland, Seattle, Bellevue, Everett, and throughout Washington State who have been impacted by factory accidents, electrical injuries, and wrongful deaths caused by lockout tagout failures. Our team will treat your case, and your family, with the seriousness, care, and determination it deserves.

How Do LOTO Failures Kill Workers?

Lockout tagout, or LOTO, refers to the federally mandated safety procedures that industrial employers must follow when maintaining, servicing, or cleaning machinery and equipment. Before any worker comes near hazardous energy—whether electrical, hydraulic, pneumatic, thermal, chemical, or mechanical—that energy must be completely isolated and locked out so the machinery cannot be accidentally started or re-energized.

When LOTO procedures are not followed properly—whether through negligence, lack of training, corner-cutting, or outright disregard—the results are catastrophic.

LOTO Ranks as One of OSHA’s Top 10 Safety Violations Every Year

According to OSHA, approximately 120 workers are killed and 50,000 are injured in the United States every year as a direct result of LOTO failures. About 10% of industrial safety incidents are tired to failure to properly lock out equipment. 

Some of the most dangerous phases are maintenance and cleaning, where workers are killed annually in caught-in equipment accidents. These are not freak accidents. They are the foreseeable result of employers who cut corners on training, skip required procedures, or allow unsafe practices to become routine.

 procedures, or allow unsafe practices to become routine.

Click here for OSHA’s Fact Sheet on Lockout/Tagout

Common Stages Where LOTO Violations Occur 

The most frequently cited LOTO violations we see in wrongful death and serious injury cases include: failure to use LOTO devices at all, lack of proper training for authorized employees, and failure to follow machine-specific lockout tagout procedures. All three of these represent failures that employers are legally obligated to prevent.

Failure to Notify Affected Workers

Before lockout tagout procedures begin, all workers in the area must be informed. When employers skip this step, workers can unknowingly re-enter a hazard zone.

Improper Machine Shutdown or Hazardous Energy Isolation

Simply turning off a machine is not enough. All energy sources, including residual or stored energy,  must be fully isolated. Employers who rely on partial shutdowns or informal procedures put workers at serious risk.

Improper Application of Lockout Tagout Devices

OSHA requires machine-specific procedures. Generic approaches, missing devices, or improperly applied locks fail to provide the protection the law demands.

Failure to Verify Isolation of Hazardous Energy 

Before work begins, the authorized employee must verify that all energy has been de-energized. Skipping this step means the worker has no confirmed protection.

Improper Interruption During Testing or Repositioning

When equipment needs to be temporarily re-energized to test a system or reposition a component, extremely precise procedures are required. Failures here are particularly dangerous because they happen while a worker is actively in the hazard zone.

Improper Restoration of Equipment After Lockout Tagout

When maintenance is complete, a strict re-energization procedure must be followed, including confirming that all workers are safely clear. Failures at this stage have killed workers who were still in or near machines.