A method for controlling an electromechanical operation of an electromechanical device based on a safety lockout condition determined using a distributed safety lockout system, the distributed safety lockout system comprising a plurality of networked devices communicatively coupled via a communications network, the plurality of networked devices including one or more electronic controllers (102, 104) and a plurality of safety lockout condition detection devices (108, 110); the method comprising: at one or more of the plurality of networked devices: receiving a safety lockout status from another networked device via the communications network; comparing a local safety lockout status to the received safety lockout status; determining whether to update the local safety lockout status based on results of comparing the local safety lockout status to the received safety lockout status and, when it is determined to update the local safety lockout status, then updating the local safety lockout status to the received safety lockout status; and broadcasting the local safety lockout status over the communications network; at one or more of the plurality of safety lockout condition detection devices (108, 110): determining a proposed safety lockout status based on sensor data obtained by the safety lockout condition detection device (108, 110); comparing the proposed safety lockout status to the local safety lockout status and/or a received safety lockout status that is received from another networked device over the communications network; and determining an updated local safety lockout status to be the local safety lockout status based on comparing the proposed safety lockout status to the local safety lockout status and/or the received safety lockout status; and at any of the one or more electronic controllers (102, 104), controlling an electromechanical operation of an electromechanical device based on the local safety lockout status. at one or more of the plurality of networked devices: receiving a safety lockout status from another networked device via the communications network; comparing a local safety lockout status to the received safety lockout status; determining whether to update the local safety lockout status based on results of comparing the local safety lockout status to the received safety lockout status and, when it is determined to update the local safety lockout status, then updating the local safety lockout status to the received safety lockout status; and broadcasting the local safety lockout status over the communications network; receiving a safety lockout status from another networked device via the communications network; comparing a local safety lockout status to the received safety lockout status; determining whether to update the local safety lockout status based on results of comparing the local safety lockout status to the received safety lockout status and, when it is determined to update the local safety lockout status, then updating the local safety lockout status to the received safety lockout status; and broadcasting the local safety lockout status over the communications network; at one or more of the plurality of safety lockout condition detection devices (108, 110): determining a proposed safety lockout status based on sensor data obtained by the safety lockout condition detection device (108, 110); comparing the proposed safety lockout status to the local safety lockout status and/or a received safety lockout status that is received from another networked device over the communications network; and determining an updated local safety lockout status to be the local safety lockout status based on comparing the proposed safety lockout status to the local safety lockout status and/or the received safety lockout status; and determining a proposed safety lockout status based on sensor data obtained by the safety lockout condition detection device (108, 110); comparing the proposed safety lockout status to the local safety lockout status and/or a received safety lockout status that is received from another networked device over the communications network; and determining an updated local safety lockout status to be the local safety lockout status based on comparing the proposed safety lockout status to the local safety lockout status and/or the received safety lockout status; and at any of the one or more electronic controllers (102, 104), controlling an electromechanical operation of an electromechanical device based on the local safety lockout status.