Lockout/Tagout Basics
General info only. These talks don't replace your company's safety program, your site rules, or OSHA rules. Follow those first, and ask your safety lead if something here doesn't match.
Start here
Machines and circuits don't care that you're working on them. Lockout/tagout is how we make sure nothing starts up while hands are inside.
Key points
- Only trained and authorized people do lockout. If you're not sure you are one, ask before you touch anything.
- Know every energy source. Electric is the obvious one. Also think about air, hydraulics, springs, gravity, steam, and stored heat.
- Shut it down, isolate it, and put your own lock and tag on it.
- Release or block stored energy, like bleeding off pressure or blocking a part that could drop.
- Try to start it to prove it's dead. For electrical, test before you touch.
- Your lock, your key. Never remove someone else's lock.
- When the job is done, check that tools and people are clear before you remove locks.
Bottom line: A lock and a tag cost a few bucks. Skipping them can cost a hand or a life.
Talk it over
- What equipment on this job would need lockout before work?
- What kinds of stored energy are easy to forget?
- What do you do if you find a lock and the owner isn't around?
Before you wrap up: have everyone sign the sign-in sheet, write today's date and the topic, and note any questions or hazards the crew brought up. Need a sheet? Use the free toolbox talk template.
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