Lockout/Tagout (LOTO) Toolbox Talk: Control Hazardous Energy

5-minute toolbox talk · 2:29 video + discussion, quiz and sign-off · free printable sheet with sign-off table.

Key points

• Energy is not only electricity. It can also be mechanical, hydraulic, pneumatic, chemical or thermal.
• Only authorized, trained workers apply locks and tags.
• Each worker puts his or her own lock on the machine. Your lock has your name.
• A tag alone is a warning. A lock is a barrier. Use a lock when the machine can take one.
• Only the person who put on the lock removes it.

Step by step

1. Prepare: know the energy sources, the hazards and how to control them.
2. Tell the affected workers that the machine will be shut down.
3. Shut down the machine with its normal stop procedure.
4. Isolate every energy source: open breakers, close valves, block parts.
5. Put your lock and tag on each isolating device.
6. Release stored energy: bleed pressure, block springs, let parts cool.
7. Verify: try to start the machine. It must not start. Then return the controls to OFF.

Never

• Never work on a machine that only has the switch OFF.
• Never remove another person's lock.
• Never skip the verify step.

Who needs this training

• Authorized workers — the people who service or maintain the machine and put on the locks. They need full training in the energy sources and the control procedure.
• Affected workers — the people who run the machine or work in the area. They need to know what lockout is, and that they must never try to restart a locked or tagged machine.
• Everyone else on site — they need to know that locks and tags exist and must never be removed or ignored.

What the rule says

In US general industry, the rule is OSHA 29 CFR 1910.147, "The control of hazardous energy (lockout/tagout)". It applies when workers service or maintain machines where an unexpected start-up or release of stored energy could hurt them. Construction work is covered by separate rules.

The employer must have a written energy control procedure, train workers before they do the work, and inspect each procedure at least once a year. Workers must be retrained when their job, the machine or the procedure changes.

Each authorized worker uses his or her own lock. Only the person who put the lock on removes it. If that person is not on site, the employer's written removal procedure must be followed.

Common mistakes

• Switching off at the control panel and calling it "locked out". A control switch is not an energy-isolating device.
• Forgetting stored energy: springs, hydraulic pressure, compressed air, gravity, capacitors and hot parts.
• Skipping the verify step because "it was off yesterday".
• One lock for a whole crew. In group lockout, every worker still puts on a personal lock, for example on a group lockbox.
• Leaving the machine locked at shift change without a clear handover of locks.

Talk about it

1. Which machines in our area have more than one energy source?
2. Where are the isolation points for the machine you use most?
3. What do you do if you find a lock and the owner is not on site?

Quick check

Questions people ask

Based on OSHA standard 29 CFR 1910.147; OSHA Fact Sheet OSHAFS-3529; OSHA Lockout/Tagout eTool. This talk is a summary for training. Your site's written procedure and your supervisor's instructions come first.