Isolation and Lockout (LOTO) Toolbox Talk
Lockout is how we make sure a machine or circuit cannot start up while someone is working on it. People have been killed because someone else flicked a switch back on, not knowing a worker was inside. Your lock is your life, so nobody else ever removes it.
Takes about 5 minutes.
Key points to read out
- Tell everyone affected before you shut anything down.
- Find every energy source: electrical, hydraulic, pneumatic, gas, water, springs, gravity and stored heat.
- Isolate each source at the isolation point, not just the on/off switch.
- Put your own lock and danger tag on every isolation point. One person, one lock, one key.
- Release or block stored energy: bleed pressure, lower raised parts, discharge capacitors.
- Prove it is dead: try to start it, or test for dead with an approved tester before touching anything.
- Only the person who put the lock on can take it off. Never remove someone else's lock or tag.
- Before you remove your lock, make sure tools are cleared, guards are back on and everyone is clear.
- Faulty equipment that is not being worked on gets an out of service tag so nobody uses it.
Questions to ask the crew
- What energy sources does the equipment we are working on today have?
- Who has their own lock and tag on this job?
- How do you prove something is dead before you start?
- What should you do if you find a lock and the person who owns it has gone home?
Sign-in sheet
Print this page or download the sign-in sheet. Or run it in the app and the crew signs on the phone.
| Name | Company | Signature |
|---|---|---|
Get it signed
Run this talk in the app. The crew signs on your phone and you get a dated attendance record as a PDF.