Overview
#video
There is going to be a video overview
/video
Learning Objectives
#outcomes
On successful completion of this module, you should be able to:




Identify the general classes of hazardous energy in the workplace
Follow a regulatory-recommended practice for determining when de-energization and lockout
are required
Follow a regulatory-recommended practice for de-energizing and locking out hard-wired and
soft-wired electrical equipment
Discuss the regulatory requirements that govern de-energization and lockout.
/outcomes
#reading
The bulk of the reading for this module will be done from the
WorkSafeBC publication Lockout.
This publication is very well written and provides a wealth of
information on the topics of de-energization and lockout.
We recommend that you download and refer to this publication as
you proceed through this module.
/reading
The Hazards of Energy in the Workplace
To de-energize a piece of equipment or a machine simply means taking steps to ensure that energy
that remains in a machine is not able to be released to cause injury to a worker that must now work
in the path of that energy.
So why de-energize? When de-energization has not occurred and the right set of circumstances
have been in place, workers are terribly injured or killed.
When the phrases de-energization and lockout are used, many people think of electrical energy.
Electrical energy certainly is a potentially hazardous form of energy as we have seen in Module 7.
But there are other forms of hazardous energy that must be recognized — in fact, many injuries
occur because a form of energy other than electrical was not recognized.
Developing the skill needed to determine whether de-energization and lockout are required for the
type of work being done on or near a machine will take experience and a high level of knowledge
about the specific machine.
The booklet suggests a simple three steps to determine if de­energization and lockout are needed.
This is a bit too simplistic (for example, please read and consider the information on interlocked
systems on pp. 18–19 of Lockout). No OHS professional can solely make the determination that a
machine does or does not need to be de­energized and locked out. The OHS professional must first
seek information from:
1. Local OHS regulations
2. The technical manuals provided by the manufacturer of the equipment
3. Workers who are qualified (by law) to operate and maintain the equipment.
De-energization and Lockout Regulation
To understand better the role of OHS regulations in de-energization and lockout you need to
become familiar with a typical set of OHS rules relating to de-energization. For this purpose, please
take a few minutes to review the WorkSafeBC Part 10 De-energization and Lockout.
Test your understanding of the regulation by answering the following questions.

Based on your review of the Part 10 De-energization and Lockout, what do we mean by the
term de-energization of a piece of equipment?
Write down your answer, then click Reveal to read our definition.
#reveal
De-energization means taking steps to remove all hazardous energy from a machine before
a worker is placed in the path of that energy or ensuring that any energy that does remain is
effectively contained so that it cannot be accidentally released onto a worker in its path.
/reveal

List six types of potentially hazardous energy that might be found in the workplace. Give
some thought to an example of each type.
When done, click Reveal to see our answer.
#reveal
Kinetic, chemical, potential, thermal, electrical, radiation.
/reveal

WorkSafeBC has suggested a simple three-step process for determining whether deenergization and lockout are required for a specific machine and work task.
Write down the three steps, the click Reveal to read the correct answer.
#reveal
1. View the location where the work is to be done.
2. Identify all energy sources.
3. Ask: What would be the result if any of the energy sources were released?
/reveal

For de-energization and lockout decision making purposes, what are the definitions of
maintenance and normal production (hint: refer to the OHS Regulation)?
Write down your definitions, then click Reveal.
#reveal
Maintenance means work performed to keep machinery or equipment in a safe operating
condition, including installing, repairing, cleaning, lubricating and the clearing of
obstructions to the normal flow of material.
Normal Production means work that is routine, repetitive, and integral to the normal use of
machinery or equipment for production.
/reveal
Basic Steps in De-Energization and Lockout
When the appropriate resources have been consulted (regulations, manufacturer’s information,
qualified workers) and a decision has been made that de-energization and lockout of electrical
equipment is required, the steps in the process are standard through most OHS jurisdictions: They
involve de-energizing, confirming de­energization, and then assuring continued de-energization.
Identification and shut off of the main energy-isolating device is a critical factor in successful deenergization and lockout (DE/L).
Sometimes the identification of the main energy-isolating device is simple: The machine may be
soft-wired (= plugged into a receptacle with a cord), or if hardwired, there may be only one machine
on a circuit and main energy-isolating switch at the machine that can accept a lock, as per
requirements of many safety design standards. In many other cases, identification of the main
energy-isolating device is not so simple and a qualified electrician or millwright will have to be
consulted.
Identifying and de-activating the main energy-isolating device is the actual de-energization step in
the process.
The worker performing the DE must now confirm the de­energization. To confirm de-energization,
first ensure that all workers are clear of the path of the energy and then attempt to start the machine.
If the main energy-isolating device has been correctly identified and de-activated the machine
should not “start.”
The application of a personal lock to the de-activated main energy-isolating device is the critical step
that helps assure continued de-energization.
The rules regarding personal locks are always:
1. They are key locks not combination locks
2. Each lock is individually keyed and only the owner of that
lock has a key; a second key is kept only under the close
care of a manager or supervisor.
3. Most jurisdictions require that the owner of the lock be
identified on the lock through the use of a tag or label.
4. In most situations, each worker that is working on the
machine while it is de-energized must apply their own
personal lock; multi-lock hasps made of metal or plastics,
(as seen on p. 22 of Lockout) are used in these cases.
When work is completed and the machine is ready to be energized,
the following steps are taken:
1. The worker who did the DE/L ensures that all workers are clear of the path of the energy. If
the energy path is not in clear site of the lockout point then another worker should be
posted near the energy path while Step 2 is being completed to ensure no worker
inadvertently enters the energy path.
2. The worker removes his lock and re-activates the main energy-isolating device.
Best Practices in in De-Energization and Lockout
The DE/L process for electrical equipment seems very straightforward and it really is. But there are
some things that every seasoned OHS professional finds out about DE/L:
1.
2.
3.
The lock in the process is a symbol, not a foolproof safeguard. In good
workplaces, all employees who work in and around equipment that is
subject to DE/L are educated about the reasons behind DE/L, even though
they may not be actually doing any part of the DE or L.
Some OHS regulators require or strongly suggest an identification tag or
label on each personal lock but not all do; regardless, the identification
tag/label is clearly another strong symbol to alert workers to what is going
on and should always be used.
If we follow the letter of the law regarding removal of personal locks then only the lock’s owner
should ever remove it, but the reality sometimes, especially when a number of workers have
applied locks to the same point, is that everyone will be ready to re-activate the machine, but
one lock will remain. Given that some workers may be applying 2, 5, or 10 personal locks during
maintenance procedures it is easy sometimes to forget one of the locks and then leave the
workplace. When a lock is found to remain on the lockout point, then the reasonable steps to
take would be:
a) The supervisor or manager of the worker that owns the lock should immediately take all
steps to determine if the worker is still in the path of the energy or elsewhere in the
workplace.
b) If the supervisor determines that the worker is not in the path of the energy and is not
elsewhere in the workplace then the supervisor may then take the only other key for that
lock (the one that the supervisor has kept under close control) and may take the
responsibility for removing the personal lock.
c) At that point, all the remaining steps for re-activation are taken (these steps are often
spelled out in regulation: for example, see 10.8 of the BC OHS Regulation).
Test Your Knowledge
Drag each of the five basic steps in the DE/L process to its appropriate location.
StepsDELprocess : https://learn.bcit.ca/d2l/lp/manageFiles/main.d2l?ou=31198
Ten workers have been working on a machine that has been deactivated and locked out. Nine locks
have been removed, but one remains, and the nine lock owners say they do not think the tenth
worker is still in or around the machine. What steps must be taken next?
Write down the steps, then click Reveal to read our answer.
#reveal
A. The employee’s immediate supervisor must ensure that the worker is not in the path of the
energy and is not in the workplace.
B. After ensuring that all other workers are clear of the path of the energy the supervisor uses
the only other key for the remaining lock to remove the lock.
C. Supervisor then performs the remainder of the re-energization (and tomorrow the
supervisor finds out from the worker what happened!).
/reveal
De-Energizing Other Energy Sources
Given that kinetic, chemical, and other forms of energy may pose a hazard in the workplace, there
needs to be an effective way to DE/L these energy sources.
For some types of energy, the reality is that the steps being taken do not actually “de-energize” the
system. If you look at the picture on page 21 of the WorkSafeBC publication
Lockout, we would have to agree that although the insertion of the pin has
minimized the risk of the hydraulic arm falling, all of the potential energy is
still present. If the pin fails, then this potential energy could become kinetic
energy.
We will look at some additional aspects of thermal, radiation, and chemical
de-energization elsewhere in this program, in the courses Workplace
Hazards and Controls 2 and in Occupational Hygiene, but generally:
a. If a valve is the main energy-isolating device, valve-lockout equipment that accepts
personal locks is readily available from safety supply companies, and the DE/L procedure is
much like the electrical DE/L procedure.
b. Devices such as the pin shown in Lockout or blocking
equipment are often provided by the manufacturer of the
equipment, or made as required at the workplace; “lockout” as
such is not used in these situations to assure that deenergization continues, such as signage, labeling, safe work
procedures, and worker education.
c. Many radiation energy sources can only produce the radiation
when electric power is supplied to the machine (particularly X­ray, laser, and radio
frequency radiation generating equipment). In these cases, the exposure to the radiation
energy is prevented by using an electrical DE/L procedure
Multiple and Group Lockout Situations
There are many situations in which a number of workers will be working on the
same piece of equipment, especially during maintenance. You may be familiar
with the term “shutdown”, often used to describe when sawmills, pulp mills, etc.
are shut down for periods of annual maintenance.
This means that each worker will need to place a personal lock on each of the
main energy-activating devices. If there is only one energy-activating device,
then a multilock hasp is often provided and locks are applied to the hasp. People
often refer to these multilock hasps as “scissor clips”.
#key-point
The person with the primary responsibility in a multiple person lockout situation
is the person that applies the multilock hasp and the first personal lock.
/key-point
It is this person that completes the steps in the DE/L process. In theory, all the workers that follow
simply apply their locks to the hasp and make the assumption that the five basic DE/L steps have
been completed by the first worker (although each subsequent worker certainly has the right to
confirm that the system is de-energized before they begin work.)
Another situation that arises occasionally is when a system has multiple
energy-activated devices that are going to have to be de-activated, and each
person working on that system is going to have to apply a lock at each and
every lockout point. The outcome is that there may literally be the need for
hundreds of personal locks to be applied.
Although this doesn’t happen regularly, it does happen (most often during
large maintenance shutdowns), and so OHS regulators have provided the
option of a group lockout procedure.
The basics of group lockout are:
1.
Two qualified workers perform a standard DE/L on each energy-activating device.
2.
These workers then place their keys into a key-securing system (lockable box
designated for that purpose). The lockbox is closed and fitted with a multilock
hasp, or has a provision to secure several locks directly to it.
3.
All of the other workers then place one of their personal locks on the multilock
hasp on the lockbox.
4.
As each worker (other than the two designated workers) completes their work
and clears from the path of the energy, they remove their personal lock from the
hasp on the lockbox.
5.
When all of the locks have been removed from the hasp on the lockbox, the two designated
workers retrieve their keys from the box and then perform a standard re-activation at each
lockout point.
The two designated workers in a group lockout procedure should always be those that the other
workers would agree are the most experienced with DE/L.
OHS Law Related to De-Energization and Lockout
As we have seen in the BC OHS Regulation, OHS regulators consider DE/L to be important enough to
devote very specific prescriptive regulations to it. This same approach is taken by regulators across
the country.
Violations of DE/L provisions of OHS regulations are seen by regulators as very serious. Inspectors
will often immediately halt work (sometimes a stop-work order) in which there is a DE/L violation
and regulators often move immediately to administrative penalties against the employer.
From an OHS professional’s perspective, these facts are disheartening and may tell us something key
about DE/L programs in the workplace. The fact that the regulations around DE/L are prescriptive
and enforced to the letter of the law means:
a. The regulators have not found any other ways of assuring the same level of safety.
b. It is very likely that there is a long history of injuries and deaths where the rules were not
followed and so the regulator feels the need to spell it out clearly for the employer.
c. It may be an indication that the education/training/attitude in the workplace around DE/L
is still not where it needs to be and that DE/L violations are still being noted during
inspections and accident investigations.
Equipment design standards play a large role in the regulation of DE/L. A number of CSA and ANSI
equipment design standards require that machinery be designed and built with a readily identifiable
and accessible main energy-activating device, and that equipment to accommodate lockout be built
into the device. This is why many electrical panels and switches have lockout points built in.
The standards also require that the manufacturer provide the equipment purchaser with detailed
written information on how the piece of equipment is to be properly de-energized and locked out.
Examples of such standards are:
ANSI B20.1
ANSI B153.1
CSA B354.4
CSA Z142
Safety Standards for Conveyors and Related Equipment
Automotive Lifts – Safety Requirements for Construction, Care and Use
Boom-Type Elevating Work Platforms
Code for Punch Press Operation: Health, Safety and Guarding Requirements
We will look at these and other design standards in later modules and in the course Workplace
Hazards and Controls 2.
Test Your Knowledge

If the main energy-activating device for a machine is a valve, what is the DE/L process that is
most likely to be used?
Write down your answer, then click Reveal.
#reveal
The valve is closed and the remaining energy in the system beyond the valve is safely bled
off. A valve lockout device and personal lock are applied to the valve. Aside from these
variations the five basic DE/L steps are followed.
/reveal

The machine has only one main energy-activating device, but six workers will be working on
the machine and so six personal locks will be applied at the lockout point. Which of these
workers will actually do the five basic steps in the DE? Which worker(s) will do the reactivation?
Write down your answer before you click Reveal!
#reveal
The worker who applies the hasp and first lock is always responsible for completing the 5
basic DE/L steps (or as modified for the energy source). Generally the expectation is that the
last worker to remove a lock from the hasp will do the re-activation but this will vary with
employer policy.
/reveal

Why electrical energy DE/L procedures form the basis for the DE/L of many radiation energy
sources?
#reveal
Many machines cannot emit radiation unless there is a source of electricity to be converted
into the radiation. If the energy source is removed then there is no possible way for the
machine to emit radiation. (Remember here that “radiation” includes both ionizing and nonionizing radiation and that some forms of radiation do not need an electrical source)
/reveal

Why is it “good enough” to unplug the cord of a softwired machine as the complete DE/L
program?
#reveal
In specific cases simply unplugging is acceptable and does a perfect job. Where the machine
can be unplugged and the male end of the cord remains under full control and sight of the
worker that is doing the DE then that is all that is required. However, if the plug cannot be
fully controlled then a lockout procedure must take place.
/reveal

What steps must be taken if a lock remains on a multilock hasp and the owner of that lock
cannot be immediately found?
#reveal
1. That worker’s immediate supervision is responsible for checking to ensure the worker is
not in the path of the energy and is not elsewhere in the workplace.
2. With that confirmed, the supervisor uses the only other key available for that lock
(which was under his control the entire time) and removes the lock.
3. The supervisor then is responsible for re-activation of the machine.
/reveal
Additional Learning Opportunity
The US Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) has developed an excellent DE/L
interactive training program called Lockout-Tagout Interactive Training Program.
The program is available to use on-line at the following link:
http://www.osha.gov/dts/osta/lototraining/index.html