Educational guidance on how workplace induction and safety instruction generally work — connected to workplace safety, occupations, industries, employment documents and company types. Informational only — not certified training, not an official qualification and not a substitute for mandatory workplace instruction; employers remain responsible for required training, competence and authorisation.
What this instruction covers
Lockout/tagout (LOTO) safety instruction explains, in general terms, why machinery is isolated before work, how locks and tags are used, and the principle of confirming zero energy before anyone reaches into a machine.
This page is an educational outline only. It does not replace the employer’s isolation procedure, the manufacturer’s instructions, the risk assessment or any legally required training and authorisation.
The hazards
- Unexpected start-up of a machine while someone is working on it.
- Stored energy in hydraulics, pneumatics, springs, capacitors and gravity.
- Multiple energy sources that must each be isolated and locked.
- Another person re-energising a machine that someone is still inside.
Who needs this instruction
- Maintenance, setting and cleaning staff who work on isolated machinery.
- Operators who must isolate before clearing blockages or cleaning.
- Supervisors who oversee isolation and the permit system.
- Contractors working on the employer’s machinery and systems.
The safe system of work
- Identify every energy source that powers or moves the machine.
- Shut down, isolate and lock off each source as the procedure requires.
- Release or restrain stored energy before work begins.
- Verify zero energy by trying to start the machine and testing.
- Apply a personal lock and tag so the machine cannot be re-energised.
Locks, tags & devices
- A lock physically prevents the isolator being switched back on.
- A tag identifies who applied the lock and why, and warns others.
- Where several people work, each applies their own lock to the point.
- Only the person who applied a lock removes it, once their work is safely done.
Required PPE
- Task-appropriate PPE for the maintenance or cleaning being done.
- Eye, hand and body protection as the risk assessment requires.
- Insulated tools and electrical PPE where electrical work is involved.
- PPE supports isolation but does not replace it.
Pre-work checks & verification
- Confirm all energy sources are isolated and locked.
- Check stored energy has been released or safely restrained.
- Verify zero energy by attempting to start and by testing.
- Do not begin work until the machine is confirmed safe.
Isolation & restoration
- Isolation follows the employer’s written procedure for that machine.
- Each isolation point is locked, tagged and verified before work.
- On completion, guards are restored and the area is cleared of people and tools.
- Locks and tags are removed in order, and the machine is re-energised safely.
What the worker is and is not authorised to do
- Apply and remove only your own lock and tag.
- Isolate only machinery and energy sources you are instructed and authorised for.
- Never remove or bypass another person’s lock or tag.
- Do not re-energise a machine while anyone may still be working on it.
What to do if something is wrong
- Stop if any energy source cannot be isolated or verified.
- Report missing locks, found tags or anyone bypassing isolation.
- Raise concerns about the procedure before, not during, the work.
- Never work on a machine that cannot be properly isolated.
Training & competence
Reading this page does not make a worker competent or authorised to isolate machinery. Lockout/tagout requires instruction in the employer’s procedure, supervised practice and an assessment of competence.
Isolation of complex or high-energy systems, and electrical work, typically requires formal training and a specific authorisation, and may be restricted to named, competent persons. This page does not provide that training or authorisation.
Documentation
- A record of the lockout/tagout instruction given.
- An authorisation record naming who may isolate which systems.
- Permits-to-work and isolation certificates the employer keeps.
- These can be shared as PDFs; a record documents instruction, not competence.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Isolating one source but missing another energy source.
- Failing to release stored energy before starting work.
- Skipping the verification step before reaching into the machine.
- Removing someone else’s lock or re-energising too soon.
Who is responsible
The employer is responsible for the isolation procedure, the locks and tags, any legally required training, assessing competence, authorising those who isolate, and keeping records. This guide is an educational outline to support that work.
It does not deliver training, certify or authorise anyone, satisfy any legal requirement or transfer the employer’s responsibility for safe isolation and supervision.
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