Isolating Hazardous Energy

Electrical, mechanical, pneumatic, nuclear, thermal, hydraulic, gravitational, and chemical energies can all be dangerous when released unexpectedly in a confined space.

To ensure safety, these energies should be identified and controlled before anyone is allowed to enter a confined space.

Lockout-tagout (LOTO) is a secure way of turning off or disabling a machine or system so that it does not accidentally turn on when you are working around it. You can lockout a machine, device, or line in the following ways:

1. Turn off the power supply, and then place a lock or tag on an energy-isolating device, such as a circuit breaker or electrical panel, to demonstrate that the equipment is deliberately disabled and to warn others that the device is being serviced.
2. Secure the equipment in a de-energized state by blocking. Blocking prevents dangerous parts of the machine from moving, even if there is no power to the equipment.
3. Secure the equipment by blanking. Blanking involves inserting a nonoperational device or solid plate to seal off the machine or line from outside forces that may activate it, such as airflow or pressure.
4. Remove the stored energy by bleeding; that is, allowing the internal pressure to slowly be released through a valve after the line has been blanked.

To learn more about Firefighter Confined Space visit our Firefighter Confined Space Entry & Rescue Online Training web page.