Lockout/tagout principles
Control hazardous energy before servicing equipment: identify every energy source, isolate it, lock it, release what's stored, prove it's dead, and restore safely.
- Level
- Beginner
- Length
- About 50 minutes
- Contents
- 3 lessons · 1 video · final exam
- Status
- Published · updated 1 Oct 2026
Skills you'll practise
- Identify the forms of hazardous energy, including stored energy, on a piece of equipment
- Put the general lockout/tagout steps in the correct order and explain why verification comes before work
- Explain the difference between a lock, a tag, an emergency stop and an interlocked guard
- Describe how personal locks, group lockout and lock removal work under a site procedure
Course outline
- 1.Lockout/tagout principlesVideo · 3 min
- 2.Hazardous energy and why lockout existsLesson · 16 min
- 3.The lockout sequenceLesson · 18 min
- 4.Locks, tags, groups and removalLesson · 16 min
- 5.Lockout/tagout principles: knowledge checkKnowledge check · 22 questions
- 6.Just a quick jamScenario
- 7.Final exam8 questions · passing it completes the course, so people who already know the material can test out
Sources it draws on
The lessons and questions are written from these references, so learners can go back to the original.
- Your site's energy-control (lockout/tagout) program and the machine-specific procedures
- Equipment manufacturer's instructions for isolation and maintenance
- Your national or local workplace-safety regulator's guidance on controlling hazardous energy
See it with your own jobs and topics
Tell us about your team and we'll walk you through setup, from choosing jobs to your first skills check.