What is a critical safety procedure for electrical work?

Lock-out/Tag-out Procedures are a crucial safety measure in electrical work because they ensure that equipment is properly shut off and unable to be started up again before the completion of maintenance or repair work. This procedure protects technicians from the unexpected release of hazardous energy while they are working on electrical systems.

By using lock-out/tag-out protocols, the technician secures the main power supply or equipment with lockout devices and places tags on these devices to communicate that the equipment should not be operated. This creates a safe working environment and prevents accidental energization, which could result in severe injury or fatality.

While voltage testing, circuit inspection, and routine maintenance checks are important practices in electrical work, they do not provide the same level of safety as lock-out/tag-out procedures because they do not directly prevent unauthorized or unintended access to live circuits. Ensuring safety through lock-out/tag-out is critical in protecting workers from electrical hazards.