Electrical Safety (LOTO · Arc Flash)

This skill structures the discipline and the paper trail. It supports — never replaces — site procedures, CSA Z462 / NFPA 70E-style standards, OEM manuals, and qualified judgment.

When to use

• Any work near exposed energized parts, or that could release stored energy.
• Planning isolation, verification, or restoration (LOTO).
• Reviewing permits/JHAs for electrical work.

Method

1. Site rules first: confirm current procedures, PPE requirements, and the permit path before planning; when anything conflicts — stop and resolve.
2. Identify ALL energy: electrical + mechanical + stored — capacitors, drive DC buses (wait OEM discharge time), UPS, batteries, springs, gravity, pressure, thermal.
3. LOTO: lock + tag each isolation point per procedure; one lock per worker; no shared locks; locks stay until the owner removes them.
4. Verify zero-energy (test-before-touch): rated, calibrated instrument (correct CAT rating); test on a known live source first, test the target, re-test the instrument; prove the absence you claim.
5. Arc-flash awareness: know the study/labels for the equipment; respect approach boundaries; PPE per site standard for the task; energized work only under the permitted, justified process — rare by design.
6. Restoration: walk-down before re-energizing (tools, personnel, barriers clear); controlled sequence, documented; re-energization is its own checklist.
7. Records: permit, JHA, isolation list, verification results, deviations — recorded (electrical-test-records).

Quality gates

• Permit/JHA in place; isolations listed and locked.
• Zero-energy verification documented (instrument + method).
• PPE/barriers per site standard for the task.
• Restoration walk-down + sequence documented.

Red lines

• Never bypass, share, or shortcut LOTO; no energized work without the authorized process; when unsure — stop, isolate, ask.

Related

power-distribution-equipment · electrical-machinery-engineering · electrical-test-records.