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Electrical & Electronics Engineering vocabulary · Wiring, Protection and Safety

Lockout/tagout

Meaning in electrical & electronics engineering, with examples

nounCommon term

In electrical & electronics engineering, lockout/tagout means: A safety procedure in which energy sources are switched off and isolated, then locked and tagged so that nobody can turn them back on while work is being done. It is often shortened to LOTO.

In Turkish: kilitleme/etiketleme, LOTO, enerji izolasyonu

How it is used

Used in factories, plants and maintenance teams. Workers apply lockout/tagout, put their own lock and tag on an isolator and verify that the equipment is de-energized before they start. The steps for each machine are written in a LOTO procedure.

Example sentences

  1. Apply lockout/tagout on the main isolator before anyone opens the conveyor panel.

  2. Each technician puts their own lock on the lockout/tagout point.

Common collocations

  • lockout/tagout procedure
  • apply lockout/tagout
  • LOTO lock
  • isolation point
  • electric shockThe effect of electric current passing through the body when a person touches a live part. It can cause burns, muscle spasms or heart rhythm problems, and it can be fatal.
  • arc flashA sudden, extremely hot burst of light and energy caused by an electric arc between conductors or to ground. It can cause severe burns, blinding light and a pressure blast.
  • circuit breakerAn automatic switch that opens a circuit when it detects too much current, for example from an overload or a short circuit. Unlike a fuse, it can be reset and used again.
  • distribution boardAn enclosure that divides an incoming supply into separate circuits, each protected by its own breaker or fuse. In North America it is usually called a panelboard or breaker panel.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

More terms: Wiring, Protection and Safety

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