# Lockout and tagging of circuits

URL: https://hardhatbinder.com/en/toolbox-talks/lockout-tagout
Last updated: 2026-10-23

This week we have electrical work going on while other trades keep working nearby. One person flipping the wrong breaker back on can hurt someone working on that circuit. Lockout and tagging is how we make sure a circuit stays dead until the person working on it says otherwise.

## Key points

1. Before you work on any circuit, find the right breaker or disconnect and shut it off. Don't guess from the panel labels alone. Confirm which breaker feeds your work.
2. Put your own lock and a tag on the breaker or disconnect. The tag should say who you are and that people are working on the circuit.
3. Test before you touch. Use a tester that you have checked on a known live source, then test the circuit to make sure it is really dead.
4. If more than one person is working on the circuit, each person puts on their own lock. Nobody works under someone else's lock.
5. Never remove, ignore, or work around someone else's lock or tag. If you need that circuit on, find the person who placed it or talk to the foreman.
6. Remember that some equipment can still hold energy after it is shut off, and some circuits have more than one feed. Check for every source before you start.
7. When you finish, make sure tools are out, people are clear, and covers are back on before you remove your lock and turn the power back on.

## Talk it over

- Where are the panels and disconnects on this job, and are they labeled correctly?
- Does everyone who needs one have their own lock and tags today? If not, where do we get them?
- What would you do if you found a tagged breaker and nobody around knew who put it there?

> **Remember:** Shut it off, lock it, tag it, test it, and never touch someone else's lock.

## Official sources

- [29 CFR 1926.417](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-29/section-1926.417) — Lockout and tagging of circuits

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Source: HardHat Binder, operated by Leadspire LLC. Templates to be reviewed by a competent person before use; not legal advice; not affiliated with OSHA.