Lockout/tagout is used to prevent which hazard?

• A. Overheating.
• B. Re-energizing equipment during maintenance.
• C. Electrical noise.
• D. Moisture ingress.

Answer: (B)

Lockout/tagout is about keeping energy sources from powering a machine while someone is working on it. The safety goal is to prevent the equipment from being re-energized or its stored energy released unexpectedly during maintenance, which could cause serious injury. By locking the energy-disconnecting device and tagging it with a warning, workers know not to restore power until the maintenance is finished and the lockout is removed. This directly addresses the hazard of a machine starting up accidentally during service.

Other hazards listed aren’t what lockout/tagout is designed to control: overheating is managed by cooling and thermal protections, electrical noise is addressed by shielding and grounding practices, and moisture ingress by sealing or enclosure integrity.