Many serious accidents have happened when someone thought a machine or the power to it was safely off.

On a balmy spring afternoon in 1994, a 3,700-pound industrial table broke from its temporary tether and crushed Jerry Butcher to death. Butcher, a millwright for Ravenswood Aluminum Corp., had been repairing a hydraulic cylinder hose under the improperly secured table when it dropped. OSHA cited the West Virginia plant for alleged lockout/tagout violations and proposed penalties of $2.1 million.

Many workplace accidents are caused by machinery that accidentally becomes activated while being serviced or maintained. This accidental activation is called an [uncontrolled released hazardous energy." Many of these accidents can be prevented if the energy sources are isolated, and locked or tagged out.

Failure to control hazardous energy accounts for nearly 10 percent of the serious accidents in many industries. Proper lockout/tagout (LOTO) practices and procedures safeguard workers from the release of hazardous energy.