Make it dead, keep it dead, prove it dead.
Learning Track · Module 10: SOPs · Step 76 of 101
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- Disconnect completely. Open the switch or remove the fuse for the circuit.
- Secure against reconnection. Lock off the device. Attach a tag with your name and the date.
- Verify that the installation is dead. Prove your tester on a known live source, test all conductors, then prove the tester again.
- Earth and short-circuit where your rules require it.
- Cover or barrier nearby live parts.
Warning
A circuit can have more than one supply, and a controller can switch it on remotely. Isolate at the source, not at the contactor. Set the circuit to maintenance mode in the platform. USA: On utility poles, only qualified utility workers may work near overhead lines.
After the work: remove locks and earths, tell everyone the circuit is live again, switch on, and test.
Sources
- EN 50110-1 Operation of electrical installations
- OSHA 29 CFR 1910.147 and 1910.269
- NFPA 70E Standard for Electrical Safety in the Workplace
- CEA (Measures relating to Safety and Electric Supply) Regulations
Changes: 30 October 2026: First publication: guides for Europe, the Middle East, South Asia, and the USA; failure library; tender clause library; comparisons; tools; downloads. See the changelog. Found a mistake? Report it.