Turn it off first
Working on it live has to be justified, and most of the time it needs an energized electrical work permit. The default is always an electrically safe work condition.
Free toolbox talk · PDF, Word & Excel
Free electrical safety toolbox talk.
A ten-minute electrical safety talk to give before anyone opens a panel. It has five key points, three questions for the crew, room for your own site notes and an attendance sign-off.
Free. PDF, Word and Excel.
- Printable PDF, editable Word and Excel
- One page, ten minutes
- Five key points, three crew questions
- Attendance sign-off for 24
Why this talk matters
Treat every conductor as live until you've tested it
Electrocution is one of OSHA's Focus Four hazards, the four leading causes of death in construction. A lot of electrical injuries happen to someone who thought the circuit was dead, or who was working near live parts they didn't think of as part of the job.
The talk goes through the safe order with the crew. Turn it off first, lock it out, and test for absence of voltage with a tester you've just checked. Anyone who isn't qualified stays outside the boundaries.
When isolation is routine on your site, Zentri LOTO keeps the lockout procedure, every lock and the verification on one live record.
The key points
Five key points, explained
Lock it out, then test
Make it safe to work on. Lock it out, then test for absence of voltage on every phase and to ground.
Check your tester
Check your meter on a known live source before and after you test. That's live, dead, live.
Read the arc flash label
Know where the boundaries on the label are, and wear the PPE it calls for inside them.
Only qualified people
Only qualified people work on or near exposed live parts. Everyone else stays outside the limited approach boundary.
Ask the crew
Three questions, and what to listen for
Ask each one and give the crew time to answer.
What could make you think a circuit is dead when it isn't? Listen for: back-feeds, a second supply, stored energy, or the wrong breaker.
Talk me through how you test for absence of voltage. Listen for: live, dead, live, on every phase and to ground.
Who on this crew is qualified for today's electrical work? Listen for: people's actual names, not just their job title.
This talk is provided as general guidance. Site-specific procedures and the requirements of the authority having jurisdiction and your insurer take precedence. Have a competent person review and adapt it before use.
FAQs
Electrical Safety toolbox talk FAQs
A ten-minute briefing before electrical work. It covers turning it off first, lockout, testing for absence of voltage, arc flash labels and who is qualified to do the work.
Check the tester on a known live source, test the circuit, then check the tester again. It's the NFPA 70E test method, and OSHA requires it for circuits over 600 volts.
Someone who has shown the skills and knowledge for the specific equipment and task, and has been trained to recognize and avoid its electrical hazards. The employer decides who is qualified for which work and keeps the record.
Yes. The Word and Excel versions are editable. Add your own panels, back-feed risks and qualified people in the On this site box.
More resources
More talks and templates
Permit
Energized Electrical Work Permit Template
The de-energize-first gate, justification, shock and arc flash assessment, approval and closeout.
View template TalkLockout/Tagout Toolbox Talk
Find every energy source, use your own lock, and prove it's dead.
View talk HubAll toolbox talk topics
Every ten-minute safety talk, each in PDF, Word and Excel.
View all talksWhen paper stops being enough
Download the free electrical safety toolbox talk
Running isolations on paper? Zentri keeps the lockout procedure, every lock and the verification on one live record.