Lockout Tagout, commonly referred to as LOTO, is a core standardized safety protocol designed to prevent accidental release of stored energy during equipment maintenance, repair and adjustment work. For electric forklifts that carry high-voltage power systems and multiple moving mechanical parts, strictly following the compliant LOTO procedure can effectively avoid risks such as electric shock, component clamping injury and unexpected vehicle start-up, and protect the personal safety of on-site operation and maintenance personnel.

The LOTO procedure is required to be executed before any work that touches power-related structures or moving components, including routine mechanical cleaning, parts replacement, fault troubleshooting, regular performance debugging and other scenarios. No operation personnel can skip the process for the sake of work efficiency, even for short inspection work that only takes a few minutes.

The standard execution flow of LOTO for electric forklift starts with pre-notification: before cutting off the power, the operation responsible person shall inform all staff working in the surrounding operation area of the ongoing maintenance plan, the estimated duration of the work, and confirm that no irrelevant personnel will enter the operation range by mistake. The second step is full power disconnection: the operator shall turn off all control switches of the forklift, pull out the operation key, disconnect the main power contactor of the on-board battery, and confirm that all power output channels are completely blocked. The third step is locking and tagging: install special safety locks on the main power disconnect device and the battery power-off switch, each maintenance personnel participating in the work shall hang their own exclusive safety lock, and the key shall be kept by the individual himself, to ensure that no other person can unlock the device without the presence of the operator. Then hang a clear warning tag next to the lock position, mark the content of "Do not operate, maintenance in progress", and note the name of the operation responsible person, contact information and the start time of the operation. The fourth step is effect verification: after the locking and tagging work is completed, the staff shall try to start the walking, lifting and attachment operation functions of the forklift, to confirm that all actions cannot be activated, and verify that the LOTO measures take effect before starting the formal maintenance work.

After all maintenance work is completed, the unlocking process shall also follow strict rules: all personnel confirm that their own operation content has been finished, no tools or spare parts are left on the vehicle, and no potential safety hazards exist around the forklift. All personnel who have hung the lock shall take off their own safety locks and warning tags in person, then restore the power supply, carry out a short functional test to confirm the forklift returns to normal working condition, and notify all relevant personnel that the LOTO procedure is officially finished.

Jianshu New Energy, which focuses on BYD electric forklift, can provide customers with complete safety operation training and standardized maintenance specification guidance. If you need more supporting materials for LOTO procedure for electric forklifts, you can send an email to [email protected] for consultation.