Lockout-tagout (LOTO) is a critical standardized safety procedure to prevent accidental release of hazardous energy during equipment inspection, maintenance and troubleshooting, which is especially necessary for electric forklifts equipped with high-voltage energy storage systems. Without proper LOTO implementation, unplanned power-on or residual energy discharge may cause personal injury and equipment damage, bringing unnecessary operational loss to material handling sites.

The first key consideration is full pre-operation preparation before any maintenance work. On-site operators need to confirm the position of the main power disconnect switch of the electric forklift in advance, remove the operation key from the driving panel, and hang a standardized warning lock with clear marked information including operator name, work start time and work content on the power disconnect device. Unauthorized personnel are not allowed to remove the lock or start the equipment without the confirmation of the person who hangs the lock.

The second core point is complete hazardous energy isolation and release. Besides cutting off the main power supply of the battery system, operators need to fully release the residual pressure stored in the hydraulic lifting system, and leave the equipment to stand for enough time to consume the residual power in the circuit components. It is strictly forbidden to bypass the LOTO device for fast operation, even for short-term minor debugging work.

For multi-person collaborative maintenance scenarios, each participating worker should hang their own personal lock on the energy isolation device, rather than relying on a single shared lock managed by the team leader. This mechanism ensures that no one can restart the equipment before all personnel complete the operation and leave the hazardous working area, effectively eliminating the risk of misoperation.

After all maintenance work is completed, staff need to carry out full check and confirmation step by step. All tools and sundries in the operation area should be cleared, all maintenance personnel should be notified to evacuate to the safe zone, then each person can remove their own lock in turn. Before putting the electric forklift back into normal operation, staff should test the driving function, lifting function and braking system to confirm all indicators are in normal state.

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