ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION Previous discussion has focused on technical aspects of the subject of hazardous energy. Chapters have
addressed topics concerned with energy as a physical property of matter, effects of hazardous energy
on people, the conflict for attention between task and conditions, strategies for analyzing for the pres-
ence of energy in equipment, machines, and systems, and the means to deactivate, de-energize, isolate,
and lock out circuits. At some point in the process, the decision is taken to perform the actual work.
While the preceding discussion may seem prolonged and almost a slow-motion look at the situation,
this, in effect, reflects the process that must occur during discussion and decision-making concerning
technical problems.
