What is the purpose of lockout in the context of FC gear maintenance?

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Lockout is a safety practice used during maintenance to prevent machines from energizing unexpectedly while someone is working on them. In FC gear maintenance, equipment can rely on several energy sources—electrical, hydraulic, pneumatic, mechanical, thermal, or gravity. By isolating the energy source and applying a locked device, with a tag indicating who is working and what is being done, the equipment cannot be restarted until the lock is removed by the person who applied it. This ensures the work area remains in a safe, de-energized state and protects technicians from shocks, crush injuries, or other harm if power or motion were to come back on. After isolation, the technician verifies there is no energy present before beginning work, and the lockout is only removed once the job is finished and the area is safe to resume operation. The other options aren’t about preventing unexpected energization during maintenance—they relate to inventory labeling, color-coding, or disabling alarms, which do not provide the safety protection lockout offers.