LOTO — Pneumatic Systems
Construction and general industry · Ver en español
Talking points
- Compressed air stores significant energy in tanks, lines, and cylinders. A tool or fitting that releases under pressure becomes a projectile.
- After isolating the air supply and locking out the compressor, bleed the downstream lines and tanks to atmospheric pressure. Verify with a pressure gauge — do not rely on the sound of air escaping.
- Pneumatic cylinders that support loads must be blocked or cribbed, just like hydraulic cylinders. Air leaks past seals over time, and a cylinder can drift without warning.
- Some pneumatic systems include check valves that trap pressure in sections of the line even after the main supply is isolated. Identify and bleed each isolated section separately.
- Never disconnect pressurized air fittings. The stored energy can cause the hose or fitting to whip violently. Bleed pressure before disconnecting any component.
Ask the crew
Before starting maintenance on any pneumatic equipment today, can you walk through the bleed-down procedure?
Standards this talk is built on
A toolbox talk is a short safety briefing. It supports the training a standard requires; it does not replace it.
Run this talk with your crew and keep the record
In Jobsite, workers sign in on their phones in English or Spanish, and you keep who attended, when, and where, with every other talk your crew has had.
Using an AI assistant? Jobsite's free MCP server serves this library, with OSHA rule text, no sign-in: https://jobsitecerts.com/api/mcp/public (/mcp)
Sign-in sheet
Print this page to collect signatures, or run the talk in Jobsite and workers sign in on their phones.
| Name | Signature | Date |
|---|---|---|
© Jobsite. Free to read aloud, print and use in your own crew's safety meetings. Republishing, reselling or bulk-copying these talks is not permitted.