The useful starting point
Identify the energy clue, then ask whether its status is established for the actual task; supply status alone is incomplete.
Look for more than a supply connection
CCOHS describes hazardous energy in forms including electrical, mechanical, hydraulic, pneumatic, thermal and gravitational energy. It distinguishes a primary supply from residual or stored energy. A statement about the supply does not automatically describe every form that may remain in equipment.
For study, draw two columns: energy mentioned explicitly and energy status not established. Do not use the second column to invent hidden equipment. Use it to record questions suggested by the actual description. The goal is complete reading, not a dramatic list of every possible hazard.
Sort three fictional equipment cards
Card A describes an elevated component held within a machine. Card B describes a compressed spring assembly. Card C describes a vessel that previously contained a pressurized fluid. Each card includes the same short note: “Primary supply disconnected.” None provides a completed task-specific energy-control record.
The note may address part of the situation, but the cards raise different stored-energy questions. The exercise asks you to name those questions and explain the limits of the note. It does not ask how to lower the component, unload the spring or depressurize the vessel.
Classify the clue and preserve the unknown
| Fictional clue | Energy concept to consider | Status not established |
|---|---|---|
| Elevated component | Gravitational potential energy | Whether the task’s relevant movement hazard is controlled |
| Compressed spring | Stored mechanical energy | Whether the assembly is in a verified condition for the task |
| Previously pressurized fluid | Pressure-related stored energy | Whether pressure remains and how the required state is verified |
These classifications describe the examples. They do not establish a complete inventory for a real machine. Actual equipment may combine several energy forms and requires its applicable qualified process.
Write a better information-gap statement
A weak answer says, “Disconnected means safe.” Another weak answer gives an improvised release method. A better answer says that the supply note does not establish the status of the energy indicated by the equipment description, and that the applicable task-specific control and verification evidence is missing.
Now change Card A so the proposed work is only a records review away from the equipment. The energy concept remains relevant to understanding the machine, but the immediate task and exposure question differ. Your study answer should recognize that distinction. Always connect the energy clue to the stated work, the people involved and the evidence needed, instead of treating a vocabulary exercise as authorization to interact with equipment.
Check your reasoning.
Card B says the primary supply is disconnected and describes a compressed spring. What is the key unanswered question?
Open the suggested reasoning
The note does not establish the status of the spring’s stored mechanical energy for the proposed task. The applicable equipment-specific control and verification process must address that question; the exercise provides no release method.
An original learning exercise from NCSO Prep, not an official exam question.
Sources and scope
Source review: . The examples and study methods are NCSO Prep editorial material. Official requirements and workplace decisions must be checked against the applicable current source.
- CCOHS: Hazardous Energy Control Programs
Source for energy forms and primary versus stored energy. The cards are original conceptual examples, not operating instructions.