If the educational system in NZ is falling apart as rapidly as it seems to be here, maybe the guy just couldn't read at all!
I don't work on anything bigger than very light commercial normally. Much of the equipment used in small retail shops here is the same as domestic, and has no lock-out facility on it. If I feel there's a danger that somebody might re-energize a circuit, then I remove the cover and disconnect the wire(s) from the MCB/fuse.
In the U.K. in a commerical environment, this would come under the auspices of the Health & Safety Executive.
Trumpy,
Did you make a written, formal report on the incident to the plant manager?