The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has standards of varying complexity and
relevance. Some standards are very cut and dry; you read the three sentences and adhere to
what they say. Others are very long and drawn out, requiring very specific wording for different
situations. And still others are extremely complicated due to the nature of what they protect
against. Standard 1910.147, which governs the control of hazardous energy, or lockout tagout,
falls into that third category.
The standard itself is infamous for its difficulty to read and understand. This is partly due to the
technical nature of the verbiage, and partly due to the fact that every single facility will need
different lockout tagout procedures, meaning the standard needs to account for literally hundreds
of potential variables.
So when a company is establishing or updating lockout tagout procedures, it is important to
have someone with a firm understanding of the intricacies and nuances of the standard advising
those changes. For some, this is simply an internal team member, which is great. But for most,
it involves hiring an external lockout tagout auditing firm. Unfortunately for those in the second
category, those who hire externally, the costs can add up rather quickly and the quality of work is
not always assured. And by giving the power to a third party, you are giving them the ability to
change costs at will, without anything in place to protect you.
Fortunately, there is a third option which is convenient to all types of companies. It is our
Factory Solutions Software. This web based software is accessible anywhere the internet is
available, and allows you, in conjunction with PF Safety, to establish your lockout tagout
procedures. You start by creating a custom procedure library based upon your factory’s layout,
then you make all necessary adjustments to fit your needs. We are there to ensure the procedures
are compliant. If your facility changes, your personnel changes, or the regulations change, you
can simply update the procedures from your office. And we will let you know if you fall out of
compliance from the changes, automatically.
If you have any questions about lockout tagout or our Factory Solutions Software, please contact
us. If you have anything to add about lockout tagout, please leave a comment.
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