Lockout tagout is one of the most difficult areas in occupational safety and health to properly

establish and maintain. It is difficult to establish lockout tagout procedures because they are

created based upon a very complex OSHA standard, Standard 1910.147. This standard is

infamous for its difficulty, and can literally be interpreted differently for every facility. But even

more difficult is the maintenance of lockout tagout procedures. These procedures need to be

updated as OSHA regulations change, as do any other procedures, but they also need to be

updated anytime there is a change is machinery, location, layout, or personnel.

This creates the potential for an enormous workload for a safety team. Many facilities will

routinely upgrade machinery or move machines within the facility to increase productivity. But if

these movements are not properly accounted for in the lockout tagout procedures, they could

become an audit exception and a major safety risk for staff.

For some, the answer is to maintain it in-house. Thought it takes a lot of resources, smaller

companies can rely upon the safety team to manage the changes and effectively update lockout

tagout procedures. For others, the answer is to hire a third party to audit the facility on a regular

basis, and provide updating services as needed. Unfortunately, this can be very expensive and

takes the lockout tagout procedures out of the hands of management.

But now, there is another option. It is called Factory Solutions Software, and it is a fully

customizable, fully scalable, online based program which creates, stores, and updates your

procedures as needed. You can go in and make changes based upon machinery or personnel

changes, and it will ensure the changes are up to code. It will also notify you of any changes to

the standards, and how the changes will impact you.

If you have any questions about updating lockout tagout procedures or about our factory

solutions software, please contact us. If you have anything else to add about the importance of

maintaining accurate lockout tagout procedures, please leave a comment.