OSHA Standard 1910.147, which governs all things lockout tagout, is an extremely difficult

standard to work with. It is long, intricate, can be interpreted in multiple different ways, and has

a laundry list of variables. All of these complications make creating lockout tagout policies and

procedures a nightmare for anyone who does not specifically specialize in lockout tagout. And

even for those who do, there can be pitfalls.

But what is even harder is maintaining these policies and procedures. Unlike most occupational

safety and health policies and procedures, which can be created then reviewed every so often to

make sure nothing has changed in the standards, lockout tagout policies and procedures need to

be perpetually reviewed and maintained. This is because every time there is a change in

personnel, machinery, facility layout, or location, the lockout tagout procedures will need to be

updated, accordingly.

This can mean changing your lockout tagout policies and procedures multiple times a year,

which is no small feat. And if any updates are missed, the lockout tagout procedures will be

outdated, and could lead to serious ramifications for employees, in working in an unsafe

environment, and management, in the form of an OSHA audit.

To help protect employers, we have developed a web-based lockout tagout maintenance

application called Factory Solutions Software. This software is fully scalable, fully customizable,

and is monitored by a leading third party lockout tagout auditing firm. You can upload your

policies, then make changes as needed, ensuring you maintain adequate policies and procedures.

If you have any questions about lockout tagout or our Factory Solutions Software, please contact

us. If you have anything to add about the importance of routine lockout tagout policy and

procedure maintenance, please leave a comment.