Lockout Tagout procedures are of the utmost importance to business continuity and employee safety. It is for this reason that we have discussed it so many times on our blog already. In 2011, the standard which governs lockout tagout procedures, OSHA Standard 1910.147 The Control of Hazardous Energy, was the fourth most frequently violated standard. This standard alone accounted for almost 4,000 citations in that year. In addition, OSHA data shows that lockout/tagout noncompliance accounts for 120 fatalities and 50,000 injuries every year.

This is pretty sobering news if you are in an industry with machinery subject to lockout/tagout standards, and this list of industries is growing, as technology advances. If you are not sure if your machinery requires formal procedures with a visual placard, you need to immediately contact a professional who can better inform you about what is required of you by OSHA. And if you do need lockout/tagout procedures, and think you are up to code, it might be time to audit yourself, as most of those companies cited in 2011 thought that they were up to code, as well.

As an owner or member of management in your company, you can not leave the burden of responsibility solely on your maintenance personnel; you need to take an active role in overseeing compliance. The easiest way to do this is to routinely audit your machines and safety procedures, and consult with your maintenance staff to ensure there are no misunderstandings about the procedures.

In addition, you need to ensure that, as your machinery and uses change, your lockout/tagout needs are not changing. To do this, you need to either manually keep track of uses, surges, system downtime, and system changes, or utilize a program which can track this for you. Luckily, many companies offer such software to help you remain compliant and accident free. If you would like more information about our software, or about lockout/tagout in general, please contact us so that we may assist you. Together, we can reduce the number of injuries and citations caused by lockout/tagout procedure errors. If you have any helpful hints to help our readers avoid issues of noncompliance, please leave a comment.