Anyone who owns or manages a company which deals with machinery that is covered by OSHA Standard 1910.147, which is the lockout tagout standard, can tell you how difficult it is to initially create lockout tagout procedures. The standard is difficult to read, the shortcut material available is often inaccurate or vague, and any inaccuracies in the procedures can lead to serious workplace injuries or even death. For these reasons, many owners ultimately hire a professional firm to help in creating those lockout tagout procedures. The feeling for most is that the small upfront expense is worth protecting the company from OSHA, and its employees from serious harm.

Unfortunately, there are many, many occupational safety and health auditing firms which claim to have the ability to help these business owners. And we have had more than a few instances where we were brought in to fix a problem created by a competitor. So to help you avoid that potential problem in the beginning, make sure to do your due diligence and thoroughly vet the prospective company, including the auditor who will be coming to help you. Make sure the auditor can answer questions about your facility, about lockout tagout in general, and about how best to prepare for potential future changes. And if you sense any hesitation or that anything is amiss, it is probably a good idea to find someone else.

If you have any questions about creating lockout tagout procedures, or about vetting a potential lockout tagout auditing firm, please contact us. If you have anything to add about creating lockout tagout procedures, please leave a comment.