Whether a veteran of twenty years or a novice to the field, establishing lockout tagout procedures will always make you cringe, at least a little. And the reason for that is the complexity of the calculations, the complexity of the regulations, and what is at stake if the procedures are not put in place properly. It is for this reason so many companies use online quick guides, outside agencies, or dedicate a department just to establishing and monitoring these procedures.

If you are one of the many who fall into the online guide category, be careful. Many of these guides are meant to act as a supplement to a more rigorous review performed by a qualified third party. In these instances, the guide should be used to vet potential lockout tagout firms or to set talking points during the project. Attempting to establish competent lockout tagout procedures based upon one of these manuals will be extremely risky, as they are incomplete.

Some of the other guides are unintentionally incomplete. The unfortunate thing about lockout tagout is that every facility has a unique need in this regard, so attempting to create a readable guide will never cover every possible need – for this reason, these guides can be dangerous.

And for those who dedicate an entire department to lockout tagout, the costs can become exorbitant. Hiring several lockout tagout specialists and paying them each an annual salary can quickly out pace the costs of utilizing a third party. When deciding to go this route, it is important to run a very serious cost analysis, comparing the costs to hire and maintain a department against the costs of hiring a firm.

If, after reviewing your lockout tagout procedures, you have questions about whether or not you are compliant or if, after running a cost analysis, you realize it is worth hiring a firm to help you with your lockout tagout needs, please contact us. And if you have anything to add about establishing lockout tagout procedures, please leave a comment.