We have many customers who ask us this question, and it is a fair one. Many companies successfully manage their own lockout tagout procedures, and it can be a cost effective option. But before you try to manage it in-house, you need to take a serious look at your staff and capabilities, then ask yourself some important questions.
First and foremost, you need to consider the timing. Do you need this project completed in a week, or do you have a more open timeframe for implementation? If this project needs to completed on a very tight schedule, do you have access to the required resources and personnel to manage this project? If you have an open timeframe, then you need to focus on the resources and personnel available to you. You will also need to look at how the implementation and monitoring of your lockout tagout procedures will affect your business operations.
When specifically evaluating your team, you need to ask yourself who will be assigned to the project, and what new responsibilities they will be taking on. Once you have set your assignments, you need to carefully determine if the personnel you have are capable of managing those tasks – if your team lacks the knowledge and experience required, in-house implementation and monitoring can quickly become an exercise in futility. Finally, you need to decide if this team can effectively manage your lockout tagout procedures, and if not, what your plan will be once implementation is completed.
After all of this is worked out, you need to run a cost analysis. Will the cost of training, buying tools, hiring staff, and paying the costs of monitoring be worth it to your company? For smaller operations, or companies who are in the unique position of having staff members with knowledge of lockout tagout, it might make sense to run your own procedures. If you are unsure and need some guidance, please contact us, and we can help you determine what you will need to implement and maintain your lockout tagout procedures, and the cost differences between hiring an external company or managing it yourself. If you have anything to add to our discussion on managing lockout tagout procedures, please leave a comment.
