Machine Safeguarding Services

Annual Safeguarding Validation Audit

Annual validation audits are crucial for ensuring that machinery is properly safeguarded, helping to reduce the risk of operator injuries and prevent costly accidents that can lead to expensive repairs, regulatory fines, increased insurance premiums, and financial strain on the company.

Ensuring Ongoing Safety with an Annual Validation Audit
Customized Safeguarding Solutions for Over 50 Years

Since 1971, Rockford Systems has provided tailored safeguarding solutions to help businesses of all sizes meet OSHA regulations and ANSI standards, protecting both employees and machinery. With over 10,000 safeguarding products, we offer comprehensive services such as risk assessments, machine safeguarding evaluations, emergency response, and training to keep professionals informed on the latest safety regulations.

Our extensive experience has shown that machine safety is a continuous process, which is why we offer our Annual Validation Audit (AVA) to identify compliance gaps and protect your investment in safeguarding equipment. This audit helps address deficiencies and demonstrates a proactive safety approach to OSHA and other regulatory agencies. Large organizations often conduct audits multiple times per year, recognizing their business value and impact on overall safety.

Schedule a Consultation Contact Rockford
“ Workers who operate and maintain machinery suffer approximately 18,000 amputations, lacerations, crushing injuries, abrasions, and more than 800 deaths per year.”*
* https://www.osha.gov/SLTC/machineguarding/index.html

Is an Annual Validation Audit Right for You?

If you answered “yes” to one or more of these questions, it’s time to schedule an Annual Validation Audit to ensure ongoing safety and compliance.

Do you know if the machine safeguarding systems in your facility are still in compliance with OSHA regulation, or ANSI and NFPA 79 standards? 

Consensus standards are continually reviewed, revised, rewritten, or re-affirmed to address emerging technologies. Keep in mind that ANSI and NFPA 79 standards are revised more regularly than OSHA’s regulations.  

An annual audit by Rockford Systems provides on-going compliance with regulations /standards and risk reduction goals.

Like any industrial equipment, safeguarding devices can degrade and eventually fail over time if not properly maintained. Also, machine operators have been known to tamper with guards if they feel the guards are slowing production. 

To ensure the integrity of machine safeguards, a proactive and preventative maintenance program needs to be established based upon the manufacturer’s recommendations, and good engineering practices. Visual inspections, function testing, and auditing help to identify equipment in need of maintenance.

Any number of changes can occur to a safeguarding system that may heighten the potential for injuries. Employees may never have been given proper training, a part may have been removed during maintenance and never replaced, or the entire system may have been installed or removed and re-installed incorrectly. 

Any of these issues can lead to safeguarding equipment becoming less effective, and all can be identified during an Annual Validation Audit.

Original equipment manufacturers (OEM) do not necessarily address all hazards on the new machines you put on your plant floor.  Regardless of what an OEM provides to you, it’s important to remember that it is the owner’s responsibility to perform a risk or machine safeguarding assessment on newly installed machines to determine all hazards and remediation measures.

What about alterations? Have you made changes to an existing piece of machinery, or your production processes? If so, machine incorrectly applied modifications could create an additional risk.

Also, if you’ve installed a pre-owned or used equipment, be aware that this older equipment is not exempt from current regulations and standards, and needs to be properly safeguarded before brought into use.

An Annual Verification Audit will identify these issues before they lead to an accident, or become an OSHA violation.

Benefits of the Annual Validation Audit (AVA):

Compliance Assurance
Ensures that your safeguarding systems meet OSHA regulations and ANSI standards.

Identifying Gaps in Safety
Helps uncover deficiencies in safeguarding systems that could lead to accidents.

Business Value
Corrects issues and demonstrates a commitment to safety to regulatory agencies.

ANSI Compliance
Satisfies ANSI requirements for periodic testing and system maintenance.

Enhanced Risk Reduction
Verifies risk reduction measures are in place and functioning as intended.

Schedule Your Annual Validation Audit Today

Our expert team will perform a comprehensive audit, including visual inspections, document reviews, function testing, and compliance checks to identify any gaps in your machine safeguarding systems. After the audit, you’ll receive a detailed report with recommendations for corrective actions to ensure your equipment remains compliant and safe. Protect your safeguarding investment today

Schedule an Audit Contact Us

Building a Safer Workplace with a Machine Guarding Program

A machine guarding program is essential for workplace safety, ensuring compliance with OSHA regulations and protecting employees from machinery-related hazards. Due to the complexity of modern equipment and compliance requirements, a structured program helps standardize safety measures, provide employee training, and maintain long-term safeguarding through annual audits. Key elements include compliance evaluations, written policies, implementation strategies, and ongoing training to create a safer, more consistent, and sustainable work environment.

Comprehensive Safety Solutions

Rockford Systems offers a full range of services to help businesses maintain compliance and create safer workplaces. Those include:

Training and Education

Safeguarding Policy Development

Machine Safeguarding Assessment

Remote Safeguarding Assessment

Emergency Response Assessment

Custom Design and Engineering Solutions Integration and Installation

Annual Safeguarding Validation Audit

Technical and In-Field Support

Annual Stop-Time Measurement

Press Safety Inspection