Rockford Systems Introduces Annual Machine Safeguarding Audit Service
ROCKFORD, IL, NOVEMBER 30, 2021 — It is a common misconception that once machine safeguarding equipment or systems have been installed, no further work is required for the safety of employees operating the machinery, or for the system’s continued compliance to recognized industry standards. The consequences of this misunderstanding have been countless injuries, hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines, and an installed base of malfunctioning machine guards, devices and controls that provide little or no protection.
To address those challenges and complement its broad offering of machine safeguarding products, services and solutions, Rockford Systems has introduced its Machine Safeguarding Annual Verification Audit. The annual audit service is designed to verify that safeguarded equipment continues to protect employees working in dangerous environments. Moreover, the audit ensures that a company’s capital investment in providing a safe working environment is sustained and continues to be in compliance with the latest OSHA and ANSI B11.19 requirements, as well as the company’s internal safety policies.
“Machine Safeguarding Initiatives require significant investment in capital and outside expertise,” said Matt Brenner, Vice President and General Manager of Rockford Systems, LLC. “If not sustained over time, the original capital investment is devalued. More importantly, risk increases, employees are less safe and the probability and associated costs of a significant workplace injury increase. Many companies don’t have the internal resources or expertise to audit and implement corrective actions for un-safe or non-complaint conditions in real time.”
The annual audit verifies that installed safeguarding equipment continues to operate as intended. The primary evaluation criteria for the audit are visual inspection and function testing of safeguarding, controls, disconnects, motor starters and covers Once an audit is completed, Rockford Systems provides a detailed audit report highlighting deficiencies along with high-level recommendations for corrective actions to bring the equipment back into compliance.
The annual audit differs from Rockford’s turnkey machine assessment service. Brenner commented “the more detailed assessment process provides a detailed analysis of safety and compliance issues along with recommendations for engineered solutions, products and installation of equipment. The audit is performed after machine safeguarding upgrades to ensure sustainability of machine safeguarding improvements.”
To help customers consistently and cost-effectively manage their machine safeguarding programs, Rockford Systems leverages their cloud-based portal, MyRockCloud, that houses current and historical audit report data. MyRockCloud creates an electronic archive that permissioned users can access from any location at any time, yielding improved planning and budgeting efficiency for any size safeguarding program. In the event of an accident or OSHA inspection, evidence of a disciplined and well-organized machine safeguarding program will be readily available to present to investigators.
Audit to Ensure Compliance with Evolving Standards
Annual audits assist companies in staying current with evolving standards. For example, the recently published ANSI B11.TR8 indicates that machine safeguarding equipment must be inspected regularly according to supplier’s recommendations that are, in most cases, annually. Furthermore, it requires that when a machine is modified or relocated, risk reduction measures must be re-evaluated, a service included with Rockford’s annual audit service. .
Over a twelve-month period any number of changes can occur to a safeguarding program that heightens the potential for injuries. For instance, safety equipment may be removed, bypassed or tampered with, or re-installed incorrectly during maintenance. Critical processes may be altered that place new strains on safety equipment. Regular wear and tear will also lead to equipment becoming less effective, especially when not properly maintained.
According to Brenner, these types of events are unfortunately common. “I have recently been at several large manufacturing facilities where safety equipment installed as part of a large safeguarding initiative have been removed or dis-abled creating unsafe working conditions. Annual audits by a qualified third party will help mitigate these safety issues in real time.”
ABOUT ROCKFORD SYSTEMS LLC
Headquartered in Rockford, Illinois, Rockford Systems LLC delivers industrial plant safety solutions for organizations using metalworking, automation, material handling or thermal processing in their operations. Since 1971, Rockford Systems has specialized in the design and installation of over 25,000 safeguarding solutions for industrial fabrication equipment and manufacturing systems that exceed applicable safety regulations and standards.
Rockford Systems offers trusted industrial turnkey safeguarding solutions including scalable assessments, audits and inspections, training and education, consulting and policy development, and over 10,000 safeguarding products. Rockford Systems also provides turnkey combustion safety solutions including assessments and inspections, as well as standardized and customized valve safety trains. These extensive risk reduction solutions enable organizations to dramatically improve compliance and worker safety while maintaining productivity.
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