> I argued that in a welding shop there is really no way of making them irretrievable
That depends on how you look at the problem.
If you look at it as a container with a one-way door that things can never return from, that's not going to happen.
All you really need, is tamper evident packaging. Something like those paint cans, where once it goes in, it may be easy to take things out, but if something is removed, it will be easily visible. A permanent sticker applied as a seal would be more effective than a lock.
In my line of work, we'd have a sheet of serialized stickers and a notebook. You'd record the sticker number, date, and initial the line when the sticker was cut when the container was dumped, and what new sticker number seal was applied. Takes no more time than finding the key for a padlock (especially if you have the book and a pen tied to the container). Give that book to the auditor and let them choke on it.
I deal with auditors way too often. There are some tricks to get through easily. Be very direct. Don't ever give an answer that could lead them to learning a new question. Don't provide any information they didn't ask for (that usually applies, even if its something you do "above and beyond" your requirements, because then they'll be asking to verify that procedure on their next visit). And when they ask a stupid question like this, snowball them with documentation.
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