diff --git a/docs/release.rst b/docs/release.rst
index e3e4ed62..7a0ba17f 100644
--- a/docs/release.rst
+++ b/docs/release.rst
@@ -18,8 +18,12 @@ Release notes
 * Updated the msgpack dependency (by :user:`Jerome Kelleher <jeromekelleher>`;
   :issue:`74`, :issue:`75`).
 
+* Allow :class:`Blosc` compressor to run on systems where locks are not present (by 
+  :user:`Marcus Kinsella <mckinsel>`; :issue:`#83`).
+
 * Drop Python 3.4 (by :user:`John Kirkham <jakirkham>`; :issue:`89`).
 
+
 .. _release_0.5.5:
 
 0.5.5
diff --git a/numcodecs/blosc.pyx b/numcodecs/blosc.pyx
index 85c52909..11766079 100644
--- a/numcodecs/blosc.pyx
+++ b/numcodecs/blosc.pyx
@@ -76,8 +76,10 @@ AUTOSHUFFLE = -1
 AUTOBLOCKS = 0
 
 # synchronization
-mutex = multiprocessing.Lock()
-
+try:
+    mutex = multiprocessing.Lock()
+except OSError:
+    mutex = None
 
 # store ID of process that first loads the module, so we can detect a fork later
 _importer_pid = os.getpid()
@@ -405,6 +407,10 @@ def _get_use_threads():
     global use_threads
     proc = multiprocessing.current_process()
 
+    # check if locks are available, and if not no threads
+    if not mutex:
+        return False
+
     # check for fork
     if proc.pid != _importer_pid:
         # If this module has been imported in the parent process, and the current process