Regular workplace health and safety inspections play a key role in preventing injuries and accidents. These inspections can be carried out by health and safety committee members or other employees. Health and safety inspections come in many different shapes and sizes. They range from a short pre-shift equipment check to a general inspection of the entire workplace.

A successful inspection will find existing hazards and identify changes that needed to make the workplace safer and healthier. Over time, regular inspections help to monitor the successes and shortcomings of a workplace's Health and Safety program.

Preparation for any type of workplace inspection follows these three steps:

1. Planning
2. Inspecting
3. Follow up

1. Planning

There are three parts to planning a workplace inspection

• policy and procedures
• training and information
• tools

Policy and procedures

A workplace inspection program starts with a clear policy and management commitment. Then written procedures are developed that give specific directions and identify roles and responsibilities. The procedures need to include

purpose - The purpose of a workplace inspection is to provide a safe and healthy workplace.

objectives - One objective is to identify hazards.

scope - The scope outlines what is and is not covered by an inspection. The scope considers items such as

• routine, non-routine and maintenance activities
• different shifts
• different work areas (remember the offices and parking lots)

Training and information

Workplace inspectors need training and knowledge about

• work processes
• recognizing workplace health and safety hazards
• ways to eliminate and control the hazards
• regulatory requirements
• how to conduct an inspection

A pre-inspection tour allows inspectors to learn about the work processes. Before an inspection, they need to review concerns identified by employees, accident reports, results of previous inspections, health and safety committee minutes, government inspection reports, and any other information that may help them identify hazards on the inspection.

Tools

Make sure you have the right tools. An inspection "toolbox" includes

• floor plan - A diagram of the workplace layout helps the inspectors find their way around. Mark equipment, work activities, hazards and control measures on the floor plan (or map if the inspection is outside).
  
  
• checklist - The best checklist is one made specifically for your workplace. Use information from the training session, the pre-inspection tour, and past problems to develop your checklist. Sample checklists provide ideas. (See Resources.)
  
  
• pictures - A sketch or photograph work activities will help you recall the details later.
  
  
• interview - Talk to workers and supervisors about the work activities. Workers know best about their work and many of the hazards. They often have good ideas on how to make the work safer.
  
  
• personal protective equipment (PPE) - You will need the proper PPE - (respirators, safety shoes, safety glasses and hearing protection) to enter different work areas.

2. Inspecting

Equipped with the background information, floor plan, checklist, PPE, and extra paper you are ready to do the inspection. Plan enough time to do a thorough job and make sure that workers and supervisors have time to participate. Remember to

• Attend to any immediate dangers. If the problem cannot be fixed, then the operation needs to be stopped.
• Observe the process.
• Look around. Check the floor and overhead.
• Ask questions. Ask operators to demonstrate their equipment and tell you about the hazards and controls.
• Consider what happens when you are not there. Check on maintenance, non-routine activities and different shifts. You may need another visit.
• Come back if the equipment is shut down.
• Minimize any work disruption. You may miss something important.
• Record information as you go. Take time to make clear legible notes and diagrams.
• Note if additional inspecting or monitoring is needed.

3. Follow Up

Follow up includes preparing the inspection report and a review of past inspection reports. The inspection team needs to meet after the inspection. At the meeting, the inspectors can compare notes, find out if more information is needed. Rank the identified hazards in order of severity. Let the person responsible know about any problems that can be fixed promptly. Write the report after collecting all the information. The report includes

• problems fixed since the last inspection
• new problems and proposed solutions
• steps needed to investigate a problem further
• progress on problems identified on earlier inspections
• reasons why old problems have not been fixed

Give the completed report to those people identified in the written procedure, including

• Health and Safety committee members
• supervisors
• management

Reviewing the inspection reports and other records can show trends, help to monitor health and safety programs and identify ongoing problems. One example, is the need for additional training. Areas with frequent problems or serious hazards can be identified and given special attention. Sometimes a single solution may be found for several related problems. A proper workplace inspection program is an important part of any Workplace Health and Safety Program.

Resources

Many organizations have good information on workplace inspections including

• Workplace Safety and Health, Manitoba Labour
• Labour Operations, Human Resources Development Canada
• Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety
• MFL Occupational Health Centre
• unions
• trade organizations

November 1998