What are the elements of a workplace safety inspection?

Safety is of the utmost importance in any workplace, and maintaining a safe environment requires a great deal of effort. Employees expect a workplace free of any undue danger, and it falls on the shoulders of employers to meet that expectation. Setting health and safety guidelines is the first step – and keeping those guidelines enforced is just as important.

Ideally, upholding safety standards will nurture a companywide culture of safety, with regular inspections being a key part of the plan to maintain that environment.

The basics of safety inspections

Anyone who’s responsible for keeping a team safe and sending them home to their families at the end of the day knows the importance of a safe work environment. Safety regulations are a critical path to a safe work environment and they must be effective and continually observed. Putting regular inspections in place helps employees stay mindful of the guidelines by evaluating how employees understand and practice them.

During a safety inspection, inspectors will perform a thorough investigation of safety protocols, potential hazards and any existing violations and will make recommendations to address any concerns.

While some companies may have safety inspections performed by an internal safety team, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) can perform requested or unrequested inspections as well. In either scenario, several key steps need to be performed.

Step One: Plan and Schedule

To keep a workplace safe, schedule inspections regularly. Remember that an effective inspection should be a relatively involved process, and equipment may need to be shut down to do things properly. It’s important to find a balance between scheduling inspections too frequently and not frequently enough.

Performing inspections weekly or even monthly may have an impact on productivity. And holding inspections too infrequently — for instance, once a year — could reduce their effectiveness. Be sure to think about how your business functions, and find the best schedule for making sure safety is at the top of your priority list.

An inspection should be thorough. Don’t forget to inspect the work areas and equipment that are less frequently used, and consider performing multiple inspections for different shifts to ensure safety guidelines are followed around the clock. Keeping all these efforts organized can be difficult since it may involve several disconnected documents and records being brought together. The use of safety software can help streamline your safety process and make it even easier to plan an inspection.

Step Two: Prepare and Communicate

Ideally, workers shouldn’t have to do any special preparation of their work areas for a safety inspection, since safety guidelines should already be followed anyway. However, an upcoming safety inspection provides a perfect opportunity to offer training refreshers on safety policies. Workers should also be prepared for and understand potential disruptions in their workflow as inspectors look at their areas.

A safety inspection also allows supervisors to consider ways their workspace can be made safer and more efficient by closely considering how current practices can be improved. In just about any job, it’s easy for workers to fall into a routine, so inspections allow safety to become part of that routine.

No matter the tenure of your employees, you can’t always assume that they know where to find critical safety supplies. Put labels and safety signs in place. It’s an easy and proactive way to ensure equipment is in its proper place and easy to find. If having a label is the difference between a worker finding the first aid kit quickly in a critical situation and not being able to locate a kit, you’ll be glad you put the simple organizational tactic in place.

Consider using a label printer , too. It can help keep a facility as a whole organized. Look into portable Bluetooth label printers to make the process quick and painless.

With safety being a critical goal in your workplace, if you’re unsure of how you can improve safety practices, do the safe and smart thing and consult an external safety team to help find problem areas you may not have noticed through training events and in-person evaluations. It’s always better to prepare beforehand to help account for as many issues as possible.

Note that, in some cases, an unrequested inspection will not involve prior notice. In the following cases, OSHA may conduct an inspection without informing the workplace prior to arrival:

• An injury or death recently occurred at the facility
• Employee(s) have filed a complaint with OSHA with safety concerns
• The media has reported safety concerns at the facility
• The workplace is in a field with increased government scrutiny regarding safety concerns

Step Three: Conduct the Inspection

During the inspection , an inspector or a team of inspectors will evaluate the safety conditions of a worksite. This includes a walkthrough of a facility where the inspector will check for conditions that could lead to injury or other negative health effects.

Ideally, an inspection should be performed in a way in which distractions and disruptions are kept to a minimum, but this may vary by the nature of the facility. A wide-open warehouse, for example, may be easier to inspect without interruption, while equipment in a more compact manufacturing plant may make for a more time-consuming inspection.

Step Four: Record and Report Hazards

Though specific hazards will differ by worksite, there are some general areas to always watch out for:

• Proper equipment safety guards: Machinery and other equipment with built-in safety guards should have fully functional protections. Other equipment like cable boxes and circuit breakers may require additional lockout tagout devices for appropriate security.
• Hazardous environments labeled: Any chemicals, hazardous materials or potentially dangerous electrical components onsite should have proper labels. Even standard electrical systems like switchboards and panel boards may require special arc flash labeling for compliance, so do not skip this step. Other potentially hazardous areas might include confined spaces , which are also subject to labeling and safety programming.
• Properly placed safety equipment: First aid kits, eyewash stations and other emergency response equipment should be located in clearly marked, easily accessed areas. Workers should also have easy access to personal protection equipment.
• Untrained workers: Workers should be trained to use machinery, and records of training should be easily accessible.
• Proper ventilation: Dangerous fumes from machines and chemicals should be only in places with proper ventilation, such as near a fume hood.

An inspector will notify supervisors of violations in these areas, along with any potential repercussions for violations.

Step Five: Follow-Up

Depending on the severity of safety violations found, companies can face OSHA penalties , including fines. The inspector will provide descriptions of problems, a timeframe in which you’ll need to address any issues, and possible suggestions for fixing the issues. In the event of an OSHA violation, an appeal can be filed as well.

Ignoring hazards negates the value of having a safety inspection in the first place. In addition, workers may feel as if these actions disregard their safety, which could affect morale. As such, workers have a right to report any violations or their workplaces that disregard inspection rulings. Additionally, during OSHA inspections, repeat offenders face more severe citations and fees.

After an inspection, it is a good idea to take time to reflect on the results with workers. This allows a chance to address things like reminders of common safety hazards or reviewing ways to eliminate possible worker errors in the future.

Safety is paramount in any workplace, and by following the above practices, one can carry out an effective safety inspection. A careful and deliberate safety inspection will give employees confidence that they can work without fear of injury, and it gives added peace of mind to company stakeholders in regards to liability.

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