Worksite safety inspections are a formal process to identify hazards, non-compliance issues, and other safety concerns. Inspections involve planning, conducting checks using a checklist, and generating a report within 72 hours. The report assigns corrective actions to individuals and tracks implementation. Effective inspections are collaborative, involve all employee levels, and focus on prevention through accountability and ongoing monitoring.

1. 1
Worksite Safety
Inspections:
Serious Business

2. Introduction
• What is an inspection?
• Types of Inspections?
• The Role of the Health and Safety Committee,
Supervisors, Workers and Management in
Inspections.
• Planning an inspection.
• How to conduct Inspections.
• How to write the inspection report and time-lines.
• Effective Implementation of Inspections.
• Relevant Experience amongst the participants in
inspections: class discussion.
• Cutting edge strategies.

3. • An inspection is part of workplace monitoring
• It checks for substandard acts and
conditions
• It checks the PEPME: people, environment,
physical conditions, machinery/materials and
equipment.
• It is not an audit although inspections and
audits are often used interchangeably
• An audit is an examination of the whole
Health and Safety System, and inspection is
a portion thereof.
What is an inspection?

4. • Planned
• Formal (checklist)
• Part of the normal work
process
• Review of all operations
and actions of employees
Types of Inspections

5. • Performed everyday: checking the
worksites for hazards prior to beginning
work
• Walking around by Management,
Supervisors, Workers to check/monitor
conditions informally (not written down,
but noted).
Planned Inspections

6. • May be legislated i.e. Health and Safety
Committee conduct monthly inspections and/or
weekly depending on the scope of work and the
degree of hazards and the timelines to conduct the
work.
• This is an example of regular inspections.
Formal Inspections

7. • Intermittent inspections can be conducted
periodically with no defined timelines so people
cannot prepare also known as surprise inspections
• Always inform someone higher up that you will be
conducting the inspections so you do not create a
hazard for yourself or the inspection team
– Can be onsite or in the field i.e. Checking for PPE use at
a remote site.
Formal Inspections

8. • Determine what you wish to inspect with your team
• Why you wish to inspect
• Who will be on the team
• When you wish to inspect
Planning an Inspection
Near Misses
Actual Incidents

9. • How you will go about it. In short, how to rate/rank
hazards, what checklist to use and/or if you have to
create one
• How it fits into the big picture
• Allocate enough time so you can be effective
• Ensure enough resources are provided so the
corrective actions can occur in a timely manner
Planning an Inspection

10. • Wear the necessary PPE: set a good example
• Do not operate equipment you are not competent
to do so
• Inform the Supervisor of the area if this is a regular
inspection, keep management informed if this is a
surprise inspection and be sure you are aware of
the Health and Safety hazards in the area and
someone knows you will be there
Conducting the Inspection

11. • Adequate number of exits
• Access to exits
• Clear means of egress inside
and outside building
• Emergency evacuation plan
posted
• Emergency lighting and alarms
What to look for

12. • Housekeeping
• Storage areas
and practices
• Trip/fall hazards
• Storage/use of hazardous
materials
• Stairs/steps condition
What to look for

13. • Breakers condition
• Breakers accessible & labelled
• Extension cord use
• Power cords for equipment
• Grounding and GFCI’s as
needed
What to look for

14. • First aid kits accessible
• First aid kits properly stocked
• Eye wash station inspected
• Emergency shower
• Method to record first aid use
What to look for

15. • Personal protective equipment
used as needed
• Storage of PPE
• Signs for PPE use
What to look for

16. • Work stations ergonomically
designed
• Guards on equipment as
needed
What to look for

17. • Waste disposal outside daily
• Federal/state posters in place
• Parking lot/driveway in good
condition
• Lighting adequate inside and outside
What to look for

18. • Inspect on schedule with some
variation
• Assign responsibility to a team
• Set aside time for
adequate inspection
• Submit report
to management
How to do self inspection

19. • Completed form should be
turned in immediately.
• Assign responsibility to
individuals to make
preventative actions
• Determine who will do
follow-up
What to expect after a self inspection

20. Definitions

21. • Save reports for 3 years.
• Follow up with
management
after assigning
responsibility for
corrective action
• Schedule next inspection
What to after the inspection

22. Between inspections, have
method for employees to
make suggestions when they
see unsafe acts or conditions.
Always Remember

23. • Keep it simple the KISS principle
• Rank the worst hazards first
• Create an action plan
• Assign people responsible for corrective
actions and do not always use the
maintenance person: spread the love
• Record the implementation date of the
corrective actions
• Assign a follow up person to check that these
have been done
Writing the Inspection
Report

24. • Post the inspection report
• Do not refer to people by name if they had an
unsafe act
• Preserve the privacy of individuals this is the
law
• Complete within 72 hours after the inspection(s)
• Explain why some corrective actions have not
been done i.e. Large budget/resource items
and what is being done to mitigate this
Writing the Inspection
Report

25. Effective Implementation of Inspections
• Always be thinking: lean
manufacturing's the 5 WHY’s
• Why are employees doing unsafe
acts
• Why do unsafe conditions exist
• Why, why, why? What are the
underlying conditions behind the
behavior?

26. • The three E’s of Safety: Expect, Exhibit and
Emphasize
• Assign someone responsible for inspection
planning and implementation (clear expectations)
• Keep management and the workers informed
• Involve all levels of employees so management
and workers buy into the program (exhibit)
• Do not always have one person responsible:
rotate the duties to avoid burnout and to involve
everyone, employees will do what their supervisor
feels is important (emphasize)
Effective Implementation of Inspections

27. • Assign frequency of inspections to the various
positions and write into job descriptions (clear
expectations, what gets measured, gets done)
• Hold people responsible and measure the
implementation by the various people of the
process (key performance indicators)
• Inspections are a leading indicator that can
prevent incidents
• Digital dashboard approach
• Proactively prevent incidents before they happen
by effective monitoring of workplace conditions
Effective Implementation of Inspections

28. • These are collaborative
• Involve all levels of employees
• Are planned out: Stephen Covey
“sharpen the saw”
• People are held accountable
• Are measured and tracked
• Prevent incidents before they
happen
Effective Inspections