Workplace inspections help prevent incidents, injuries, and illnesses. Through an examination of the workplace, inspections help to identify and record hazards for corrective action. Health and safety committees can help plan, conduct, report, and monitor inspections. Regular workplace inspections are an important part of the overall occupational health and safety program and management system if present.
Inspections are important because they allow you to:
- Listen to the concerns of workers and supervisors.
- Gain further understanding of jobs and tasks.
- Identify existing and potential hazards.
- Determine the underlying cause of hazards.
- Recommend corrective action.
- Monitor steps taken to eliminate hazards or control the risk (e.g., engineering controls, administrative controls, policies, procedures, personal protective equipment).
Every inspection must examine who, what, where, when, and how. Pay particular attention to items that are or are most likely to develop into unsafe or unhealthy conditions because of stress, wear, impact, vibration, heat, corrosion, chemical reaction, or misuse. Include areas where no work is done regularly, such as parking lots, rest areas, office storage areas, and locker rooms.
Look at all workplace elements- the people, the environment, the equipment, and the process. The environment includes hazards like noise, vibration, lighting, temperature, and ventilation. Equipment includes materials, tools, and apparatus for producing a product or a service. The process involves how the worker interactions with the other elements in a series of tasks or operations.
This information is brought to you by TekSolv. Contact a TekSolv EHS Professional at 866.TEKSOLV to learn more about audits or to get your facility reviewed. For questions, feel free to give us a call or reach out to a member of your McConkey service team.
