7 Health And Safety Inspection Checklists For The Workplace

Workplace health and safety are important standards to recognize and maintain, regardless of industry. Professionals can use many types of Occupational Safety and Health Administration-compliant safety inspection checklists to mitigate risk and promote well-being at work. With proper safety regulations, employees can feel confident and comfortable in their work environments and excel in their duties.

In this article, we outline what a safety inspection checklist is, discuss seven common checklists used across various industries and list how companies can benefit from implementing safety inspection checklists.

What is a safety inspection checklist?

Safety inspection checklists are tools professionals from various industries use to conduct safety examinations and tests. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) sets the standards for most safety checklists used on job sites across various industries in the United States. These checklists help determine whether a work site is safe for employees and if there are any existing workplace hazards. Regular safety checklists allow professionals to identify potential risks, such as equipment failures or chemical exposures, expediently. From here, they can take action to protect themselves and their colleagues by mitigating or removing hazards.

Safety checklists are especially common in industries like construction, manufacturing and health care that may handle occupational hazards on a day-to-day basis. Typically, safety officers or other designated individuals perform inspections on a regular schedule using a checklist with standardized items for their specific industry. For instance, a health care safety officer may inspect a hospital using a checklist tailored to confirm employees are wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) and disposing of medical waste properly. Using safety checklists to verify that employers and employees adhere to predetermined safety standards can help promote workplace productivity, health and well-being.

Benefits of safety inspection checklists

Safety checklists are important tools that help workplaces promote employee well-being and manage potential occupational hazards. There are some significant benefits that employees may enjoy from implementing the use of safety inspection checklists in their workplace, including:

• Promoting safety: Inspection checklists can help workplaces maintain safety across all processes. The regular use of checklists may also foster a general sense of commitment to workplace health and safety among employers and employees alike.

• Fostering responsibility: Safety inspection checklists can help employees foster a sense of ownership over workplace well-being. When internal stakeholders maintain a safety standard, the overall investment in safety within a workplace may increase.

• Mitigating risk: Using safety inspection checklists allows workplaces to mitigate potential risks and harm to employers and employees. Checklists can help professionals identify hazards early in their lifespan and address them quickly to maintain occupational safety.

• Increasing productivity: When employees don’t have to worry about encountering risks and hazards in their daily activities, they can focus their energy on meeting specific goals and completing tasks. Therefore, the use of safety inspection checklists can help boost productivity in the workplace.

• Improving employee satisfaction: For employees to feel satisfied with their jobs, it’s integral for them to feel safe in the workplace. Employees may feel more secure in their roles when work sites are purposeful in maintaining workplace safety and protection through inspection checklists.

• Ensuring legal compliance: Legal bodies regulate safety standards in various industries. With this, adherence to safety standards through regular inspection checklists can help workplaces maintain compliance within their industry.

7 commonly used safety checklists

Various types of safety inspection checklists are available for use in various industries. While some industries may designate their own set of specific safety standards, most fields use checklists that comply with standards established by OSHA. This is because the widespread usage of OSHA-compliant checklists allows workplaces to maintain industry compliance and foster a systemization of workplace health and safety initiatives. With this in mind, here are seven checklists offered by OSHA that are commonly used to promote safety across many industries:

1. Self-inspection for construction

The self-inspection checklist for construction contains a comprehensive list of safety items to maintain well-being on work sites. This checklist can help employees on construction sites properly manage the sizable amount of safety items they encounter in their daily tasks. Not all items on the construction safety checklist will apply to every work site as this list is thorough and can apply to various job sites. The items on this list include:

• Administrative requirements for record-keeping

• General safety and health provisions

• PPE and life-saving equipment management

• Fire protection guidelines

• Signs, signals and barricades to prevent accidents

• Proper materials handling, storage, use and disposal

• Hand and power tools usage and storage

• Welding and cutting practices

• Electrical wiring

• Scaffolding requirements

• Fall protection for greater than six feet of height

• Crane and derrick maintenance

• Hoist and elevator usage

• Motor vehicles, mechanized equipment and marine operations

• Concrete and masonry construction guidelines

• Steel erection practices

• Underground construction and compressed air

• Demolition practices

• Blasting and explosive use

• Power transmission and distribution

• Rollover protective structures (ROPS)

• Overhead protection

• Stairways and ladders

• Toxic and hazardous substances

2. Self-inspection for general industry

The self-inspection checklist for general industry incorporates a wide variety of safety items to promote employee health in the workplace. Since professionals can use this checklist to determine safety compliance in different industries, so it may be a useful resource. This is especially helpful for workplaces within industries that rarely practice safety standard adherence because of a lack of regulation. Some items on this checklist are like those included in the construction self-inspection checklist, but many more general items are included.

Here are a few examples of items included on the self-inspection for general industry checklist:

• Employer posting of safety guidelines in a public and visible place

• Record-keeping of safety permits, occupational injuries and employee training records

• Safety and health program existence, consistency and participation

• Medical services and first aid availability, proximity and response

• Fire protection guidelines for alarms, hydrants, facilities and entryways

• PPE and clothing, such as gloves, aprons, safety glasses, goggles and hard hats

• General work environment sanitation, debris mitigation, hazard removal and waste management

• Walkway clearance, surface management, elevation measurement and bridge compliance

• Floor and wall openings

• Stairs and stairways

• Exit clearance

• Portable ladders

• Hand tools and equipment

• Power-operated tools and equipment

• Compressors and receivers

• Hazardous chemical exposures and handling practices

• Noise management

• Electrical safety

3. Housekeeping inspection

The housekeeping inspection checklist contains safety items related to cleanliness, sanitization and workplace personal protection practices. This checklist can apply to various industries, and professionals may use it to maintain a particular level of health regulation on their work site. The housekeeping inspection checklist may be especially helpful for professionals in food services, health care and manufacturing industries. Here are a few examples of items included on the housekeeping inspection checklist:

• Dust prevention

• Visibility, ventilation and dust reduction

• Potable water availability

• Non-potable water labeling guidelines

• Clean and serviceable bathroom facilities

• Hand-washing station guidelines

• Cleaning, servicing and supplying schedules

• Changing room availability and storage

• Food and beverage consumption

• Tobacco product consumption

• Hazardous substance-free area guidelines

• Insect and pest control

• Slip and pooling water prevention

• Walkway and passage clearance

• Exit route labeling

• Doorway, exit, eyewash stations and shower clearance

4. Personal protective equipment (PPE) inspection

The PPE safety inspection checklist contains items that relate to workplace compliance in providing, maintaining, using and updating equipment that can protect employees from occupational hazards. Professionals across many industries can use the PPE checklist to identify hazards and find protective equipment solutions to support employee safety. Most industries use this checklist in combination with others, as OSHA recommends workplaces employ PPE as a secondary risk control measure. Here are a few examples of the items covered by the PPE inspection checklist:

• Hazard analysis performance and updating

• Eye protection standards

• Ventilation

• Hazardous waste management

• Noise level monitoring and hearing conservation

• Documentation guidelines for noise exposure

• Hearing protective equipment availability

• Respiratory risk identification

• Respirator availability, use and storage

• Medical qualifications for employee PPE

• Fall protection equipment

• Foot protection equipment

5. Electrical inspection

The electrical inspection checklist includes safety items related to proper storage of materials and electrical infrastructure. While professionals from various industries may use this checklist to ensure electrical safety at their workplace, the electrical inspection checklist is especially useful in the construction and manufacturing industries because of their increased exposure to electrical components. Here are a few examples of the safety items included in the electrical safety inspection checklist:

• Cord and cable connection securement

• Outlet overload protection

• Fixed wiring guidelines

• Unobstructed electrical panels and breakers

• High-voltage service room securement

• Visibility guidelines

• Electrical cord grounding guidelines

• Cord condition and maintenance

• Appliance approval and standards

• Fan guards and injury prevention

• Space heater ventilation

• Electrical raceway fastening

• Clamps and other securing tools

• Operations and maintenance guidelines

• Material storage guidelines

6. Fall protection

The fall protection safety inspection checklist contains items related to the mitigation of exposure to falls in the workplace. This checklist can be useful for professionals who work in environments with high scaffolding or elevated infrastructure, such as construction workers. Using the fall protection inspection checklist, professionals can encourage the safe navigation of elevated job sites. Here are a few examples of the items included on the fall protection checklist:

• Fall protection program availability

• Hazard analysis of specific work location

• Fall protection system inspection

• Equipment storage and maintenance

• Aerial lift guidelines and regulations

• Portable ladder requirements, inspection, storage and maintenance

• Ladder usage guidelines

• Guardrail systems, fences, barricades and covers

• Design and erection of scaffolds

• Scaffold standard inspection

• Level footing standards

• Mid-rail guidelines

• Fall protection education

7. Truck safety inspection

The truck safety inspection checklist includes items relating to evaluating and maintaining a vehicle’s viability and condition. Professionals in supply management, distribution, manufacturing and transportation industries can use this checklist to maintain the safety of long-haul and delivery vehicles. This checklist may help those professionals identify potential mechanical issues for repair and maintenance. Overall, this may mitigate vehicular accidents and transportation delays. Here are a few examples of the items included on the truck safety inspection checklist:

• Vehicle servicing schedule

• Engine condition

• Headlight condition

• Indicator condition

• Brake light visibility

• Vehicle body condition

• Windshield washers and wipers condition

• Tire state and mileage

• Cleanliness and organization of vehicle

• Paperwork guidelines

• Inspection reporting guidelines

• PPE such as hard hats, high-visibility clothing and gloves

• Fire extinguisher availability

• First aid kit availability and proximity

• Eyewash provisions

• Hazard barrier condition

• Ladder condition

I hope you find this article helpful.