Workplace inspections
Inspections are vital to preventing accidents and injuries in the workplace and are an opportunity to make the workplace better, not just an item to check off on a list of requirements. Occupational health and safety legislation across Canada requires employers to regularly inspect their workplaces for real and potential hazards. Legislative standards vary by jurisdiction. And going beyond the minimum requirements and following current best practices can ensure you’ve done your due diligence.
Regular workplace inspections bring numerous benefits, including improved employee satisfaction, increased productivity, and reduced absenteeism. They also contribute to lower insurance premiums and reduce costs linked to recruiting and training replacements for employees who are injured or ill, whether on a temporary or long-term basis.
If you are unfamiliar with workplace inspections or need ideas on how to improve them, use the guidelines below to assess your program and ensure the safety of your employees.
Effective workplace inspections: Tips to get started
Develop a plan: Begin by developing a plan that outlines the frequency, scope, and focus of your workplace inspections. Aim to identify which areas need attention and how often they should be inspected. Be sure to review legislative requirements to ensure your plan meets all necessary standards.
Engage employees: Involving employees in the inspection process not only provides an additional perspective but also empowers them to take ownership of their safety. This process also allows workers to exercise their right to participate in maintaining a safe workplace.
Use checklists: In order for inspections to be meaningful, the same aspects of the work need to be inspected in the same way each time to ensure standards are continually met. Using a checklist helps workers and leaders stay organized, maintain a record, and ensure all necessary areas are covered during each inspection.
Workplace inspection policies
A workplace inspection policy should outline the process for inspections and the related responsibilities of stakeholders. It should also include the frequency and types of inspections to conduct. There are three types of inspections:
- Ongoing: Ongoing inspections are part of an employee’s regular duties to look for hazards on the job and report any problems they find to the appropriate authority.
- Pre-operational: Pre-operational inspections are daily or weekly checks by employees to ensure their workspace or equipment is safe before use.
- Periodic inspections: Periodic inspections are planned and regularly scheduled as a preventive measure and are typically subject to legislation.
Having a combination of these types of inspections in the workplace allows all employees to contribute to maintaining a safe work environment. Inspections prevent problems from going unnoticed, and accelerates the timeline for implementing solutions.
In some cases, including these responsibilities in an employee’s role helps ensure seamless alignment with legislative and operational requirements.
Provide training your workers can depend on
It’s part of an employer’s due diligence responsibility to ensure that the inspection process is being upheld. All employees must receive training on common hazards, the specific hazards found in their workplace, whom to report hazards to, and how to protect themselves from exposure. Any employee tasked with completing inspections must also be trained on how to sufficiently complete inspections and why inspections matter.
Employees responsible for conducting pre-operational inspections should also receive thorough training on the correct safe operating procedures and protocols for the tasks they are inspecting. This training equips them with the knowledge to confidently conduct inspections, effectively address issues, and ensure that safety objectives are met.
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Reporting and documenting findings
Employees should have the proper tools and resources available to them when conducting an inspection to ensure they are thorough and accurate in reporting hazards. Provide a Workplace Inspection Checklist to employees. Guarantee that no items are forgotten during the inspection and to encourage consistent reporting. The previous inspection report and visual aids, such as a workplace diagram that identifies issue locations, should be used to follow up on pending issues.
Information should be reported to the appropriate person within the organization and recorded for future reference. Managers are responsible for regularly reviewing pre-operational inspection documents to verify they are being completed by employees. Managers are also responsible for filing these documents.
Important considerations
Remember that inspections should be preventive, not reactive. Just because something isn’t broken, doesn’t mean it can’t be improved. And employers must not wait for an incident to occur to remediate hazards. Conducting regular, standardized inspections provides a thorough understanding of workplace conditions, helping to create a safer environment for all workers.
Identify solutions and ensure follow-up
Workplace inspections play a key role in uncovering potential risks, but identifying hazards is only the beginning. Creating a safe environment requires a comprehensive risk assessment to effectively evaluate and address issues discovered during inspections. Each hazard should be analysed for its severity. Hazards should then be prioritized based on its potential impact. Finally, hazards should be mitigated through appropriate measures such as engineering adjustments, updated procedures, targeted training, or the use of PPE. By following these steps, organizations can proactively manage risks and foster safer, more secure work environments.
Effective occupational health and safety (OHS) programs don’t stop at identifying hazards—they succeed with action and consistent follow-through. Once controls are implemented, continually monitor their effectiveness and make necessary adjustments to ensure lasting results. Prioritize corrective actions based on urgency, and confirm that solutions fully eliminate the risks. By integrating regular inspections, thorough risk assessments, and ongoing monitoring, you not only uphold OHS standards but also foster a proactive, safety-first workplace culture.
Final considerations
Workplace inspections are critical to avoid incidents, injuries, and illnesses. Pre-emptively identifying hazards in the workplace is the best way to resolve issues before they harm employees. Inspections can be completed in a few different ways and may involve every member of the organization. Thorough inspections not only protect the company but create a safe and healthy environment for everyone.
Workplace inspections demand time and attention, but support is available
Our user-friendly incident logging software is a valuable resource to have when incidents happen. We provide pre-built, customizable incident report forms that are easy to complete. They’re also secure and stored in our centralized database for quick access and analysis. With automated reporting, you can track trends, and mobile accessibility allows for incident reporting from any location. Our software also integrates with other health and safety tools for risk assessments and safe operating procedures. They offer a comprehensive safety management system for your business.