Workplace inspection checklist

What a workplace inspection is

A workplace inspection is a walk round the premises, on a planned day, with a list of things to look at. You are checking two things: whether anything has become unsafe since last time, and whether the precautions you decided on are still in place and being used.

It is not the same as a risk assessment, which decides what precautions are needed in the first place. It is also narrower than a health and safety audit, which looks at whether your whole system works, paperwork included. The inspection is the routine check in between: quick, regular and about what you can see.

What the law requires

No regulation uses the words "workplace inspection". Two sets of regulations create the duty behind it.

Regulation 5 of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 requires every employer to make, and give effect to, arrangements for the "effective planning, organisation, control, monitoring and review" of their preventive and protective measures. If you employ five or more people, those arrangements must be recorded. A regular inspection is the most direct form of monitoring there is.

The Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 set the standards the building itself has to meet, and most of the checklist below comes from them.

HSE's guidance on managing health and safety lists what monitoring can include. First on the list is "making regular, planned checks of the workplace to look for risks that may have been overlooked, or people who are not working safely".

How often workplace inspections should be carried out

The law sets no frequency. The Management Regulations say the arrangements must be appropriate to "the nature of his activities and the size of his undertaking", which means the interval is yours to decide and to defend. HSE's word is "regular".

What follows is common practice. It is a starting point and you should not read it as a legal standard.

Shorten the interval if inspections keep finding the same faults, or after an accident or near miss. Inspect again whenever something significant changes: a new machine, a new layout, a new process.

One interval is written into law. Where you recognise a trade union and it has appointed safety representatives, regulation 5 of the Safety Representatives and Safety Committees Regulations 1977 entitles them to inspect the workplace if they give reasonable notice in writing and have not inspected it in the previous three months.

Who should carry out the inspection

Someone who knows the work well enough to recognise what is wrong, and who has the standing to get it put right. In a small firm that is usually the owner, a manager or a supervisor. They do not need a safety qualification for a general walk-round. They do need to know what the precautions are supposed to be, which means having read the risk assessments.

Two habits make inspections better. Take someone from the shop floor with you, because they know which guard gets taken off and which door gets propped open. HSE notes that some organisations win greater support for health and safety by involving workers in monitoring. And change who inspects which area from time to time, because people stop seeing their own patch.

Workplace inspection checklist

Each line is written so that "yes" means all is well. Cross out sections that do not apply to you and add lines for hazards particular to your work. The fire lines follow the Home Office guide for small non-domestic premises in England. There are fuller lists for fire doors and first aid kits.

Floors, stairs and traffic routes

• Floors have no holes, loose coverings or uneven patches that could trip someone
• Floors are dry, or any wet area is signed and being dealt with
• Walkways, stairs and doorways are clear of stock, cables and rubbish
• Stairs have a secure handrail and sound treads
• Vehicle routes and pedestrian routes are separated and clearly marked
• Lights are working in every work area, corridor and stairway
• Outdoor paths and yards are free of potholes and standing water

Work at height

• Ladders and stepladders are undamaged and stored where they will not be knocked or bent
• Each ladder has an up-to-date inspection record
• Edges of mezzanines, platforms and loading bays have guard rails in place
• Nobody is climbing racking, shelving or stacked pallets to reach stock
• Access to roofs and other high places is controlled
• Items stored above head height are stable and cannot fall

Storage and racking

• Racking has no bent uprights, dislodged beams or missing beam locks
• A load notice is displayed on the racking and the loads are within it
• Heavier items are stored low down
• Stacks are stable and not leaning
• Pallets in use are undamaged
• Aisles between racking and shelving are clear

Machinery and guards

• Every guard is in place, secure and not bypassed
• Emergency stops are easy to reach and work when pressed
• Machine controls are clearly marked
• Each machine can be isolated from its power supply and the isolator is identified
• Only trained people are operating machines
• The floor around each machine is clear and well lit
• Defects reported since the last inspection have been dealt with

Electrical

• Plugs, sockets and cables show no damage, scorch marks or exposed wires
• Extension leads are not overloaded or plugged one into another
• Cables do not trail across walkways
• Distribution boards are closed, labelled and not blocked by storage
• Portable equipment has been inspected or tested within the interval you have set

Hazardous substances

• Every container is labelled with what is in it
• Substances are stored in their proper place with lids on
• Safety data sheets and COSHH assessments are available for the substances in use
• Extraction is switched on and working, and has been thoroughly examined and tested within the last 14 months
• A spill kit is stocked and kept where spills are likely
• People are using the gloves, eye protection or masks the COSHH assessment specifies

Fire precautions

• Fire exits are not locked and open easily
• Escape routes are clear, inside and outside the building
• Fire doors close fully by themselves and are not wedged open
• Fire extinguishers are in their places, undamaged and serviced within the last year
• The fire alarm has had its weekly test and the test is logged
• Emergency lighting has had its monthly test
• Fire exit signs and fire action notices are in place and readable
• Combustible waste is not building up inside or against the building

First aid

• The first aid kit is in its place, stocked and in date
• The names of first aiders or the appointed person are displayed and current
• The first aid box is marked with a white cross on a green background
• The accident book or incident record is available

Welfare

• Toilets are clean, lit and ventilated
• Washbasins have hot and cold or warm running water, soap and a way to dry hands
• Drinking water is available
• There is a clean place to rest and eat, with seating
• The indoor temperature is reasonable for the work being done
• There is somewhere to keep outdoor clothing and work clothing

Housekeeping and waste

• Work areas are tidy, with tools and materials put away
• Waste is in bins or skips and not on the floor
• Bins and skips are not overflowing
• Spills are cleaned up promptly and the materials to do it are to hand
• Nothing is stored in front of extinguishers, electrical panels or first aid kits

PPE

• People are wearing the PPE their job requires
• The PPE in use is in good condition and fits the wearer
• Replacement PPE is in stock
• PPE has a clean, dry place to be stored
• Signs show where PPE must be worn

Signs and notices

• The health and safety law poster is displayed, or every worker has the leaflet
• Warning, prohibition and mandatory signs are in place, clean and readable
• Hearing protection zones are marked with signs
• Speed limits, crossings and one-way routes for vehicles are signed
• Signs that no longer apply have been taken down

What to do when something fails

Sort each finding into one of three kinds as you go.

• Fix it now. A box in a walkway, a propped fire door, a spill. Deal with it and note that you did.
• Stop it now. A machine with a guard missing, a ladder with a cracked stile, a damaged racking upright under load. Take it out of use on the spot, label it so nobody else uses it, and only then arrange the repair.
• Raise an action. Anything that needs money, a contractor or a decision. Write down what is to be done, give it to a named person and set a date.

The third kind is where inspections go wrong. A finding with no name and no date against it will still be there next month. Start each inspection by going through the open actions from the last one.

What to record

For each inspection, keep the date, who did it, the area covered, the answer to each line, and for every "no" what was found and what was done or is to be done about it. A photograph of a defect saves a paragraph of description.

The law requires employers of five or more people to record their monitoring arrangements. It does not say that every general walk-round must be written down. Write it down anyway. It is the proof that the inspection happened, and it is the only way actions get followed up. Some specific inspections must be recorded by law, including inspections of work equipment under PUWER and of ladders under the Work at Height Regulations.

Keeping it in SafetyPro360

The checklist above can be set up in SafetyPro360 as a checklist of your own, with each line as a question, and you can add or remove lines to suit your premises. Whoever does the inspection runs it on a phone as they walk round. Each completed check is kept with its date, who did it and its score. SafetyPro360 does not schedule the inspection for you, so choose a day and keep to it.

Questions people ask