Any accident can cost your business more than you may first think. There are the costs of medical attention and employee absences, costs in time of investigation into the incident, and possibly even fines from the government for breaching local Occupational Health and Safety laws. Many accidents and possible incidents can be avoided by the early identification of hazards and implementing simple steps to reduce the risks of incidents, such as a regular workplace safety inspection.
Most serious accidents actually happen after several near misses or several events when someone noticed the hazard but did nothing to prevent the possible accident. Regular workplace safety inspections are simple to implement and can help your business to identify and rectify the hazards before an accident occurs and someone is injured.
Finally, a cause of many accidents is sloppy housekeeping, such as archive boxes piled near an emergency exit, or items left in a passageway or walkway that someone could trip over. A regular workplace inspection will identify these familiar hazards, and usually the team completing the inspection can remove some of the hazards immediately.
If you have a safety committee, it is best to involve members of your safety committee in the regular inspections. Generally, a monthly workplace inspection is acceptable. If possible, it is best to involve two employees in the inspection as sometimes one person will miss some hazards, and this task can be rotated among suitable staff members.
During the inspection, the safety inspectors simply walk around the entire premises, looking for possible hazards. Encourage the team to fix any hazards on the spot as far as practicable. The team should complete a checklist that has been modified to the exact requirements of the business premises. The checklist should finish with a list of identified hazards and what actions need to be completed to reduce the risks of accidents.
The manager should sign off on these actions and plan to implement the changes as soon as practicable. Sometimes, it is useful to photograph the hazard as part of the inspection, especially if the hazard is difficult to describe. If you do have a safety committee, you should ensure the regular workplace safety inspections are tabled at the committee meetings. In a small to medium business, the workplace inspection usually takes about 20 minutes, so it is a very simple safety practice to implement and maintain, without draining business resources.
What Hazards Should You Check For?
Naturally, the specific hazards you check for will be dependant on the type of business you manage. A workplace that deals with chemicals or the transport of dangerous goods will have different hazards to a workplace based in an office environment. This is why you should modify the template of the workplace inspection checklist to suit your specific business premises. However, there are some hazards that can be common to all businesses and these should be included on any workplace inspection checklist. The list below is a good starting point for creating a workplace safety inspection checklist.
Slips, Trips, and Falls
Check for potential hazards such as loose tiles, potholes that have formed in the car park or pathway areas, rubbish or possible trip hazards in walkways, and other hazards that could cause someone to slip, trip, or fall over.
Electrical
Check all electrical items, including the kettle in the tea room, are in good order, with no frayed or damaged leads or plugs.
Emergency Equipment and Planning
In an emergency, such as a fire, your business relies on several items that are not in use every day, which is why a regular inspection should include a review of the emergency equipment, such as exit signs, fire hydrants, extinguishers, hose reels, and emergency alarm. Check that all emergency equipment is in good working order, has been serviced regularly, and is accessible for quick use in an emergency. Check the fire exits are accessible in need and clear any rubbish from fire stairs that could cause trip accidents when people rush out of a building.
General Housekeeping
Check that sufficient waste receptacles are provided, that walkways and aisles are clear, that the floor surfaces are clean and maintained, and that the general amenities, such as toilets and kitchen areas are clean and well maintained. Check that any safety signs are visible and current.
Equipment
Check the equipment is being used in a safe manner (including ergonomic use of chairs to prevent back and neck strain in an office environment). Check the maintenance records of any equipment that needs regular servicing, such as a car, forklift, or machine. Check all machines have the appropriate safety guards in use.
Other Specific Requirements for the Business
When you design your workplace safety checklist, include any other specific requirements for your business, such as chemical storage (including cleaning chemicals), prevention of access into restricted areas, and compliance to specific procedures.
Using a workplace safety inspection checklist on a regular basis can help your business to quickly identify and rectify hazards before accidents occur. It is a simple procedure to implement and provides valuable information on the safety of your employees and visitors to your business premises.
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