Workplace safety inspections

What is a workplace safety inspection?

A workplace safety inspection is a regularly scheduled inspection of the workplace using a checklist to assist with the identification and monitoring of hazards. It is the best way of identifying hazards before they can cause an injury and implementing action to eliminate or control the hazards.

Who can do a workplace safety inspection?

Anybody can do a safety inspection. Ideally though, inspections should be carried out by teams of at least two staff, one of whom should have the experience, technical skills or qualifications appropriate to the area being inspected.

How, and how often, do you do a workplace safety inspection?

The easiest way is to use a checklist to help identify hazards in a particular area.

Inspections should be carried out at least annually, with the exception of high risk areas such as laboratories which should be inspected at least every six months. Extremely low risk areas such as single occupancy offices should be inspected at least every three years or when occupancy changes.

Once hazards are identified measures must be put in place to ensure the hazard is eliminated or controlled.

The University has more detailed procedures for Workplace safety inspections procedures.

Checklists

There are a number of checklists available depending on the type of area being inspected. These checklists include a detailed list of items to inspect.  

The following checklists are available:

I have done an inspection, what next?

Once an inspection is completed those items that require corrective actions should be addressed. Any hazards identified throughout the inspection should have corrective actions assigned to an appropriate person and the hazard entered onto the area's Risk Register. The  inspection team should follow up to see whether the corrective action has commenced or is completed.

For more information see the Work Health and Safety Risk Management Procedures.