Safety

 Inspec-on  Processes  
 Safety  Inspec-on  Processes    
•  Running   any   business   comes   with   its   own   set   of  
risks.   Of   all   the   types   of   risks,   though,   safety   risks  
are   the   ones   that   demand   the   most   a?en-on.  
AAer   all,   ensuring   a   safe   workplace   for   all  
employees   is   the   responsibility   of   every  
employer.   Poten-al   safety   hazards   must   be  
mi-gated   with   an   effec-ve   risk   management  
process.   Of   course,   before   implemen-ng   such   a  
process,   safety   risks   and   hazards   need   to   be  
found.  This  is  where  site  safety  inspec-ons  come  
in.    
•  A  safety  inspec-on  involves  a  thorough  scru-ny  of  the  
workplace  to:    

–  Iden-fy  and  record  poten-al  health  and  safety  hazards  

–  Review  safety  equipment  (e.g.,  fire  ex-nguishers,  first  aid  
kits,  safety  shoes,  protec-ve  gear,  etc.)  
–  Examine   the   effec-veness   of   your   workplace   safety  
prac-ces  
–  Check  for  compliance  with  health  and  safety  regula-ons  
–  Recommend  correc-ve  ac-ons  to  rec-fy  or  eliminate  any  
hazards  
 Why  Are  Site  Safety  Inspec-ons  
Important?  
•   
Conduc-ng   safety   inspec-ons   in   the   workplace   is  
important   for   several   reasons.   Regulatory   compliance  
would   be   the   first   of   these,   as   even   though   the  
Occupa-onal   Health   and   Safety   Administra-on   (OSHA)  
doesn't  mandate  inspec-ons,  they  strongly  recommend  it.    

•  Of   course,   compliance   is   not   the   only   reason   to   carry   out  

regular  inspec-ons  for  hazards  at  your  workplace.  They  can  
be   an   important   part   of   your   overall   health   and   safety  
program,  if  your  company  has  one.  Some  of  the  reasons  for  
establishing   a   process   for   regular   safety   inspec-ons  
include:  
•  They  help  prevent  risk  of  accidents  and  injuries  
•  They  create  an  atmosphere  of  safety  and  security  
in  the  workplace  
•  They  show  your  commitment  to  ensuring  your  
employees'  well-­‐being    
•  A  detailed  inspec-on  report  or  an  inspec-on  
cer-ficate  from  a  third  party  may  also  help  you  
with  property  insurance  issues,  if  you  ever  face  
them  
 5  Steps  to  Conduct  an  Effec-ve  Safety  
Inspec-on  at  Your  Workplace  
 
•  To  conduct  an  effec-ve  safety  inspec-on,  it  
may  be  useful  to  consider  it  a  part  of  a  
con$nuous  improvement  cycle  to  ensure  the  
safest  possible  workplace  for  your  employees.  
Here  are  the  steps  you  can  take  to  streamline  
your  process.  
 1.  Create  an  Inspec-on  Strategy    
 
•  Before  conduc-ng  a  safety  inspec-on,  it’s  impera-ve  to  plan  for  it.  
Crea-ng  a  safety  inspec-on  plan  involves  the  following  elements:  

•  A  schedule  

–  Since  inspec-ons  should  be  regular,  the  first  step  would  be  to  decide  
how  regularly  you're  going  to  conduct  them  (ideally,  one  every  six  
months  or  so)  and  when  these  inspec-ons  would  be.    

–  Try  to  ensure  that  your  inspec-on  covers  all  the  shiAs  in  the  day,  and  
also  the  areas  where  the  work  is  not  as  regular  (such  as  equipment  
maintenance  ac-vi-es)  so  that  all  possible  hazards  are  explored.  This  
schedule  should  then  be  communicated  to  all  the  stakeholders  
involved  in  the  inspec-on  (such  as  shiA  supervisors,  managers,  etc.).  
•  A  list  of  the  inspectors  

–  It  is  important  to  know  who  will  be  involved  in  the  safety  
inspec-on  process  and  to  delegate  du-es  according  to  the  
inspectors'  individual  skills,  if  applicable.  It’s  a  good  
prac-ce  to  establish  a  team  for  this  purpose  as  placing  the  
burden  on  a  single  person,  even  if  they  are  highly  trained,  
may  lead  to  errors  or  omissions.    

–  The  team  could  consist  of  individuals  with  diverse  skills  —  

for  example,  trained  safety  professionals,  equipment  
experts,  and  supervisors.  
•  An  inspec-on  checklist    

–  It’s  useful  to  have  an  idea  of  what  to  look  for  before  your  team  
conducts  the  inspec-on.  An  inspec-on  checklist  tailored  to  your  
workplace  may  help  the  inspectors  keep  on  track  and  ensure  
that  they  don't  miss  anything.  For  an  efficient  and  streamlined  
process,  you  can  organize  the  checklist  into  categories  such  as  
equipment  safety,  fall  protec-on,  accident  risk,  etc.    

–  Finally,  make  sure  to  include  all  the  elements  of  your  workplace,  
including  the  people  (e.g.,  whether  your  workers  are  following  
safety  prac-ces),  the  equipment  (e.g.,  wear  and  tear,  corrosion,  
etc.),  and  even  the  environment  (e.g.,  noise,  ligh-ng,  emissions,  
etc.)  
•  A  list  of  guidelines  

–  Before  you  start  inspec-ng  your  workplace,  you  may  

want  to  refer  to  relevant  guidelines  or  standards  to  
know  what  to  look  for.  For  instance,  while  checking  
for  fire  hazards,  you  can  check  the  Na-onal  Fire  
Protec-on  Associa-on’s  Life  Safety  Code  101.  NFPA's  
document  outlines  the  minimum  design,  opera-on,  
and  maintenance  requirements  for  various  types  of  
spaces  to  ensure  safety  from  fire  or  similar  emergency  
situa-ons.    
 2.  Conduct  the  Safety  Inspec-on  
 
•  Once  a  comprehensive  strategy  has  been  created,  it's  -me  to  carry  out  the  
inspec-on.  The  inspec-on  team  must  observe  all  work  processes  and  
equipment  closely,  looking  for  possible  workplace  hazards  including:  

•  Inadequate  machine  guards  

•  Malfunc-oning  safety  equipment  
•  Absence  of  a  well-­‐stocked  first  aid  kit  
•  Biological  hazards  such  as  parasites  
•  Environmental  issues  like  fumes  or  radia-on  
•  Physical  hazards  such  as  wear  and  tear  of  equipment,  heat,  electrical  
hazards,  etc.  
•  Risks  to  the  mental  health  of  workers  such  as  stress  or  workplace  bullying  
•  Poor  work  prac-ces  like  using  machinery  without  adequate  safety  
training,  overloading  equipment,  using  defec-ve  tools,  repairing  or  
adjus-ng  equipment  while  it’s  on,  and  more  
 3.  Review  the  Data    
 
•  Once  the  inspec-on  data  is  collected,  it  needs  to  be  
reviewed  and  analyzed  to  find  gaps  and  take  ac-ons  to  
mi-gate  the  hazards  and  improve  workplace  prac-ces.    

•  Any  trends  in  the  collected  data  would  help  iden-fy  

the  root  causes  of  issues  and  make  changes  at  the  
enterprise  level  to  prevent  the  hazards  from  occurring  
again.  A  cloud-­‐based,  automated  inspec-on  solu-on  
would  make  this  work  simple  and  efficient,  analyzing  
trends  and  genera-ng  reports  to  make  planning  
correc-ve  ac-ons  easy.  
 4.  Implement  Correc-ve  Ac-ons  
 
•  The  whole  process  of  inspec-ng  your  workplace  for  safety  issues  
would  be  pointless  if  you  don't  use  the  data  to  help  prevent  risk.    

•  In  your  inspec-on  report,  include  a  sec-on  proposing  the  ac-ons  to  

be  taken  to  correct  the  hazards  found.  For  example,  if  a  certain  
work  prac-ce  involves  safety  risk,  the  proposed  ac-on  may  be  a  
recommenda-on  to  reform  the  prac-ce.  Or,  if  the  data  shows  a  
concerning  trend,  a  team  may  need  to  be  ins-tuted  to  inves-gate  
the  ma?er  further.    

•  Make  sure  your  proposed  ac-ons  are  comprehensive,  including  the  

delega-on  of  work  for  all  the  proposed  ac-ons,  deadlines  for  the  
ac-ons  to  be  completed,  and  a  way  to  report  the  progress  in  this  
work  by  providing  the  teams  responsible  for  correc-ve  ac-ons  with  
the  contact  informa-on  of  the  stakeholders  to  report  to.  
 5.    Follow  Up  on  Your  Findings  
 
•  Schedule  regular  follow-­‐ups  to  ensure  that  your  
findings  from  the  safety  inspec-on  are  being  acted  
upon.  When  the  proposed  deadlines  for  the  ac-ons  
pass,  ask  the  relevant  teams  for  progress  reports  and  
follow  up  with  stakeholders  to  check  if  the  solu-on  is  
working.    

•  If  a  hazard  persists  despite  taking  ac-on,  it  might  be  

that  the  root  cause  of  the  issue  was  not  eliminated,  
making  further  analysis  necessary.  Remember  that  this  
is  a  con-nuous  process  and  not  something  that  can  be  
forgo?en  once  the  inspec-on  has  been  done.