Large print, braille, MP3 (audio), e-text and DAISY formats are available on demand by ordering online or calling 1 800 O-Canada (1-800-622-6232). If you use a teletypewriter ( TTY ), call 1-800-926-9105.
Work place inspections are an essential component of your prevention program. The process involves carefully examining work stations on a regular basis with a view to:
This pamphlet covers mainly routine, regular and planned inspections. However, the principles that apply in these types of inspections can easily be adapted to other types of inspections.
Under Part II of the Canada Labour Code, employers have a duty to protect the health and safety of any person in their employ or to whom they provide access to the work places they are responsible for. The Code also enumerates a series of specific obligations that employers must meet. Regular work place inspection and compliance with minimal requirements prescribed in the Canada Occupational Health and Safety Regulations are probably the two best ways of fulfilling those responsibilities.
In fact, employers must ensure that all or part of the work place is inspected every month by the work place committee or the health and safety representative, so that the entire work place is fully inspected in the course of each year.
It is important that relevant sections of the Regulations be consulted prior to and during the inspection. For example, for inspections of machinery and equipment, the standards set out in Part XIII of the Regulations entitled "Tools and Machinery" should be reviewed. Inspection of electrical material is explained in Part VIII , "Electrical Safety".
The goal underlying routine work place inspections must be part and parcel of a comprehensive prevention program that focuses on health and safety. Far from being isolated, this function is directly related to the main program objectives, which are:
When correctly performed, routine inspections serve to support and improve other elements of the program components. They should not be seen as an isolated or one-time activity. To be effective, they must be performed regularly and be an integral part of a systematic accident prevention program.
As with any other aspect of a prevention program, it is important for senior management to demonstrate its commitment to inspections and the goals they are intended to achieve. The first step to making that a reality is to develop and disseminate a prevention policy that places special emphasis on inspections. The form and content of that policy can vary according to your business's requirements, but the following are all points to be considered when developing such a written policy:
To ensure the effectiveness of your inspection system, the second step is to develop specific procedures identifying:
Ideally, routine inspections should be performed by a team consisting of the work place manager, the floor supervisor, an employee with a good knowledge of the various processes and procedures, and an employee who is a member of the work place committee or the work place representative.
The composition of the team can vary depending on which work stations are to be inspected and specific technical requirements. When inspecting equipment and work processes and practices, the team should be able to rely on an expert, such as an engineer, an electrician, a mechanic or a material handler.
The effectiveness of an inspection depends on the ability of the team members to identify hazards. This requires a good knowledge and understanding of:
If you don't already have them, we strongly recommend developing "floor plan guides" to enable you to identify the main pieces of equipment, workflow and storage and traffic areas; it is also important to note any information that may be relevant for inspection purposes, for example, the location of first aid kits, fire extinguishers, ventilation outlets, sewers, etc. You should also identify work areas that are problematic and pose specific hazards.
Appendix A provides a sample floor plan layout. This guide can also be used for other purposes, such as introductory training for new employees, investigations or the preparation of accident reports.
No work place can be considered perfectly safe. As a result, all work places including offices, storage areas and maintenance areas need to be inspected. You should also inspect areas that are not generally used as work places, such as parking facilities, cafeterias and locker rooms. When determining the number of inspections to be performed and how often they will occur, the following points should be considered:
It is important to remember, however, that the entire work place must be inspected at least once a year.
To ensure consistency and avoid possibly disastrous oversights, it is recommended that you prepare checklists that identify all potential hazards. These lists should be reviewed on a regular basis to ensure that they reflect changes to equipment or processes, as well as accident reports.
Appendix B presents a sample checklist. The most effective lists are those that relate to a particular process, activity or work station. In the case of small businesses, they can even address a particular task or worker. In our view, each work station should have its own checklist.
They are developed gradually, with repeated inspections, so that after several years of intensive effort, all business processes are covered. Your organization should design its own lists, based on the processes in place and the experience it has gained. It is important to remember that your work environment can present unique hazards. Your checklists are your points of reference, but do not limit yourself to the items on the lists. When other hazards are identified, they have to be recorded and appropriate steps taken to address them. Once you have done that, your inspection will be complete.
In conducting inspections, the following basic principles should be considered.
If it becomes necessary to take steps to mitigate or eliminate a risk, management must be made aware of the problems in a concise and factual manner. Good reports make it easier to obtain management's support for observations made as a result of inspections. While the Canada Labour Code does not spell out what an inspection report should contain, we recommend that you develop and use a form for that purpose (Appendix C).
Inspections will only be truly effective if the findings are quickly passed on to stakeholders and corrective action is immediately contemplated and implemented.
It is important to identify those persons who will be receiving inspection reports.
They may include:
In order for inspections to be a meaningful part of any prevention program, the information collected must be analyzed and put to use. To that end, a person must be designated to take responsibility for analyzing the situation and determining what action is required.
No matter how well conducted, an inspection will only be worthwhile if the concerns noted by the team are carefully examined and appropriate corrective action is taken.
The reporting and the skill levels of the individuals given this responsibility will vary from one organization to the next, but it is important to remember the following points when assigning responsibility for reviewing inspection reports.
It is just as important to ensure that those who are responsible for performing inspections receive timely feedback. Clearly, if there is no feedback or demonstration of interest, they will quickly conclude that inspections are a pointless exercise.
Finally, information obtained from regular inspections should be subject to a comprehensive analysis in order to determine which areas are in need of general corrective measures, and to identify trends as part of the effectiveness auditing program. Diligent analysis of inspection reports has the potential to accomplish, in particular, the following:
The guidelines and basic principles laid out in this booklet deal with how to establish and perform effective work place inspections as part of a prevention program. Anyone responsible for carrying out work place health and safety inspections, particularly work place health and safety committee members and representatives, will find it useful.
