Proactive Inspections: Identifying and Preventing Workplace Hazards
Regular workplace inspections are one of the most effective ways to prevent injuries, reduce risks, and build a stronger safety culture. By proactively identifying hazards, both physical and psychological, you can address issues before they lead to harm.
Inspections also provide a valuable opportunity to involve your team, gather insights from frontline workers, and continuously improve your Health & Safety Program.
When to Conduct Inspections
Inspection frequency depends on the nature of the work, regulatory requirements, and manufacturer recommendations for equipment. Here are the main types of inspections and when they should be performed:
- Daily Inspections (Informal): Everyone, supervisors, managers, and workers, should stay alert to hazards during daily tasks. These informal inspections help catch unsafe conditions or behaviours early. They typically aren’t documented unless an issue is found, but they play a vital role in maintaining a safe and healthy work environment.
- Regular Inspections (Formal): Scheduled at intervals that make sense for your operation (e.g., monthly, quarterly), formal inspections should be completed by trained personnel. They focus on workplace safety conditions, such as housekeeping, storage practices, fire suppression systems, and work behaviours. These are safety inspections, not just opportunities to flag maintenance issues.
- Equipment Inspections: Equipment should be inspected according to manufacturer instructions and relevant regulations. Trained staff should check for safe operation, condition, and proper use. These inspections are about safety, not just maintenance.
- Special Inspections: After an incident involving injury or equipment damage, targeted inspections of work areas, work practices, or equipment involved should be conducted as part of the incident investigation. These inspections should be documented and included with the final investigation report. For serious incidents, inspections should be completed before work resumes.
Who Should Conduct Inspections
Inspections should be a team effort. Involve your Joint Health & Safety Committee (JHSC), worker health and safety representatives, supervisors, and workers who are familiar with the tasks or areas being inspected.
Anyone participating in inspections should be trained to recognize both physical and psychological hazards, understand how to document findings, and how to respond appropriately. Training ensures consistency, builds confidence, and helps your team spot issues before they lead to harm.
How to Conduct an Effective Inspection (and What to Look For)
Inspections are your chance to take a close look at how things are really working, not just in theory, but in practice. Here are some tips to make them as effective as possible:
- Use an Inspection Checklist. It keeps your inspections consistent over time and helps you focus on key areas. You can build your checklist based on your health and safety program, common hazards in your workplace, or recent concerns raised by workers.
- Observe real work in action. Watch how tasks are performed and note anything that looks unsafe or out of the ordinary, from missing signage to awkward postures, to signs of stress or fatigue.
- Look for physical and psychological hazards. These might include wet floors, cluttered walkways, poorly maintained equipment, inadequate lighting or ventilation, signs of conflict or burnout, and improper storage of chemicals or supplies to name a few.
- Talk to workers. Ask open-ended questions about how things are going, what challenges they’re facing, and whether they feel safe. Take notes as these conversations often reveal some of the most important insights.
- Check for PPE use and availability. Are workers using the right gear? Is it clean, well-maintained, and easy to access?
- Compare with previous inspections. Follow up on past action items and make sure any previously identified issues have been resolved.
- Rotate inspectors. Change up the team conducting inspections to gain fresh perspectives and identify different hazards.
Taking Action After an Inspection
Once an inspection is complete, it’s time to take action. Here’s how:
- Address Immediate Hazards. Any high-risk issues should be dealt with right away like replacing damaged ladders, fixing wet floors, or addressing blocked fire exits.
- Prioritize Less Urgent Issues. For hazards that are less critical, prioritize them and assign them to a supervisor or worker to address.
- Follow Up. Some action items take time, like purchasing new equipment, setting up a wellness program, or revising policies and procedures. Make sure these are tracked and followed up at the next inspection.
- Share the Results. After an inspection, share the findings with your workers, JHSC, and management teams to keep everyone in the loop and promote a team-based approach to safety.
For more information
Customizable Templates
Additional Information
Online Training
Need Help?
We’re here to support you at any stage of the process. Contact us for guidance, templates, or one-on-one support tailored to your business.
Return to top
