People don't do what you expect, they do what you inspect!

Safety Inspection Programs

The objective of a self-inspection program is to identify hazardous conditions and employee behavior and determine what actions are required to reduce or eliminate accident potential. Additionally, inspections can help determine the extent to which employees adhere to the company's safety program, operating procedures, rules and regulations.

Developing a self-inspection program and associated checklists can help to protect company assets from fire, employee injury and injury to the public. Their development will require the attention of someone who has a sound knowledge of the company's operations and as well as knowledge of relevant safety standards and local codes. The self-inspection program should be a process of fact finding with an emphasis on identifying potential hazards and developing the necessary corrective actions necessary to eliminate them.

Responsibility For Self-Inspection

Everyone in an organization has a role to play in recognizing and identifying those conditions that can lead to accidents or property destruction. But in a self-inspection program, there should be a clear assignment of inspection duties made to various members of the management and supervisory team.

It may be a responsibility of the safety committee to perform monthly safety inspections and to record their results. The maintenance department or others having responsibility for correction should take immediate action to eliminate the deficiencies observed and ensure proper follow through to completion of necessary action. A work order system can be a useful method to start the process of correction. Safety issues and their abatement should be given top priority by all employees.

Supervisors should inspect their department on a daily basis to ensure work areas are maintained in a safe condition. Workers should inspect their workplace daily to ensure tools and personal protective equipment are in safe condition.

When developing any self-inspection program, six questions should always be answered:

· What areas and/or operations need to be inspected?

· What aspects of each need to be examined?

· What conditions or actions should to be inspected?

· How often must each area/operation be inspected?

· Who will conduct the inspections?

· What records or reports are needed?

Author: Deborah Grow, Safety Compliance Specialist

Private Safety Consultant, Sales-Marketing Director Damon Fall Protection and Coordinator EHS Network ~ Kansas.

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