Workplace Inspections Policy

This Model Policy establishes very general rules and standards and should work in any work setting or jurisdiction with only minimal adaptation.

  1. PURPOSE

ABC Company has adopted this Policy is designed to implement an inspection system to effectively and proactively address safety and health hazards in the workplace in compliance with the [province name] Occupational Health and Safety Act (“Act”), the associated Occupational Health and Safety Regulations  (“OHS Regulations”), the ABC Company Occupational Health and Safety Program (“OHS Program”), and other applicable requirements and standards.

  1. DEFINITION

For purposes of this Policy, “competent” means possessing knowledge, experience, and training to perform a specific duty safely and effectively.

  1. POLICY STATEMENT

ABC Company believes that workplace inspections are essential to maintaining a safe and healthy workplace because they make it possible to not only identify new or previously overlooked hazards but to assess the effectiveness of the OHS Program in eliminating or controlling previously recognized hazards and make corrective actions before new or overlooked hazards or weaknesses in the OHS Program can result in injuries, illnesses, accidents, incidents, and near misses.

Accordingly, all ABC Company workplaces must undergo regular inspections, including inspection of buildings, structures, grounds, excavations, tools, equipment, machinery, and work methods and practices at intervals that will prevent the development of unsafe working conditions.

  1. WORKERS THIS POLICY IS INTENDED TO PROTECT

The intent of this Policy is to provide for effective inspections so that all workers engaged to work at ABC Company workplaces are protected from avoidable hazards regardless of who pays or employs those workers, including:

  • Full- or part-time workers employed by ABC Company;
  • Temporary employees placed by an outside agency to work at the site;
  • Contract labourers engaged to perform work at the site;
  • Volunteers who work at the site for free; and
  • Workers employed by constructors, contractors, and subcontractors to perform work at the site under a contract with ABC Company.
  1. INSPECTION CYCLE & PROCEDURE
 Inspection Type Frequency
Worker  Pre-Use Equipment/Tool Inspection Daily
Housekeeping Checks Daily
Safety Committee Member/Safety Rep/Supervisor Workplace Inspection Monthly
Supervisor Job Observations Monthly
  1. DAILY PRE-USE INSPECTION OF TOOLS & EQUIPMENT

6.1. Worker Responsibilities

Workers are responsible for:

  • Inspecting their tools and equipment at least once each day before using them to ensure they are safe to use;
  • Inspecting their tools and equipment twice or more per day where required by the instructions of the tool/equipment’s manufacturer and/or ABC Company safe work procedures;
  • Immediately reporting any defects they identify during pre-use inspection to their supervisor or manager.

6.2. Supervisor & Manager Responsibilities

Supervisors and managers are responsible for:

  • Immediately responding to workers’ concerns with or reports of defects or problems with tools and equipment and making repairs (if competent to do so), removing the defective tool or equipment from service, or taking other actions necessary to address those concerns or defects to ensure they do not cause an injury, illness, incident, or accident;
  • Performing an analysis, in consultation with the workplace Joint Health and Safety Committee (“Safety Committee”), Health and Safety Representative (“Safety Representative”), or where no Safety Committee or Safety Representative exists, directly with workers at the workplace, once a year or when new tools and equipment are introduced to determine which equipment requires a Pre-Start up Inspection under this Policy;
  • Implementing this Pre-Start Up inspection and completion of the Pre-Use Inspection Checklist in their facility, department, or work area;
  • Collecting at the end of each month and retaining for at least 3 months completed Pre-Use Inspection Checklist Forms;
  • Ensuring that all workers are properly trained in pre-use inspections;
  • Immediately removing any defective tools or equipment from service either permanently or until the defect is repaired and once more safe to use.

5.3. Pre-Use Machinery/Equipment Area Inspections

Before a worker operates any equipment or machinery, all affected areas  will be inspected to ensure that:

  • All safeguards and controls are in place and functioning properly; and
  • The operation of the equipment or machinery will not cause any undue risk of injury to workers in the area.

Before any part of a machine or equipment is cleaned, oiled, adjusted, or repaired:

  • Any motion that may endanger a worker will be stopped; and
  • Any part that has been stopped will be immobilized.
  1. DAILY HOUSEKEEPING CHECKS

Supervisors/Managers are responsible for ensuring that:

  • Daily inspections to monitor housekeeping are carried out in their facilities, departments, or work areas;
  • The results of housekeeping inspections are recorded in writing.
  1. MONTHLY WORKPLACE INSPECTIONS

7.1. Monthly Inspections Required

Comprehensive workplace inspections will be conducted each month to identify and report hazards in the workplace including, but not limited to unsafe work practices, processes, procedures, materials, machinery, equipment, and the physical environment.

 

7.2. Safety Committee/Representative/Worker Participation

Monthly workplace inspections will be conducted by or with the participation of the worker member of the Safety Committee chosen as health and safety representative or, where there is a Safety Representative rather than a Safety Committee for the workplace, the Safety Representative.

If there is no Safety Committee or Safety Representative for the workplace, such inspections will be conducted by or with the participation of:

  • A supervisor or manager; and/or
  • A worker at the workplace.

The individual(s) who performs the monthly workplace inspection must be competent to carry out the inspection effectively and may be accompanied by one or more supervisors, ABC Company officials, and/or third party experts or consultants that ABC Company believes will ensure for a more efficient and effective inspection.

7.3. Monthly Inspection Schedule

ABC Company will, in consultation with the Safety Committee, Safety Representative, or where no Committee or Representative exists, directly with the workers at the site, establish the schedule for monthly workplace inspections. Monthly workplace inspections will be scheduled in advance to ensure that:

  • The designated inspector(s) can carry out the inspection or designate an alternative if he/she is not available;
  • Other members of the inspection team, if any, can participate;
  • The entire workplace is inspected each month, or if the workplace is too big or otherwise too difficult to inspect in a single inspection, the different parts of it are inspected such that the entire workplace is inspected at least once every 6 months;
  • Over the long-term, the inspection occurs during all of the different shifts on a rotating basis.

The workplace inspection schedule will be s posted in a conspicuous location in the workplace.

7.4. Monthly Inspection Procedures

The Safety Committee worker member chosen as health and safety representative, Safety Representative, worker, supervisor, and other team members who conduct the inspection will:

  • Use the ABC Company Monthly Workplace Inspection Checklist Report to ensure that all required items are inspected;
  • Use the ABC Company Monthly Workplace Inspection Checklist Report from the previous month to ensure that hazardous conditions reported in the previous month’s report have been appropriately addressed and that any corrective actions taken to fix those hazards are working effectively;
  • Immediately notify the safety coordinator, site manager or other ABC Company official in charge of safety at the site if they identify what they believe to be an urgent hazard requiring immediate action, whereupon any necessary corrective actions will be taken in accordance with Section 9 below;
  • Prepare an inspection report listing at a minimum:
    • For each hazardous or potentially hazardous condition(s) observed:
      • A description of the specific work area, equipment, tool, operation, process, etc. in which it was observed;
      • A risk level rating ranging from High to Medium to Low;
      • Corrective actions recommended;
      • An indication of who should implement recommended corrective actions and by what means;
    • The number of workers and supervisors interviewed during the inspection;
    • Indication of whether corrective measures have been taken to address hazards reported in the previous month and, if so, if those measures are effective;
  • Inspect the workplace first aid supplies and equipment, including first aid boxes, first aid stations, first aid rooms, first aid vehicles, first aid postings, and communications equipment.

7.5. Reporting of Monthly Inspection Results

Upon completion of the monthly inspection, the inspector and other members of the inspection team will prepare the final version of the ABC Company Monthly Workplace Inspection Checklist Report including findings and recommendations for corrective actions, and those findings will be considered at the next scheduled Safety Committee or Safety Representative meeting. The completed ABC Company Monthly Workplace Inspection Checklist Report will be:

  • Forwarded to the safety coordinator, site manager, or other ABC Company official in charge of safety at the site for signature, review, and response;
  • Forwarded to all members of the Safety Committee in advance of the next Safety Committee meeting;
  • Forwarded to all supervisors especially those who have the responsibility for corrective action.

The ABC Company Monthly Workplace Inspection Checklist Form from the previous month and the corrective actions taken in response to it will be discussed and followed up on at the next Safety Committee or Safety Representative meeting.

7.6. Follow-Up and Corrective Action

The safety coordinator, site manager, or other ABC Company official in charge of safety at the site will immediately assess all hazards identified on ABC Company Monthly Inspection Report Form to determine what, if any, corrective actions to take in accordance with the corrective action procedure set out below.

7.7. Management Participation in Monthly Inspections

Individual owners, corporate officers, and upper managers of ABC Company who meet the definition of “employer” under the Act will participate in at least one monthly workplace inspection per year.

  1. SPECIAL & UNSCHEDULED INSPECTIONS

In addition to the regular and routine workplace inspections outlined above, inspections of the workplace, equipment, tools, departments, processes, operations, etc. will be carried out as necessary in response to changing conditions, after injuries, illnesses, accidents, incidents or near misses.

  1. CORRECTIVE ACTIONS

ABC Company will take actions as soon as possible to correct hazards or harmful conditions identified during inspections in accordance with the following principles:

  • Immediate hazards must be addressed promptly;
  • Where feasible, corrective actions must be taken based on the assessment of the hazard and its level of urgency.

ABC Company will notify the Safety Committee or Safety Representative in writing of:

  • The corrective actions ABC Company has or plans to take in response to the reported hazard or dangerous condition; or
  • The reasons ABC Company has not and will not take corrective actions.

Workers affected by any corrective actions taken will be informed and instructed on the changes by their manager or supervisor.

Corrective actions will be evaluated to determine if they are effective and verify that they do not create any new hazards. If a new hazard is created,  a hazard assessment will be conducted.

  1. INSPECTION RECORDS

Copies of the ABC Company Monthly Inspection Reports will be retained and made readily available to the Safety Committee, Safety Representative, or directly to workers if there is Committee or Representative at the workplace. Each department will maintain a file of inspection reports.

  1. CONSTRUCTORS, CONTRACTORS & SUBCONTRACTORS

All constructors, contractors, and subcontractor hired to perform work at an ABC Company workplace covered by this Policy will be notified of and required to conduct, participate, or cooperate with the inspections carried out under this Policy.

Any constructors or contractors in control of work at an ABC Company work site subject to this Policy will ensure that the workplace or area of the workplace in which the contract work is performed is inspected as provided by this Policy either by following this Policy directly or an alternative policy and procedure that provides for inspection at the frequencies (or more often), corrective actions, and reporting this Policy requires.

  1. TRAINING

Individuals must complete workplace inspection and hazard recognition training to be considered competent to conduct workplace inspections under this Policy.

  1. EVALUATION

This Policy will be reviewed annually or more often if circumstances suggest the Policy is not effective or needs immediate review.