Safety and Health Inspections
Safety and health inspections play a vital role identifying and controlling hazardous conditions and practices that are likely to result in injury or occupational illness. Daily and annual inspections should be performed to identify potential hazards.
Employees are to be protected from hazards either by engineering controls or personal protective equipment. Engineering controls are designed to prevent contact with a hazard. Examples of engineering controls include machine guarding and local ventilation (e.g., fume hood). When engineering controls are not feasible, timely, or do not completely eliminate the hazard, personal protective equipment is to be used.
Daily inspections should be conducted prior to using tools and equipment. This involves a brief visual inspection according to the manufacturer’s operating manual to determine if there are any obvious problems. Defective tools and equipment should be removed from service.
Annual inspections should be conducted for all processes, equipment, and facilities. An annual Safety Inspection Checklist is provided to help with conducting an inspection.
Resources
Safety Policy and Procedures Manual: Self Inspection
Contact Occupational Health & Safety for assistance in conducting safety and health inspections.