When you hear the phrase “workplace inspections” two things likely spring to mind: a visit from an OH&S inspector, and wandering through your workplace looking for hazards. Both types of inspections can be overwhelming, but they are important tools in preventing accidents and injuries.
There’s no need to worry about inspections – we’re here to help take some of the guesswork out of them, so you can go about your business, safely.
Effective workplace inspections
Doing a regular inspection of the workplace helps ensure a healthy and safe work environment. There are two types of workplace inspection – formal and informal.
- Informal inspections are a practiced awareness which identifies potential hazards in daily processes, conditions and activities in the workplace.
- Formal inspections are a regularly scheduled examination of the workplace and are conducted with the aid of a checklist and inspection report.
Informal inspections can be done almost daily – they are really a case of employees recognizing unsafe working conditions (lack of protective equipment, untrained workers, trip/fall hazards, etc.) and either fixing the problem or reporting it to a supervisor.
Formal inspections should be done by a supervisor or the employer and require documentation both of the hazard and what was done to resolve the issue. A checklist should be drawn up of potential hazards and these should then be checked to ensure the workplace is safe.
The rules around how often these inspections should be done vary from province to province, so check with your CFIB counsellor for more information.
A visit from OH&S
If you’re unsure what your OH&S requirements are, or want to review if you are compliant, contact your Business Counsellor.
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