Below is a 2-minute Safety Talk you can share with your workers to reinforce the importance of workplace inspections to identify and address hazards. A downloadable PDF is located at the bottom of this post.
It’s important to conduct health and safety inspections in the workplace to prevent injuries and illnesses regularly – daily even. A workplace inspection comprehensively evaluates your work environment, considering who, what, where, when, and how. These inspections can help you identify potential hazards and prevent workplace accidents before they happen.
The benefits of conducting workplace inspections include opportunities to:
- HEAR the concerns of your coworkers and supervisors
- LEARN more about jobs and tasks—yours and your coworkers
- IDENTIFY existing and potential hazards before they cause injury or illness
- DETERMINE underlying causes of hazards and be more aware
- RECOMMEND corrective action to coworkers, supervisors, or your OHS committee members
- MONITOR what’s being done to eliminate hazards or control risks
Workplace inspections should look at ALL workplace elements–PEOPLE, the ENVIRONMENT, the EQUIPMENT, and the PROCESS.
The ENVIRONMENT includes noise, vibration, lighting, temperature, and ventilation hazards.
The EQUIPMENT includes materials, tools, and apparatus for producing a product or a service.
The PROCESS involves how the worker interacts with the other elements in a series of tasks or operations.
And the PEOPLE include what you’re doing and the people around you. By being vigilant, you can all play a part in keeping yourselves safe and healthy at work …. and home. If you see a hazard, please report it immediately so it can be addressed and controls can be implemented to mitigate or eliminate the risk.
Click HERE for a downloadable PDF of this Safety Talk that includes a sign-in sheet (printable or digitally fillable).
