Safety Inspection -An effective method of Active monitoring approach

A safety inspection is a documented or formalized procedure that is carried out by a safety specialist to identify potential hazards. (www.safeopedia.com)

Safety Inspection is a formal, structured examination of the physical working environment taking in the whole area(work area/ worksite).

Safety Inspection is to identify ( Importance of Safety Inspection ) :

conformance with H&S standards , so that good H&S performance is recognised and maintained. (Compliance Follow up )- HASWA ACt1974
non- conformance with H&S standards can be identified, and corrective action is taken.
Identify the Unsafe Act ,
Identify Unsafe Condition ,
Identify potentially hazardous conditions,
Identify mistakes,
Identify H&S violations ,
Identify H&S deficiencies,
Identify H&S breaches etc.

What is the purpose of Safety Inspection?

The purpose of safety inspection is to identify obvious hazards and eliminate or control the hazards/risk.

Workplace inspections help prevent incidents, injuries and illnesses.
Through a critical examination of the workplace, inspections help to identify and record hazards for corrective action. (Identify existing and potential hazards / Recommend corrective action at the spot/site.)
During inspection we listen to the concerns of workers and supervisors
Gain further understanding of jobs and tasks during inspection
Determine immediate, underlying, root causes of hazards at workplace
Monitor steps taken to eliminate hazards or control the risk (e.g., Engineering controls, administrative controls, policies, procedures, PPEs etc.)

How many types of Safety Inspections are carried out at workplace?

There are the basically four types of Safety Inspection :

Routine inspection (e.g. Daily Inspection or Weekly/Monthly inspection , Informal Inspection , On the spot inspection ) - Routine inspection is done by management, supervisors and JHSC (Joint Health and Safety Committee) or Health &Safety representatives by observing the area for unsafe acts and conditions, and noting the issues in the daily log or by completing a simple form/checklist .
Statutory inspection (e.g. Regulatory Inspection, Formal Inspection) - Statutory inspection is required by Law. It normally consists of inspections parameters required by the OHS(Occupational Health and Safety) regulations. Examples:- - - include inspection of fall protection equipment, - - - Lifting equipment, - - - ASLI (Automatic Safe Load Indicator) of a crane etc.
Periodic inspection (Sometimes known as Pre- Planned inspection ) - Periodic inspection normally done by using a written checklist and carried out by a team at regular intervals e.g. Monthly , Quarterly, Annually .
Pre-use checks inspection / Specialized inspections – ( It is done while we introducing the new plants / machinery/ systems etc.) It is conducted by Safety specialists (for example on boilers, electrical equipment, mechanical or ventilation systems) before starting the plants/ equipment. Example -ScaffoldingOverhead crane

What is Third Party Inspection (TPI) ?

Third Party Inspection is carried out by an external agency having the specific competency for ensuring the safety at workplace.

What are the factors to be considered for determining frequency of safety inspection ?

How many times the Safety inspection need to be done at workplace?

There is no fixed formula for the frequency of the inspection as it depends upon various factors / circumstances:

Statutory requirement (Legal requirement)- (for example, Hazardous equipment cranes and slings) (e.g. every 6 months)
Specified in the ACoP (Approved Code of Practices)
The number of different processes or operations ( more different process need more frequency of inspection)
Level of risk and activities carried out in the workplace (Processes with high hazard potential need more frequency of inspection)
Risk assessment may suggest for inspection.
Presence of vulnerable groups like young person, Lone workers , Disabled workers , Expectant and Nursing mothers etc. ( More number of vulnerable workers requires more frequency of inspection at workplace)
Accident/Incident history ( More Accidents in past attract more frequency of inspection)
Results of investigation.
Stakeholders requirements - Insurance companies , Legal Authority
Stakeholders requirements - Customer requirements
Stakeholders requirements - Worker’s Union / representative demand/ request
Periodic inspection after a certain interval
The number of shifts ( More number of shift need more number of inspection)
Any significant changes in the plan, procedures, machines, workplace , new Etc.

Following-up after an inspection

(Refer www.hse.gov.uk)

After an inspection:

Explain the reasons for any follow-up action you decide to take to your representatives.
Let the representative who notified you of the inspection have the opportunity to inspect again so they can check if the issues raised got appropriate attention, and record their views.
Share the follow-up action taken throughout the workplace and other relevant parts of the business, including the health and safety committee where there is one.

There may be times when action may not be appropriate, you may not be able to act within a reasonable period of time, or when the action you take is not acceptable to your safety representatives. It is advisable to explain the reasons for the action you have decided to take in writing to your representatives. You can even use the sample inspection form [PDF 16KB] (PDF) and report form [PDF 16KB] (PDF) on the HSE website to do this.

You remain responsible for taking decisions about managing health and safety, but by explaining the reasons for actions and being open with your representatives, you can show that you have considered what they had to say.

Who will be responsible for Safety Inspection?

The management need to allocate the responsibilities to the competent person for Safety Inspection.

Every Safety inspection must examine who, what, where, when and how.

Action Plan after inspection :

Inspections must follow through into action plan :

The action plan will be prepared for the undesired circumstances / unsafe Act/ Unsafe Conditions/ hazards/ Non-compliances during observation.
Corrective Action - The recommended action or control measure to be decided by discussing with the concerned agencies / managers/ workers. It includes the what corrective action to be taken.
Priority -The priority of the action plan will be decided based on the Risk level.
Timescale- The Timescale to be provided for implementation of control measures.
Assign Responsibility - The Responsibility to be fixed at individual level or department level .
The Tentative date of completion to be fixed to ensure the progress and effective monitoring/ follow up of the Action plan.
Any reason to be recorded , if there is any deviation from the proposed action plan.