A safety checklist is a pre-organized document used during safety inspections/Audits for the identification of potential hazards in specific work areas, job processes, etc. It could be paper-based or digitized forms used to inspect and identify workplace hazards that can cause potential harm to people, processes, and the environment.
There is a wide range of checklists for the identification of potential hazards in a variety of industries and applications.
Safety Checklist involves ticking check boxes; this in turn will guide in the initiation of a series of preventive controls to eliminate the hazard and also helps in record-keeping during safety inspection/audit.
Importance of Safety Checklist
- Checklists make inspections/audits easy and fast: Safety-audit checklists allow you to conduct a much easier examination of all potential hazards in the workplace.
- With checklists in place, personnel won’t omit specific important tasks: Omitting key items and steps during inspections/audits is prevented with the Safety Checklist as it keeps people involved focused.
- Checklists keep personnel organized: This structure helps personnel stay organized in conducting the inspection/audit and planning their time.
- Checklists provide accountability: They help with planning, scheduling, sharing results, and analyzing the audit data – which means that there’s always a record of which actions were performed. Due to this, your personnel will have a greater sense of accountability than if there was no way to prove slipshod auditing.
- Checklists give personnel a sense of security: Because checklists are powerful tools to ensure safety audits are performed thoroughly, most personnel working with the assets and processes involved will feel confident in their safety. This confidence typically leads to greater worker satisfaction, which in turn usually leads to greater productivity.
Each workplace and industry has its own set of hazards, and health and safety professionals must be able to identify which checklists are appropriate to specific workplaces and processes to ensure that full compliance with safety standards is achieved in the workplace. Safety checklists provide a tool for determining possible workplace hazards and should be completed during inspections, reported on, used as a basis for safety recommendations, and filed for record-keeping purposes.
Types of Safety Checklists
As earlier mentioned, they are designed based on objectives and needs; this means one checklist cannot be used just for any kind of inspection or audit.
N/B: Safety Checklist are –
- Industry Specific
- Area Specific
- Process Specific
- Job Specific, etc.
Here are some types of safety checklists you could come across:
- Safety Inspection Checklist: A Safety Inspection Checklist consists of numerous safety categories that apply to a variety of enterprises and applications.
- Construction Safety Inspection Checklist: A Construction Site Safety Inspection Checklist is structured to record hazards that are prevalent in the construction industry.
- Workplace Inspection Checklist: A workplace inspection checklist is used to examine and highlight the hazards that are exposed to workers in an office set-up.
- Daily Safety Inspection Checklist: A daily safety inspection checklist enables the evaluation of key workplace health and safety issues that have the potential to crop up daily.
- Site Safety Inspection Checklist: A site safety inspection checklist is ideal for site walkthrough evaluations.
- Risk Inspection Checklist: A risk inspection checklist is a key tool to highlight risks associated with a hazard.
- Machinery Safety Inspection Checklist: The Machinery Safety Inspection Checklist is used to assess and determine the overall safety status of machinery and equipment in your industry.
- Radiation safety checklist
- Explosion safety checklist
- Fall protection checklist
- Electrical safety work practices checklist
- Fixed stars and ladders checklist
- Occupational injury and illness reporting checklist
This list is not conclusive.
Read Also: Emergency action plan (PDF Template & Checklist)
How to develop a checklist
The best checklist for your workplace is one that has been developed for your specific needs. Whatever the format of the checklist, provide space for the inspectors’ signatures and the date.
A good checklist should take into consideration;
| Area/Issue | Examples |
| 1. Environment | Dust, gases, fumes, sprays, lighting, noise, ventilation |
| 2. Buildings | Windows, doors, floors, stairs, roofs, walls, elevators |
| 3. Containers | Scrap bins, disposal receptacles, barrels, carboys, gas cylinders, solvent cans |
| 4. Electrical | Switches, cables, outlets, connectors, grounding, connections, breakers |
| 5. Fire protection equipment | Extinguishers, hoses, hydrants, sprinkler alarm systems, access to equipment |
| 6. Hand tools | Wrenches, screwdrivers, saws, power tools, explosive actuated tools |
| 7. Hazardous products | Flammable, explosive, oxidizing, gases under pressure, corrosive, toxic/health hazards, biohazardous infectious, environmental |
| 8. Materials handling | Conveyors, cranes, hoists, hoppers, carts, dollies, bins, etc. |
| 9. Personal protective equipment | Hard hats, safety glasses, respirators, safety footwear, gloves, etc. |
| 10. Pressurized equipment | Boilers, vats, tanks, piping, hoses, couplings, valves, hydraulics, etc. |
| 11. Production equipment | Mills, shapers, cutters, borers, presses, lathes, robotics, etc. |
| 12. Personnel support equipment | Ladders, scaffolds, platforms, catwalks, staging |
| 13. Powered equipment | Engines, electrical motors, compressor equipment |
| 14. Storage facilities | Racks, bins, shelves, cabinets, closets, yards, floors |
| 15. Walkways and roadways | Aisles, ramps, docks, vehicle ways |
| 16. Protective guards | Gear covers, pulleys, belt screens, work station, guards, railings, drives, chains |
| 17. Safety devices | Valves, emergency switches, cutoffs, warning systems, limit switches, mirrors, sirens, signs |
| 18. Controls | Start-up switches, steering mechanisms, speed controls, manipulating controls |
| 19. Lifting components | Handles, eye bolts, lifting lugs, hooks, chains, ropes, slings |
| 20. Hygiene and first aid facilities | Drinking fountains, washrooms, safety showers, eyewash fountains, first aid supplies, contact list for first aid responders, etc. |
| 21. Psychosocial hazards | Discussion with or observation of employees who may mention work scheduling issues, workload (pace of work/too much/too little), hours of work, fatigue, issues that interrupt concentration, poor communication, conflicting demands, working in conflict with others, working in social isolation, or working alone |
Samples
- Inspection Checklists – Sample Checklist for Manufacturing Facilities
- Inspection Checklists – Sample Checklist for Offices
- Inspection Checklist – Sample Checklist for Chemical or Product Inventory
- Inspection Checklist – Sample Checklist for Outdoor Areas
The checklist is not a static document as it can be reviewed when the need arises; you can add to it or take away from it.
Conclusion
A safety checklist is a very important tool for workplace inspection and audit as it provides a guide throughout the process.
It helps ensure that all boxes are ticked and nothing has been omitted. It is equally very important to understand how to create an adequate checklist for your workplace.
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