Workplace safety is a critical aspect of every business operation and employers have a legal and moral responsibility to ensure the safety and wellbeing of their employees while they are on the job. One of the key components of a comprehensive safety management system is workplace inspections, designed to identify and manage risks, hazards, and potential safety concerns.
When properly structured, scheduled and completed, workplace inspections can help businesses improve safety and reduce the risk of accidents. This blog will look at 4 key elements of an effective inspection program.
Identification and Management of Risk
Workplace inspections help identify potential hazards and safety concerns. Your staff can visually appraise the workplace to watch how people, equipment and materials are utilised to determine what is working well and what protective processes may be failing. This might highlight a problem with known hazards or identify an entirely new issues.
Hazard and risks can come in many different forms, depending on the nature of your operations. They might include unsafe work practices, hazardous materials, or faulty equipment. Your workplace inspections should be designed to help employers identify these risks so that they can be addressed and managed appropriately.
By conducting regular workplace inspections, employers can systematically identify and address potential safety hazards before they lead to accidents or injuries. This proactive approach to safety can help reduce the risk of accidents and create a safer work environment for everyone.
Manage Control Effectiveness
Workplace inspections also provide an programmatic opportunity to assess the effectiveness of implemented safety controls and identify areas for improvement. This might be to improve or reinforce an implemented control or design an entirely new control measure. This ongoing assessment and improvement process can help ensure that safety controls are effective and up-to-date.
Mobility
Mobility is a critical aspect of modern businesses, and workplace inspections are no exception. Safety management systems such as SafetySuite enable mobile devices (tablets and smartphones) to make it easier to conduct inspections from anywhere at any time. This mobility is particularly useful for businesses with multiple locations or remote employees. Safety professionals need to be able to conduct inspections on the go, and their findings can then be quickly submitted to a centralised system for review.
Automation
Safety management systems such as SafetySuite can play a significant role in workplace inspections, streamlining the creation and scheduling of your inspection program. Typically, your managers will be notified of when their next inspection obligation must be completed and monitor their activity to ensure it is completed on time. If necessary, your safety system can check the completed inspection for the outcome of the event (such as a pass/fail style of result) and enforce policy such as the mandatory creation of at least one safety action. This makes the process more efficient and ensures that nothing is missed. Negative outcomes can be easily communicated to the relevant stakeholder via email or SMS the moment the outcome is determined. Modern safety management software will offer several features to streamline the inspection process:
Customisable Forms and Checklists: The software allows businesses to create customisable forms and checklists to fit the unique needs of their organisation.
Mobile Data Collection: Safety professionals can conduct inspections from mobile devices, making reporting faster and more accurate.
Automated Workflows: The software provides automated workflows and stakeholder notification to save time and improve response times.
Real-Time Visibility: Inspection performance can be monitored in real-time, allowing businesses to easily track progress and outcomes.
Integration: The software can integrate with other aspects of your HCM and Safety systems to provide effective stakeholder engagement and the management of new and emerging safety concerns.
By using technology and automation, employers can make workplace inspections faster, more accurate, and more time sensitive. This not only improves the efficiency of the inspection process but also frees up employees to focus on other critical aspects of their jobs.
Conclusion
Workplace inspections are a critical component of a comprehensive and effective safety management system. They are an essential tool for identifying and managing known risks & hazards and determining potential safety concerns. They provide an opportunity to assess the effectiveness of safety measures and controls, and identify areas for improvement.
Ultimately, workplace inspections help employers meet their legal and moral obligations to ensure the safety and wellbeing of their employees while on the job. By leveraging technology, such as SafetySuite, businesses can streamline the inspection process, reduce administrative tasks, and improve data accuracy. SafetySuite is an essential tool for any business that wants to prioritize workplace safety, compliance, and risk management and create a safer work environment for everyone.