Proactive Safety 101: Build a Robust Safety Inspection Program with Automation

A workplace is filled with several hazards that can cause injury to the employee or damage other assets of the business. By conducting inspections periodically, businesses ensure the safety of their operations by identifying potential unsafe acts/conditions and taking corrective action. This is captured in a Findings Report, which is shared with relevant stakeholders for further action to proactively address and eliminate hazard or mitigate the risks.

Typically, inspections are conducted using checklists and may be performed frequently based on a pre-decided schedule. In most cases, Safety Inspections are proactive in nature. They must be conducted periodically to spot opportunities for continuous improvement. Planning a few surprise inspections also helps spot unsafe behavior.

An effective safety inspection is one where the concerns of the workers and supervisors are heard. Therefore, safety inspectors must spend time with the employees and interview them – as they are the ones who are on the ground, and will know the real picture.

The second is to use checklists that are fit for the purpose. The scope of the checklist should be clearly defined. The questions should facilitate gathering information about the current state and the desired state -- to help use the information for improvement.

For some tasks or locations, regular inspections may be performed, and so, a standard inspection checklist can be kept ready. This can be improved based on the effectiveness or evolving needs of the business and the operational area. To measure effectiveness, metrics must also be identified and defined.

The second kind of inspection involves visits after an incident has happened or for jobs that are done once in a while, like welding. For such jobs too, a checklist must be prepared covering all possible safety hazards and mitigations.

Businesses may find it difficult to track the periodicity and findings of the inspections in a manual approach. By automating the entire inspection process from scheduling to monitoring and tracking the follow-up actions -- businesses can make safety inspections more effective.

In this whitepaper, we talk about:   

• Workplace monitoring: the first step towards proactive safety management
• What is a Safety Inspection?
• Safety Inspections vs. Safety Audits
• The real cost of poor safety
• Need for Safety Inspections
• Best practices to follow during Safety Inspections
• The benefits of automation of Safety Inspections
• And more