Why are Safety Checklists Important?
Safety checklists make it easy for organizations to conduct workplace inspections which are beneficial to promoting safety in the workplace. Every year, there are an estimated 2.3 million women and men who are affected by work-related accidents or diseases brought by poor working conditions. Safety checklists help in reducing or removing risks that can cause incidents, injuries and illnesses. It assists assigned safety inspectors in identifying risks and hazards in the workplace, and in monitoring if safe work practices and standards are being followed.
Why use Mobile-ready Safety Checklists?
Access all your checklists, from your phone
Ditch the paper forms and convert your checklists to digital. Access them from anywhere, even without an internet connection. Add images, checkboxes, signature fields and more.
“We’ve now used iAuditor [by SafetyCulture] for over a year to perform safety inspections and field reports. All our foremen have either iPhones or iPads and use them to write their daily reports. This app walks you through inspections and lets you take photos of hazardous situations and then suggests ways to correct them.” – Mike Haller, Safety Director at The Gallegos Corporation in Colorado
Find out more about iAuditor as a Safety App
Spend less time writing reports
Reduce time spent reporting from hours to minutes. Quickly and easily generate PDF reports of each safety inspection and share them with your team.
“iAuditor has made us a lot more organized. So using half the effort we used to put into paper, we’ve now become 100 times more organized.” – Peter Giannos, HSE Manager at NA Group Road and Civil
Find out more about reports and analytics
The examples outlined below do not list all the possible items for office inspections. 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.
| [O] Satisfactory [X] Requires Action | |||
| Location | Condition | Comments | |
| Bulletin Boards and Signs | |||
| Are they clean and readable? | |||
| Is the material changed frequently? | |||
| Do items interfere with people walking by? | |||
| Floors | |||
| Is there loose material, debris, worn carpeting? | |||
| Are the floors slippery, oily or wet? | |||
| Stairways and Aisles | |||
| Are they clear and unblocked? | |||
| Are stairways well lighted? | |||
| Are handrails, handholds in place? | |||
| Are the aisles marked and visible? | |||
| Equipment | |||
| Are guards, screens and sound-dampening devices in place and effective? | |||
| Is the furniture in good repair and safe to use? Look for: | |||
| - chairs that are in poor repair | |||
| - sharp edges on desks and cabinets | |||
| - poor ergonomics [keyboard elevation, chair adjustment, desk height] | |||
| - crowding | |||
| Are ladders well maintained and safe to use? | |||
| Emergency Equipment | |||
| Is all fire control equipment regularly tested and certified? | |||
| Is fire control equipment appropriate for the type of fire it must control? | |||
| Is emergency lighting in place and regularly tested? | |||
| Building | |||
| Do buildings conform to standards with respect to use, occupancy, building services, and plumbing facilities? | |||
| Check the following structures to ensure safety: | |||
| - swinging doors | |||
| - floor and wall openings | |||
| - ladders, stairways and ramps | |||
| - guardrails | |||
| Are materials stored safely? | |||
| Air Handling System | |||
| Does air exchange rate meet standard requirements? | |||
| Is the system free of sources of contamination [e.g., asbestos, microorganisms, dust, fumes]? | |||
| Is humidity within recommended range? | |||
| Hazardous Products | |||
| Are there any hazardous products [e.g., products regulated by WHMIS]? | |||
| - If yes, are the products properly labelled? | |||
| - If yes, is there a corresponding safety data sheet [SDS] for each product? | |||
| - If yes, are workers trained in how to work with or near these products safely? | |||
| Sanitation | |||
| Are washrooms and food preparation areas clean? | |||
| Are the following provided adequately? | |||
| - toilets | |||
| - showers | |||
| - potable [drinkable] water | |||
| - clothing storage | |||
| - change rooms | |||
| - field accommodations | |||
| - lunchrooms | |||
| Are measures in place to prevent the spread of disease? | |||
| Security | |||
| Do entry and exit procedures provide workers personal security at night? | |||
| Are emergency [evacuation, fire, bomb threat, hostile person] procedures in place? | |||
| Lighting | |||
| Are lamp reflectors clean? | |||
| Are bulbs missing? | |||
| Are any areas dark? | |||
| Material Storage | |||
| Are materials neatly and safely piled? | |||
| Are there stepladders or stools to get to materials on higher shelves? | |||
| Are storage shelves overloaded or beyond their rated capacity? | |||
| Are large and heavy objects stored on lower shelves? | |||
| Are passageways and work areas clear of obstructions? | |||
| General | |||
| Are extension cords used extensively? [if so, consider installing permanent wiring] | |||
| Are electrical or telephone cords exposed in areas where employees may become entangled? | |||
| Is electrical wiring properly installed? | |||
| Are machines properly guarded? | |||
| Does any equipment have sharp metal projections? | |||
| Are wall and ceiling fixtures fastened securely? | |||
| Are paper and waste properly disposed of? | |||
| Are desk and file drawers kept closed when not in use? | |||
| Are office accessories stored appropriately? | |||
| Are materials stacked on desks or cabinets? | |||
| Are file cabinet drawers overloaded? | |||
| Are file cabinets loaded with the heaviest items in the bottom drawers? | |||
| Are shelves securely fastened to the wall when necessary? | |||
| Are filing stools or wastebaskets placed where they might be tripping hazards? |
Document last updated on June 4, 2018
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