Completing The Inspection Checklist And Report Form

In order to ensure that inspections are conducted in a systematic manner, and that all important work areas and equipment are inspected, an inspection form should be used. This form will differ from company to company because each company has different premises and equipment. 

When completing the inspection checklist begin at the first point (Buildings and structures) and check for any hazards or unsafe conditions. If there is a hazard, indicate this by making a “x” in the “Yes” column. If no Hazard exists, make an “x” in the “no” column. If the area for which you are responsible does not contain an item to be inspected, for example point 2 Yard, Fences and Gates, leave the section blank.

When completing the inspection report, you are required to analyse each unsafe condition or hazard that was found during the inspection in terms of the following:

Severity (s) which is indication as to whether the risk/ unsafe condition is a major risk, serious risk, minor risk or negligible risk

Frequency (f) which indicate whether, if the risk is not attended to, how soon it will become a problem in terms of injuries or occupational diseases, for example, it will definitely be a problem, will probably happen in time, it will possibly happen in time or it is unlikely to happen in time.

Exposure (e) which denotes the number of people exposed to the hazard/ unsafe condition, for example, more than 50 persons, 49 – 10 persons, 9 – 5 persons and less than 5 persons.

When each of these ratings are added together, a total rating is obtained for each hazard/ unsafe condition. If this total is:

More than 6 immediate action must be taken, if less than 6 the hazard/ unsafe condition must be reported to the supervisor or at the SHE meeting.