Overview

In addition to external inspections by competent authorities, an organized health and safety program includes internal self-inspections conducted by any designated staff member. These inspections are preventive in nature, and hopefully identify and correct problems before they cause any difficulties.

Accreditation Requirement(s)

To meet the intent of this standard, the organization must:

• Conduct self-inspections at least twice per year, on a sample of all shifts
• Conduct self-inspections at all sites that are owned, leased operated, or rented by the organization
• Document the self-inspections in a report that includes corrective actions that are taken in response to identified opportunities for improvement

Implementation Tips

Some Implementation Tips provided, in part, by Robert Johnson at: www.accreditationnow.com.

• Usually the designated Health and Safety Officer (HSO) is responsible for ensuring that safety self-inspections are conducted at all locations at a minimum frequency of twice per year on a sample of all shifts.
  
  
• The designated site safety representative, or their designee, is responsible for completing self-inspections at his or her designated facility. This person can represent any position within the organization and oftentimes rotates from year to year.
  
  
• The designated site representative then is responsible for completing self-inspection reports and submitting those reports to the HSO and/or at the Health and Safety Committee meetings.
  
  
• All self-inspection reports and correction activities should be reviewed by the Health and Safety Committee/HSO and noted in meeting documentation. The HSO will report the results of the self-inspections and identify improvement opportunities, follow-up activities, and committee recommendations to the (Insert management team titles) to ensure the organization is utilizing the information to increase the level of safety throughout its operations.
  
  
• The designated site representatives should maintain a record of the self-inspection reports, including improvement opportunity, recommended actions, date of completion, and the person who was accountable for the corrective action.
  
  
• The Health and Safety Self-Inspection Checklist generally contains a review of the following areas related to environmental safety: entrances/exits; evacuation maps; fire extinguishers; fire and smoke alarms; first-aid kits; blood-borne pathogens; telephones; emergency lighting; evacuation diagrams; room temperature; plumbing; chemicals and potentially hazardous materials; restrooms; hot water heaters; kitchen, dining, and break areas; equipment; appliances and machinery; extension cords; electrical closets; storage areas and closets; windows and mirrors; trash receptacles; walls and ceilings; floors and floor coverings; furnishings; air quality; stairways and loading docks; pictures and signs; worksites; exterior, building, fences, and outbuildings; grounds; and parking areas.