Introduction
Health & safety inspections are an important monitoring tool to help ensure that workplace hazards are controlled and that risk to employees and others are eliminated or minimised. Inspections should be carried out regularly. Persons carrying out the inspections should be competent to do so and be aware of the actual and potential risks associated with the area being inspected.
The inspection should cover all physical parts of the premises and include relevant documentation, for example legally required tests and examinations on equipment such as Portable Electrical Appliance Testing (PAT) and fire extinguisher examination labels. To obtain a true picture of conditions and practices under the working environment, where appropriate, inspections should be done when workplaces are occupied by staff and students. Checklists are available for different types of workplaces and set out the key requirements to be considered in inspections.
Inspection reports produced should include:
- Observations made and hazards identified.
- Any recommendations necessary to eliminate or minimise risk and ensure ongoing legal compliance.
- Information on who will undertake remedial actions and the timescale agreed.
Frequency of formal workplace inspections
The frequency at which formal workplace inspections should be carried out is dependent on the associated risk of the area. The minimum frequency for different types of areas is given below but inspections may be required on a more frequent basis depending on local conditions and use of the area, and any local arrangements for informal checks.
For low risk areas such as offices, libraries and computer laboratories a formal inspection should take place at least once per year. These inspection could, for example, be done in March for inclusion in the annual Safety Statement submitted by 1 June each year. Where many inspections are to be done, a suitable program for annual inspection of each area within the May-April safety statement period should be devised.
For other areas which are regularly visited and inspected for maintenance purposes, such as plant rooms, formal inspections should be carried out at least once a year.
For medium to high risk areas such as chemical and biological laboratories used for teaching or research, engineering workshops used for teaching, research or maintenance, and campus catering kitchens, the frequency of inspections should be at least every six months and preferably once per term.
Local arrangements for informal checks and reporting of hazards
In addition to formal workplace inspections, Faculties/Directorates/Units may have local arrangements for day to day checking of areas and equipment and for staff to report hazards that are spotted. Examples are:
- Technical staff checking equipment for damage or faults before use in teaching sessions, and again before returning to store
- 'Front of house' staff carrying out walk-through checks of public access areas before they are opened each day
- Hazard report slips sent as hard copy or email to the Health & Safety Local Officer (HSLO)
- Hazards reported in a standing H&S agenda item at team meetings
Responsibilities
Faculty Operating Officers and Directors of Professional Services must:
- Ensure that suitable and sufficient resources are available for workplace safety inspections
- Ensure that workplace safety inspections are scheduled and carried out at the required frequencies
- Agree and ensure that any remedial work required for issues discovered during inspections are acted upon in a timely manner depending on the degree of risk and resources required
- Arrange relevant training for individuals where required
Health & Safety Local Officers (HSLOs) or appointed workplace inspection personnel must:
- Carry out scheduled workplace inspections of all areas within their jurisdiction
- Involve Display Screen Equipment Assessors (DSEAs) in office inspections, particularly where proposed actions may affect workstations.
- Advise staff on actions they can take for immediate improvements
- Bring any problems or issues discovered during the inspection to the attention of Supervisors, Line Managers or Faculty Operating Officer or Director as required
- Keep records of progress and completion of remedial actions.
Individuals must:
- Keep their own work areas free from hazards which may harm themselves or others
- Report hazards such as blocked escape routes, damaged furniture, failed lights, or faulty equipment to their Line Manager, Supervisor or HSLOs
- Cooperate with HSLOs and others carrying out inspections of their area
- Carry out recommended remedial actions such as tidying their work areas
The H&S Unit will:
- Provide advice and guidance on workplace safety inspection requirements
- Provide workplace safety inspection training on request
- Review and revise University workplace safety inspection procedures as necessary to ensure compliance with University policies and current legislation
Original February 2011 (Reviewed February 2018)