---
title: "Workplace safety inspection checklist"
description: "Walk-through, shift, monthly and annual checks of walking surfaces, exits, fire protection, electrical, machinery and postings."
---

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# Workplace safety inspection checklist

Walk-through, shift, monthly and annual checks of walking surfaces, exits, fire protection, electrical, machinery and postings.

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## Each shift

| Task | Required | Photo required |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Electrical | | |
| Cords and cord-connected equipment free of damage; no splices; no multiple-plug adaptors | Required | No photo required |
| Ladders and stairs | | |
| Ladders free of visible defects, checked before first use in each shift | Required | No photo required |
| Forklifts | | |
| Each forklift examined before it is placed in service; defects reported and corrected | Required | No photo required |

## Routine walk-through

| Task | Required | Photo required |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Housekeeping and walking surfaces | | |
| Workplace clean, orderly and sanitary; floors kept dry where feasible | Required | No photo required |
| Spilled material cleaned up immediately | Required | No photo required |
| Aisles and walkways clear; stored material does not project into them | Required | No photo required |
| Floor holes and damaged surfaces repaired, or guarded until repaired | Required | Photo required |
| Combustible scrap and waste removed promptly; oily rags kept in covered metal cans | Required | No photo required |
| Exits and emergency | | |
| Exit routes free and unobstructed | Required | Photo required |
| Exit doors open from inside without a key or tool, and are not blocked | Required | No photo required |
| Exit signs visible and lit; route marked where not obvious | Required | No photo required |
| Evacuation routes and emergency phone numbers posted | Not required | No photo required |
| Electrical | | |
| Clear working space kept in front of panels, with nothing stored in it | Required | No photo required |
| Panel, box and receptacle covers in place; unused openings closed | Required | No photo required |
| Disconnects and breakers labelled for the equipment they serve | Not required | No photo required |
| Ladders and stairs | | |
| Defective ladders tagged 'Dangerous: Do Not Use' and removed from service when found | Required | No photo required |
| Handrails on stairs with four or more risers | Required | No photo required |
| First aid and eyewash | | |
| First aid kits accessible, stocked, inspected and replenished | Not required | No photo required |
| Eyewash or drench facilities within the work area where corrosives are used | Required | No photo required |
| Hazard communication | | |
| Safety Data Sheets current and accessible for every hazardous chemical | Required | No photo required |
| Shipped and workplace containers labelled | Required | No photo required |
| PPE | | |
| Required PPE provided, in good condition, sanitary and used | Required | No photo required |
| Hard hats inspected for shell and suspension damage | Not required | No photo required |
| Machinery | | |
| Guards in place on rotating and moving parts and points of operation | Required | No photo required |
| Each machine has a power shut-off within the operator's reach; emergency stops are red | Not required | No photo required |
| Postings | | |
| Job safety and health poster posted, or the state's equivalent | Required | No photo required |

## Monthly

| Task | Required | Photo required |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Fire protection | | |
| Extinguishers in place, accessible, charged, nozzle clear; monthly visual inspection recorded | Required | No photo required |
| Exits and emergency | | |
| Emergency lighting tested for 30 seconds | Required | No photo required |

## Annually

| Task | Required | Photo required |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Energy control | | |
| Periodic inspection of each lockout and tagout procedure, by an authorized employee other than the people who use it | Required | No photo required |
| Exits and emergency | | |
| Emergency lighting tested for 90 minutes | Required | No photo required |
| Fire protection | | |
| Annual maintenance check done, with its date recorded on the extinguisher tag | Required | Photo required |
| Postings | | |
| Injury and illness summary (Form 300A) posted February through April | Required | No photo required |

Checks of a workplace: its walking surfaces, exits, fire protection, electrical, ladders, first aid, chemicals, protective equipment, machinery, forklifts and postings. The employer sets how often the routine walk-through runs. Shift, monthly and annual checks run on their own procedures. The checklist is a starting point, not a compliance test.

Where a state’s own workplace safety rules, a fire authority, or an equipment maker’s manual sets a stricter rule or a test, it governs instead.

## Sources

- [OSHA and NIOSH: Small Business Safety and Health Handbook](https://www.osha.gov/sites/default/files/publications/small-business.pdf)

## Import it into FixAhead

Upload this file in FixAhead's maintenance procedure import, as a signed-in owner or manager. Each frequency loads as its own procedure, with its sections, tasks, and each task's Required and Photo required marks. If your account already has a procedure with the same name, this one is skipped and the existing one stays as it is.

Maintenance procedures are on the Pro plan, as [pricing](/pricing/) shows.

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