Workplace Inspections

The committee carries out their functions by planning workplace inspections, communicating with management and other individuals as required, holding regular meetings and participating in testing and monitoring activities. Committees play an important role in developing, reviewing, and recommending improvements to company health and safety policies and procedures.

Committee members must meet monthly to inspect the workplace for health and safety hazards. The entire workplace must be inspected every month with everyone’s findings recorded for committee discussion, or immediate attention where a dangerous circumstance is identified.  If it is unrealistic to inspect the entire workplace-both interior and exterior-once per month, a committee should establish a schedule that ensures the entire workplace will be inspected at least once a year. In other situations the Ministry of Labour may order a more frequent schedule of inspections.

During an inspection, committee members may approach workers to ask questions, to observe work in progress, or to see how each machine operates. Workers are expected to provide information and assistance as required to a committee member during a workplace inspection. A worker must not interfere or knowingly provide false information.

Inspections are performed by committee worker members, conducted preferably by a certified member and in most cases, during normal working hours while the business is operating. This allows committee members to see processes and procedures in action. Seeing the operation running may help workers identify potential or actual hazards.  Inspections during off peak hours such as during plant shut downs, slower periods, or if inspections are only conducted on a night shift, may not produce the same type, level, or frequency of contributing factors as one might witness during normal work load. A business who operates multiple shifts should schedule inspections on each shift to ensure the committee observes the business operating at various times. A night shift inspection may uncover a need for additional staffing, a variation in shipping and receiving schedules, increased supervision, or new policies and procedures to lessen incidents and accidents.

The purpose of the inspection is to determine

1. If hazards are present
2. If workers have been, or are likely to be exposed to hazards
3. If anyone has been injured as a result of the exposure the hazard(s); and
4. Are safe working procedures being followed by workers

An inspection procedure has four components;

1. Preparation
2. Inspection
3. Reporting
4. Follow-up

A facility tour or inspection sheet should be used during an inspection. This document may include;

• name of the department being inspected
• names of workers performing the inspections
• date and time of inspection
• the type of hazard discovered during the inspection
• a description of where the hazard(s) are located
• whether or not the hazard is a repeat issue, and if so
• how it was previously rated A, B, or C
• hazard ratings for new issues discovered during the tour; and/or
• assigning of proposed corrective action(s) including the name of the person who is assigned the task, and the agreed upon completion date

On completion of the facility inspection copies of the completed tour sheet must be distributed to the members of the J.H.S.C., to the people responsible to take corrective action, the supervisor of the department involved, and senior management and supervisors. Once hazards have been identified, a follow-up schedule must be in place, and process must be implemented that ensures hazards don’t go unchecked.