What is an Inspection Checklist?
Every workplace needs to use site inspection checklists — lists of important inspection elements that must be repeatedly reviewed — to periodically inspect equipment, safety procedures, fire exits, emergency procedures, etc. These checklists can help make sure a business is in compliance with OSHA or other regulations, and is maintaining a safe and productive environment — whether in an office, on the factory floor, or at a construction location.
While inspections are the underlying activity, a building site inspection checklist is an essential tool, and can help ensure important points aren’t missed. This can be harder than you think, when regulations may require hundreds of individual items to be reviewed on a regular basis (the basic OSHA construction site checklist has more than 250 individual points of safety to be reviewed!). Putting those items in checklist form means makes them manageable, and makes documentation easy and much less time consuming.
Magpi makes it simple to create site inspection checklists like this, starting from scratch (with free help from our staff) or by using or modifying our existing templates.
Site inspection template
Benefits of ELECTRONIC SITE Inspection Checklists
If properly put together, and efficiently used, electronic inspection checklists can reduce the time it takes to maintain inspections, while making the collected information more easily accessible and actionable.
Organization — the value of checklists for organization is well known (see our recent post on National Checklist Day): inspectors are less likely to forget items, and are more organized, if they are working from a checklist.
Built-in logic — when a checklist incorporates “if-then” type logic (e.g. if an employee has been exposed to a hazardous substance, then follow these steps) electronic checklists can automatically hide any sections that don’t apply, revealing them only when needed.
Accountability — everyone is more likely to adhere to safety and other rules when they know that adherence is regularly checked.
Thoroughness — electronic checklists can automatically enforce required questions, making sure that a form cannot be submitted if it is incomplete.
Documentation — the ability to instantly add photos, GPS coordinates, and other relevant data to an inspection report makes documentation rock-solid.
Reporting — electronic checklists can automatically send alerts or reminders to key personnel when something is flagged on an inspection, making it more likely that problems will be understood and managed properly.
Risk management — the value of documentation in the form of regular inspection reports, recorded (and retrievable) instantly and electronically, to mitigate legal risk can’t be overstated.
What Is included in a site inspection?
Site inspections can be very broad, including every item of significance to safety, effectiveness, efficiency, and compliance with regulation. South Carolina’s implementation of OSHA’s “Checklist for the Construction Industry”, for example, includes sections for all of the following:
Hoists and Elevators
Conveyors
Motor Vehicles, Mechanized Equipment, and Marine Operations
Excavations
Concrete and Masonry Construction
Steel Erection
Underground Construction, Caissons, Cofferdams, and Compressed Air
Demolition
Blasting and Use of Explosives
Power Transmission and Distribution
Rollover Protective Structures (ROPS); Overhead Protection
Stairways and Ladders
Toxic and Hazardous Substances
Administrative Requirements
General Health and Safety Provisions
Occupational Health and Environmental Controls
Personal Protective and Life Saving Equipment
Fire Protection
Signs, Signals and Barricades
Materials Handling, Storage, Use, and Disposal
Tools, Hand and Power
Welding and Cutting
Electrical
Scaffolding
Fall Protection > 6 Feet
Cranes and Derricks
Example Construction Inspection Checklist: Fire Protection
It’s useful to look in more detail at some examples from the OSHA checklist above. Here we have the Fire Protection section of the checklist, a series of simple yes/no questions, each referencing a section of the OSHA regulations:
General Requirements: Has a fire protection program been developed? 1926.150(a)(1)
Is firefighting equipment conspicuously located? 1926.150(a)(3)
Is firefighting equipment periodically inspected and maintained in operating condition? 1926.150(a)(4)
Is firefighting equipment selected and provided according to the listed requirements? 1926.150(c)
Have employees been trained not to use gasoline to start fires to burn trash, etc.?
Has an educational program to familiarize employers with the general principles of fire extinguishers use and the hazards involved been provided? 1926.150(a)(1)
Flammable Liquids: Are all flammable liquids stored and handled in approved containers and portable tanks? 1926.152(a)(1)
If more than 25 gallons of flammable liquid is stored in a room, is it in an approved cabinet? 1926.152(b)(1)
Is at least one portable fire extinguisher with a rating of not less than 20-B:C located within 75 feet of each pump, dispenser, underground fill pipe opening and lubrication or refueling service area? 1926.152(g)(11)
OSHA construction checklist: subsection for fire protection
Example Construction Inspection Checklist: General Safety and Health Provisions
The General Safety and Health section of the OSHA checklist is also useful to review:
Safety and Training Education: Is each employee instructed in the recognition and avoidance of unsafe conditions and the regulations applicable to his work environment to control or eliminate any hazards or other exposure to illness or injury? 1926.21(b)(2)
Are employees who are required to handle or use poisons, caustics, and other harmful substances instructed in their safe handling and use, and made aware of the potential hazards, personal hygiene, and personal protective measures? 1926.21(b)(3)
Are employees who are required to enter confined or enclosed spaces instructed as to the nature of the hazards involved, the necessary precautions to be taken, and in the use of protective and emergency equipment? 1926.21(b)(6)(i)
Housekeeping: Is form and scrap lumber with protruding nails and all other debris kept cleared from work areas, passageways, and stairs? 1926.25(a)
Personal Protective Equipment: Are employees required to wear appropriate personal protective equipment when there is an exposure to hazardous conditions? 1926.28(a)
FAQ
What should a site inspection checklist includE?
Well, this is going to depend on the specific activity going on at that site, but typically (as in the examples above) you’d include:
administrative requirements for record-keeping
health and safety provisions
fire protection guidelines
material safety data
personal protective equipment
signs and signals
training requirements
Where can I find a site inspection checklist template?
There are lots of great sites online to give you an idea of the basics of site inspection checklists; more than enough to let you assemble your own tool. Here are a few:
OSHA — tasked with occupational safety in the US, OSHA maintains a website with dozens of example checklists
Indeed.com — Indeed provides numerous examples of checklists, for construction to housekeeping, general industry, and truck inspection, among many others
University of Washington College of Engineering — The folks at “U Dub” come through in a big way, with checklists for office safety, workspace inspection, and more.
CCOHS — Canada’s OSHA, this agency matches its American counterpart with great info on checklist content, approaches to site inspection, and other great tips.
Does a site inspection need to be electronic?
Of course people have been doing site inspections of some kind long before we had computers, much less smartphones — so, no, you don’t have to use a mobile platform like Magpi to do site inspections. But given that mobile platforms are inexpensive and will save tons of time, money, and paper, it’s tough to argue that paper makes sense in the modern world. If you’re still using a typewriter, more power to you — but for the rest of us, we’ll take the word processor!
Using Magpi for Your Site Inspection Checklists
Magpi has decades of experience implementing mobile forms. Because of our experience, and our excellent team of specialists, we can often have new users up and running in a day or two (or even hours). This is especially true if your needs can be met by using or adapting our existing templates.
What’s more, our in-house team can help you with that, at no additional cost. You just need to:
sign up for a free account — at this point you’re free to start creating and deploying forms, modifying templates, and using our other features
schedule a free demo/consultation — this one is optional but we hope you’ll let us help you in your setup process, or to answer any questions
Why wait? Tell us where you want to go, and we can offer a free and straightforward estimate of how you can build your site inspection checklists with Magpi.