Performing Safety Inspections for Offices and Industrial Settings
Welcome to the Performing Safety Inspections for Offices and Industrial Settings web-based training. Upon completion, you will be able to explain why inspections are required, describe specific hazards to identify in office and industrial settings and properly document inspection findings. First, let’s discuss the background information for the safety inspection process. Each agency has their own accident and illness prevention plan, or AIPP, which is required to maintain the commonwealth’s workers’ compensation self-insured status. Each agency is required to conduct inspections according to their policy. The frequency of these inspections are based on the conditions and characteristics of each area and are required to be completed at least biannually for all occupied work areas or at least quarterly for areas with higher risks or more significant hazards. While some inspections may be unannounced, having announced inspections is important. Scheduling the inspections ahead of time will ensure the proper personnel are available at that time to assist with your inspection needs and answer questions. If you are inspecting a leased facility, the landlord must be notified prior to an inspection of that location. Although compliance is a good reason for conducting inspections, inspections also promote safety by making employees aware of hazards. When a team identifies a problem, the problem can be corrected, which eliminates the possibility of an injury because of the hazard. When forming an inspection team, carefully consider who has knowledge of the area of the inspection and keep the team small. A team of four to six people is ideal. Safety resources, like the safety coordinator or designated safety personnel for an area, can also help bring expertise to an inspection team. Other members of the inspection team could include safety committee members, maintenance staff, building managers, the landlord, union representatives (as selected and identified by the respective union) or managers. However, not all of them will be required for all areas, and each inspection area may be completed with a different group, depending on the characteristics and risks of that area. It is good practice to include inspection team members who don’t work in the area if possible; these individuals may notice items that others may not. Once an inspection team has been identified, define who will lead the inspection, conduct employee interviews, take notes and record findings. Having defined roles makes the inspection more organized. During the inspection make sure to have the proper tools with you and readily available. Recommended items include a clipboard, inspection forms, previous inspection results, a measuring tape, a flashlight and a camera for documenting any findings. Be sure to ask about agency policies on cameras within a workspace, and don’t just assume it is okay. Contact your agency safety coordinator for agency-specific office safety inspection forms and industrial safety inspection forms. First, let’s discuss office safety inspections. Workstation and office safety inspections focus on a few common hazards which include the review of housekeeping, ergonomics, electrical and evacuation hazards during each inspection. While this is not a comprehensive list of hazards you may encounter in an office, these are the hazards that most often contribute to incidents. Housekeeping isn’t just about cleanliness. Improving housekeeping is a good way to improve efficiency and reduce hazards. While conducting an office safety inspection, ensure there are clean work areas with clear walkways and aisles. Be alert for cords and wires crossing any walkways. Good housekeeping practices eliminate clutter which reduces fire hazards and allows other hazards to be clearer. While it is not always the easiest to observe during a short inspection, ergonomics should be inspected during office safety inspections. All employees should be positioned properly at their desks keeping proper ergonomics in mind and maintaining a good neutral posture. Employees should be using their office equipment and workspaces efficiently and should avoid constantly stretching or reaching for objects that are not placed close to them in their workspace. Ensure that employees are not in awkward positions. Is someone holding the phone with their shoulder or bent over or stretching awkwardly? If you notice any of these issues, talk to employees to recommend workstation changes to avoid discomfort. For more information on the office ergonomic process and how to perform ergonomic assessments, a separate training is available for the topic. Management Directive 720.5 covers the proper use of electrical devices, and includes but is not limited to, devices such as coffee makers and microwave ovens as well as water coolers, refrigerators, dehumidifiers and air conditioners. Inspectors should search for equipment that seems out of place and may not have the proper approval sticker from the Department of General Services. Inspection teams should include someone with knowledge of the building electrical devices policy. Inspection teams should also notice frayed or damaged electrical cords, overloaded power strips or outlets and extension cords used as permanent wiring, all of which should not be permitted. 36 inches of clearance is required for all electrical panel boxes. This accounts for the room needed by a worker should the box need to be accessed quickly and keeps materials far enough away to prevent additional fires should an arc occur. All hallways leading to an exit should have a minimum width of 36 inches to ensure proper passage and evacuation in case of emergency. Doors in all hallways should be labeled as an exit door or not an exit door if they do not contain a room number or other identifiers. Exit signs must be installed and lit from an internal or external energy source. Fire doors cannot be blocked and may be self-locking to prevent entry into a building but cannot prevent exit. Fire doors should not be propped open since they play a role in containing fires should they occur. All fire extinguishers must have signs indicating their location if the extinguisher is obstructed in any way. These signs, extinguishers and pull stations should not be blocked by any objects and must be given a minimum clearance of 36 inches. Inspectors should check to make sure the type of fire extinguisher corresponds to the hazards for the area. Fire extinguishers should also be checked for their general condition to make sure they have not been used and to ensure maintenance checks have been completed by the designated person. When walking through an area for an inspection, note the lighting conditions. Take notice to dark or under-lit areas and note any problems such as burnt out or dull light bulbs. All task lighting must be approved for use by an area supervisor and should be checked during the inspection as well. Search for broken or damaged office equipment, particularly chairs and desks, which could pose a hazard to employees. All office equipment should be kept a minimum of 18 inches from functioning radiators. Note the condition of the facility ceiling tile and walls as well as the carpets and flooring including discoloration and ripped carpets or broken tiles. If any odors are noted during the inspection, attempt to locate the source of the odors and document any findings for further investigation. While physical conditions and materials often occupy much of the inspection time, employee behaviors should also be observed since they often contribute to incidents at workplaces. If an unsafe employee behavior is observed, the inspection team should approach the area supervisor to address the unsafe behavior immediately to prevent injury. Industrial settings present unique hazards, and it is important to be aware of hazards in these facilities. Examples of an industrial setting include warehouses, garages, maintenance shops, kitchens and laundry service locations. Inspection teams need to inspect for the items reviewed under office settings: proper housekeeping, ergonomics, electrical hazards and evacuation hazards. In addition, material storage and employee training for specific tasks must be reviewed. When inspecting in an industrial setting, always be sure to wear the appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) required for an area when conducting the inspection. Not only does it set the right example for employees working there, it also helps to keep the inspectors safe. When storing materials, special precautions should be taken. Heavier materials, greater than 50 pounds that will be moved without the use of a forklift should be stored at lower heights. Storing heavy materials above shoulder height can result in a lifting injury or the material falling on the employee. Stacks of materials should not be stored all the way up to the ceiling for stability purposes. The stacks should have the weight evenly distributed to avoid leaning or teetering. It is a requirement that all sprinkler heads have at least 18 inches of clearance in all directions to allow the sprinklers to function properly and have the planned coverage should a fire occur. Additionally, there must be at least 20 inches of clearance in each direction surrounding a smoke detector. When inspecting areas with electrical equipment, lockout/tagout procedures should also be examined. This includes training employees on lockout/tagout procedures and having them knowledgeable about the equipment specific procedures should the equipment need to be de-energized to perform work. In industrial settings where heavy-duty equipment may be used, reviewing electrical cords is also important. Extension cords should not be frayed or missing grounds. Cords found in this condition should be removed from service and discarded. Just like the example in office safety, 36 inches of clearance is required for all electrical panel boxes. Employees must be trained on the operation and inspection of all equipment which they may use including, but not limited to, forklifts, pallet jacks, handcarts and tools. If hazardous materials are used or stored in an area, workers must be trained on these specific materials. This includes an available and accessible safety data sheet for each hazardous material that is present inside the facility. Ask to review these during the inspection to ensure they are available and up to date. When walking through an area, observe employees performing different tasks to ensure proper personal protective equipment is being worn at all times. Employees should be aware of PPE use specified in policies and operating procedures. Proper PPE use should be shown through training and signage. Ask the manager what training was provided and observe all signage and postings in the facility. As soon as possible after completing an inspection, findings should be documented and corrective actions suggested. When documenting an inspection, it is important to include both the good and bad findings. Only listing the good does not lead to any corrective actions for the issues identified, while only listing the bad ignores the positives a facility is doing and can be detrimental to implementing corrective actions. The report should always list emergency items first. These are findings that, if not corrected, could result in injuries to employees. Next, include findings that need to be corrected but are not immediate health and safety risks. Finally, include a summary section with the highlights of what was found and any urgent issues to be corrected. Once the report has been finalized, distribute the report to everyone involved including the safety coordinator. This could include other groups like maintenance or the real estate liaison for leased facilities should a repair need to be made to correct an issue at the site. It is also a good idea to share the report with a manager of the organization where the inspection was done. The final step in the inspection process is the follow-up to be sure that the corrective actions have been implemented and that they are effective in addressing the issue. Determine if a follow-up visit is necessary. Usually only inspections where serious hazards were identified require a follow-up inspection. Photographs, email and phone verification of corrective actions may be adequate follow-up. Be sure to document all corrective actions including the date of correction. Any individuals responsible for the omission and compliance of a facility should be notified that the corrective actions have been implemented, are effective and the identified findings in the report have been resolved. If there are several corrections that the inspection team is managing, a corrective actions tracking database is available. Contact your safety coordinator for more information about the database. In summary: Safety inspections are important and required for all commonwealth facilities. Although each facility is unique, there are key items to search for when conducting inspections. Be sure to document and report all findings and suggested corrective actions. If desired, you may contact your agency safety coordinator to obtain a copy of the document, accessible within the training, summarizing this course. This document can be taken to inspections as a reference guide in addition to other required agency checklists and forms.
Knowledge Check:
Question #1: True or False: Good housekeeping practices in an office area eliminate clutter and increases fire hazards.
Answer: False.
Question #2: True or False: Inspectors who are not performing the tasks of the employees do not need to wear any PPE when entering an area.
Answer: False.
Question #3: True or False: Speaking to employees during an inspection is helpful in identifying potential safety problems of the area.
Answer: True.
Thank you! You have now completed the Performing Safety Inspections for Offices and Industrial Settings training.
This version of the course is intended for individuals who require an accommodation for a disability. Once you have fully reviewed the information in this training, contact your Human Resources Office to request credit for completing this course. You will not receive credit for completing this course until you do so.