When you hear the phrase “workplace inspections” two things likely spring to mind: a visit from an OH&S inspector, and walking through your workplace looking for hazards. Both types of inspections can be overwhelming, but they are important tools in preventing accidents and injuries.
There’s no need to worry about inspections – we’re here to help take some of the guesswork out of them, so you can go about your business, safely.
Effective workplace inspections
Doing a regular inspection of the workplace helps ensure a healthy and safe work environment. There are two types of workplace inspection:
- Informal inspections are a practiced awareness where workers identify potential hazards in daily processes, conditions and activities in the workplace.
- Formal inspections are a regularly scheduled examination of the workplace and are conducted with the aid of a checklist and inspection report.
Informal inspections can be done almost daily – they are really a case of employees recognizing unsafe working conditions (lack of protective equipment, untrained workers, trip/fall hazards, etc.) and either fixing the problem or reporting it to a supervisor.
Formal inspections should be done by a supervisor or the employer and require documentation of both the hazard and what was done to resolve it. A list should be drawn up of potential hazards and these should then be checked to ensure the workplace is safe.
The rules around how often these inspections should be done vary from province to province, so check with a CFIB Business Advisor for more information.
A visit from OH&S
You work hard to create a healthy and safe work environment, but with a long list of compliance requirements it is not unusual that the idea of someone checking up on you may cause stress.
Health and Safety Officers (HSO), or Compliance Officers, are there to ensure the minimum legal standards of health and safety are met.
There are a few reasons an HSO might visit your business:
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a regularly scheduled inspection,
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to investigate injuries, or
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to follow up on a health and safety complaint.
Education is another component of a Health and Safety Officer’s job. HSOs are there to help you access available resources to ensure you’re in compliance.
Workplace inspections are a routine part of doing business. The intention is to ensure the health and safety of your employees. If the officer notices the requirements of the Occupational Health and Safety Act or any of its regulations are not being met, they have the authority to write orders to have those infractions corrected. In some provinces, officers are also authorized to issue on-the-spot fines.
Officers will typically not call ahead to make an appointment. The law gives the HSOs broad authority to enter a workplace during working hours without notice to conduct an inspection or investigation.
The reason for this is so that the HSO can get an accurate snapshot of normal workplace conditions. Under the Act you are required to co-operate with an HSO.
When an officer walks into a business for an inspection they will look for:
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Workers wearing the appropriate personal protective equipment
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Potential hazards
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The first aid kit
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The first aid provider on shift
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Posted and implemented policies and procedures
Some other not-so-obvious hazards:
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step stools not meeting the required standard,
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improper lifting techniques,
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not restocking first aid kits,
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forgetting the fire extinguisher annual inspection,
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improper labeling of electrical panels, and
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storing things in the electrical room… to name a few.
CFIB members can contact our Advisors at 1-833-568-2342 or cfib@cfib.ca to review Occupational Health and Safety Requirements. If an HSO drops by, we want you to be ready and comfortable to have them look around. We can take the guess work out of health and safety compliance and save you time and possible frustration.
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