3.2 Inspections

Purpose

To check formally that hazards are being adequately controlled and that individuals are working in a safe way: the inspection can check both physical and behavioural aspects.

Responsibilities

Heads of departments must ensure that formal safety inspections of all areas are carried out at least once a term by those responsible for each area.
Staff and students should not wait until the formal inspections to resolve hazardous situations but should deal with them as they arise.

Procedure and Guidance

1. Heads of departments must set schedules for these inspections and must specify who must carry out the inspection. A member of staff who normally works in the area should accompany the person carrying out the inspection.
2. Wherever possible, hazards that are easy to correct should be corrected. If it is not possible to eliminate the hazard and its associated risks, then reasonably practicable action should be specified to reduce and control the risks.
3. An inspection checklist is chosen or produced by listing a series of hazards, which could reasonably be expected to be found in the area. Inspections Checklists can be found in 6.Forms. Advice on suitable hazards to look for in your area can be obtained from the Health & Safety department.

4. The inspection team examine the are looking for hazards listed on the checklist and recording their findings on the form. If it is possible to deal with the hazard immediately then action should be taken and this should be recorded on the form.
5. Following the inspection, the team identify appropriate corrective and preventative actions and their ease of implementation noted. Actions are then agreed with specific individuals. The risk, and the action taken, should be recorded even if the hazard was removed immediately.
6. The completed Inspection Checklist and associated actions must be copied to the head of department with the original retained in a ‘Safety Inspection File’ in the area covered by the inspection.
7. Heads of departments must approve the Inspection Checklist and ensure that the actions and timescales are appropriate to the risks: they may decide to modify the actions on the Inspection Checklist in which case the modified form must be copied to the originator.
8. When actions are completed they must be signed off on the Inspection Checklist retained in the ‘Safety Inspection File’.
9. The Health & Safety function will carry out audits and send their findings to the head of the appropriate department for action.