Safety Self-Inspection of the Workplace – An Integral Element of Integrated Safety Management

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Safety Self-Inspection of the Workplace An
Integral Element of Integrated Safety Management

• Prepared by
• M. E. Rick Du Bose
• Mgr, Safety Occupational Health
• Hq Fossil Energy (FE-7)
• November 2007

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SELF-INSPECTION

• An objective and generalized inspection format
  established for use by respective department
  management for use in maintaining a safe and
  healthful work place
• Is the safety self-inspection process a
  management system?
• No, it is an operational safety tool designed to
  enhance the overall safety deficiency
  identification and corrective action process by
• Disclosing deficiencies in the workplace that if
  left unresolved, may compromise the safety of
  employees or visitors
• These deficiencies are categorized as either (1)
  work conditions or (2) work practices

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SELF-INSPECTION (cont)

• Work Condition A condition in which a hazard
  requires either the repair of an item or a
  removal of the condition
• Work Practice A condition in which a hazard is
  created by either an improper work
  practice/procedure or employee non-compliance
  with established safe work practices/procedures
• How does the safety self-inspection process
  support the objectives of Integrated Safety
  Management?

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SELF-INSPECTION (cont)

• Provides a recurring (monthly/quarterly/annual)
  formal assessment of safety (or health)
  deficiencies within the work place
• Enables the self-inspector or team to identify
  and apply corrective actions towards minor to
  moderate deficiencies that could result in major
  occurrences or near misses if left unresolved
• Enhances organizational team building efforts for
  a safe and healthful workplace, i.e safety
  working in partnership with building maintenance
  and engineering, contractors, or other agencies
  called upon to identify and resolve safety or
  health related concerns
• Ensures compliance with 29 Code of Federal
  Regulations Part 1960 (Basic Program Elements
  for Federal Employee Occupational Safety and
  Health Programs and Related Matters), Subpart D
  (Inspection and Abatement)

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Degree and scope of safety self-inspection plans

• Generally speaking, the self-inspection process
  should address two specific areas, (1) office
  safety and, (2) industrial/occupational safety.
  Job hazard analyses and risk assessing may be an
  option for office environments but should be
  considered mandatory for the industrial areas
  under the precepts of the organizations Hazard
  Communication Plan (HCP). The safety
  self-inspection plan should be developed with the
  following in mind

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Degree and scope of safety self-inspection plans
(cont)

• Job hazard analyses
• Job safety analyses
• Risk assessment code (RAC) utilization
• Hazard severity associated with processes
• History of workplace occurrences including human
  or material resource near misses

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Degree and scope of safety self-inspection plans
(cont)

• Employee training resources available
• Current condition of machinery, equipment, tools,
  etc.
• Use of administrative or engineering controls re
  exposures
• Machinery/equipment preventive maintenance
  schedules
• Frequency of inspection, i.e., monthly-quarterly-a
  nnually

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Composition of Self-Inspection Team and
Responsibilities

• Ideally, a combination of management and staff or
  contractor
• Utilize safety committee members
• Incorporate new team of self-inspectors annually
• All inspectors, unless safety and health
  specialists, should be trained in fundamental
  hazard recognition
• Occasionally, industrial hygienic
  sampling/monitoring may need to be employed as
  part of the inspection process

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Reports and Recordkeeping

• Review pertinent occurrence reports prior to
  inspection
• Provide management with self-inspection procedure
• Record all findings including those corrected
  on-the-spot
• Issue Notices of Unsafe or Unhealthful Working
  ConditionsSuch notices shall be issued not later
  than 15 days after completion of the inspection
  for safety violations or not later than 30 days
  for health violations

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• The official in charge of a workplace shall
  immediately post the notices which must include
  the nature and degree of seriousness of the
  unsafe or unhealthful working condition, a
  reference to the standard or other requirement
  involved, and when abatement of the deficiency
  can reasonably be expected to occur. The
  notice(s) should be placed in a prominent place
  where it will be readily observable by all
  affected employees
• Employee reports of unsafe or unhealthful working
  conditions may also be entered into the
  self-inspection process as a matter of record

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Summary

• Tailor your safety self-inspection program to the
  particular needs of your organization. Maintain
  appropriate records. Ensure corrective action
  timelines are tracked and deficiencies are closed
  out. Train specified employees on hazard
  recognition techniques