Effective hazard identification is the foundation of any strong incident management program.
When operations, equipment, materials, workflows or stagging change, new hazards can be introduced or existing risks can shift in ways that aren’t immediately obvious.
This checklist is designed to help you identify where harm is most likely to occur before it leads to an incident.
Before Using This Checklist
This checklist is most effective when it is used with the information you already have about your workplace. Before you start any inspection, collect and review available documentation, records and prior assessments so you understand what hazards are likely, where exposures may occur and what controls are supposed to be in place. This allows you to verify whether those controls are working as intended rather than relying on observation alone to identify risk.
Use the sources below, alongside this checklist, to prepare for workplace inspections:
- Equipment and machinery manuals
- Safety Data Sheets (SDS)
- Previous inspection findings and CAPAs
- OSHA injury and illness records, such as OSHA 300 and 301 logs
- Incident investigation reports and near-miss reports
- Exposure monitoring data
- Existing EHS programs and procedures, such as lockout tagout, confined space, hazard communication, PPE and machine guarding
- Job Hazard Analyses
- Worker input sources
How To Use Checklist
This checklist is intended to support the workplace assessment process. Below is an example of how you may use this resource:
- Review background information: Utilize the documentation listed above to understand what hazards may already exist. This will help determine which sections of the checklist are most relevant.
- Walk the jobsite with workers: Conduct the inspection with people who perform the job. Their insight helps identify conditions and behaviors that may not appear in written procedures.
- Use the checklist section by section: Move through the work area focusing on one hazard category at a time.
- Document findings thoroughly: For each identified hazard, note the location, equipment involved, photos if helpful and the potential risk.
- Assign and track corrective actions: For anything marked as needing action, assign an owner and due date. Verified, completed actions should be recorded to confirm hazards were corrected. Analyze inspection findings to determine if updated training, procedures or maintenance is required.
- Reassess controls: Reevaluate controls regularly to verify effectiveness.
Don’t wait for a costly incident to show where emerging hazards are! Download your free checklist below.
