---
title: "Workplace safety inspection checklist"
description: "A workplace safety inspection checklist: walk-through, shift, monthly and annual checks of walking surfaces, exits, fire protection, electrical, machinery and postings."
---

1. [Templates](/templates/)

# Workplace safety inspection checklist

Walk-through, shift, monthly and annual checks of walking surfaces, exits, fire protection, electrical, machinery and postings.

[Download CSV](/templates/workplace-safety-inspection-checklist/workplace-safety-inspection-checklist.csv)

- Or [start on the free plan](https://app.fixahead.com/signup), no card.

- A signed-in owner or manager uploads this file in FixAhead, and it loads as one procedure per frequency.

## Each shift

| Task | Required | Photo required |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Electrical | | |
| Cords and cord-connected equipment free of damage; no splices; no multiple-plug adaptors | Yes | |
| Ladders and stairs | | |
| Ladders free of visible defects, checked before first use in each shift | Yes | |
| Forklifts | | |
| Each forklift examined before it is placed in service; defects reported and corrected | Yes | |

## Routine walk-through

| Task | Required | Photo required |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Housekeeping and walking surfaces | | |
| Workplace clean, orderly and sanitary; floors kept dry where feasible | Yes | |
| Spilled material cleaned up immediately | Yes | |
| Aisles and walkways clear; stored material does not project into them | Yes | |
| Floor holes and damaged surfaces repaired, or guarded until repaired | Yes | Yes |
| Combustible scrap and waste removed promptly; oily rags kept in covered metal cans | Yes | |
| Exits and emergency | | |
| Exit routes free and unobstructed | Yes | Yes |
| Exit doors open from inside without a key or tool, and are not blocked | Yes | |
| Exit signs visible and lit; route marked where not obvious | Yes | |
| Evacuation routes and emergency phone numbers posted |  | |
| Electrical | | |
| Clear working space kept in front of panels, with nothing stored in it | Yes | |
| Panel, box and receptacle covers in place; unused openings closed | Yes | |
| Disconnects and breakers labelled for the equipment they serve |  | |
| Ladders and stairs | | |
| Defective ladders tagged 'Dangerous: Do Not Use' and removed from service when found | Yes | |
| Handrails on stairs with four or more risers | Yes | |
| First aid and eyewash | | |
| First aid kits accessible, stocked, inspected and replenished |  | |
| Eyewash or drench facilities within the work area where corrosives are used | Yes | |
| Hazard communication | | |
| Safety Data Sheets current and accessible for every hazardous chemical | Yes | |
| Shipped and workplace containers labelled | Yes | |
| PPE | | |
| Required PPE provided, in good condition, sanitary and used | Yes | |
| Hard hats inspected for shell and suspension damage |  | |
| Machinery | | |
| Guards in place on rotating and moving parts and points of operation | Yes | |
| Each machine has a power shut-off within the operator's reach; emergency stops are red |  | |
| Postings | | |
| Job safety and health poster posted, or the state's equivalent | Yes | |

## Monthly

| Task | Required | Photo required |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Fire protection | | |
| Extinguishers in place, accessible, charged, nozzle clear; monthly visual inspection recorded | Yes | |
| Exits and emergency | | |
| Emergency lighting tested for 30 seconds | Yes | |

## Annually

| Task | Required | Photo required |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Energy control | | |
| Periodic inspection of each lockout and tagout procedure, by an authorized employee other than the people who use it | Yes | |
| Exits and emergency | | |
| Emergency lighting tested for 90 minutes | Yes | |
| Fire protection | | |
| Annual maintenance check done, with its date recorded on the extinguisher tag | Yes | Yes |
| Postings | | |
| Injury and illness summary (Form 300A) posted February through April | Yes | |

This checklist is a starting point, not a compliance test. Where a state's own workplace safety rules, a fire authority, or an equipment maker's manual sets a stricter rule or a test, it governs instead.