Safety Checklist: Examples and Templates

Published 02/04/2024

Every workplace and organization has its unique set of risks, and health and safety professionals should be able to determine which checklists are suitable for specific workplaces and procedures to guarantee that all safety requirements are met. Safety checklists are valuable tools for identifying potential workplace hazards.

They should be implemented during inspections, reported on, and used as the foundation for safety recommendations and recorded for record-keeping purposes. Radiation safety, fall protection, explosion safety, fixed stars and ladders, electrical safety work practices, occupational injury and sickness reporting, and much more are all covered by OSHA checklists.

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What is a Safety Checklist?

Safety checklists are typically paper or digital forms that safety professionals use to assess and determine workplace risks that might affect individuals, processes, or the environment. A safety checklist is typically a tool that allows professionals to receive a broad overview of safety practices, behaviors, and risks inside a workplace or department. Its primary purpose is to remind individuals of the areas to inspect and which details are critical for safety.

A safety check list might be implemented as an ongoing daily checking routine before commencing a job task or activity (like a pre-start) or it might be part of an induction or orientation to make sure workers are aware of the safety criteria before they start work on site.

Whats the importance of Safety Checklists?

A safety checklist is helpful for regularly assessing the workplace for occupational health hazards. It's an essential part of your workplace health and safety strategy. A certified safety professional fills off the checkboxes while conducting safety inspections to assist him in discovering and documenting work-related occurrences, injuries, and illnesses. This initiates a sequence of preventative controls to eliminate the concern and help in record-keeping when performing safety audits to ensure that safety requirements are always met.

Safety Checklist Templates and Best Examples

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Types of Safety Checklists

Safety checklists are classified by the work setting in which they are used. When developing a safety inspection checklist for a business or site, safety officers must evaluate every specific variable, activity, and hazard. OSHA offers a variety of checklists prepared for identifying possible risks in different industries and applications.

- Machinery Safety Inspection Checklist

This is used to evaluate and establish the overall safety situation of your company's machinery and equipment. The checklist aids in the identification of electrical, mechanical, and maintenance hazards in equipment, allowing you to avoid damage or harm due to poor machine guards, dangerous pre-operation inspections, inappropriate LOTO, and other factors.

- Chemicals safety inspection checklist

Most of the chemicals used in the workplace are harmful. The first step in managing hazardous chemicals is to ask your vendor if any of the substances you use are toxic. If you ask for a Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS), your vendor must give one if the chemical is a hazardous material.

This document explains how to deal with safety hazards and how to avoid them. Your employees must have access to the MSDS. You must keep track of the toxic chemicals you utilize in a record. You must also instruct your employees on how to safely utilize a harmful chemical and have them participate in completing this checklist.

- Emergency Procedures safety checklist

You must prepare plans for a smooth and safe evacuation in the event of an emergency as part of your obligation to protect the safety of everyone in your workplace. This checklist can assist you in developing emergency plans.

You should include your employees in the creation of these processes and procedures. You can use this checklist to coordinate your emergency response with other firms if you share your workspace or site.

- Electrical safety inspection checklist

Electricity has the potential to badly injure and, to some extent, kill people. Electricity is considerably more hazardous since it is invisible. As the supervisor of a business organization, you must ensure that the electrical connections and machinery in your workplace are safe and that they are assessed and serviced regularly. Completing the checklist with your employees is a great idea.

- Slips, trips, and falls inspection safety checklist

Trips, slips, and falls cause most occupational injuries. This checklist will assist you in ensuring that your workplace is free of the dangers that cause such injuries. The checklist should be completed with the help of your employees.

A typical safety inspection checklist is essential in every organization. Employees are protected by safety checklists, which guarantee that most of your standards, practices, and processes are OSHA compliant. Creating a safety program for your teams is integral, whether you currently have a paper-based checklist and want to convert to digital solutions or are beginning from zero.