Writing & Using Safety Inspection Checklists
Inspection checklists can be very helpful in maintaining a safe working environment when they are written and used correctly. Here are some things to keep in mind when creating safety inspection checklists.

Keep the items readable. The people who are using a checklist need to be able to understand what is being talked about. Keep the items as brief as possible. Use Standard English and avoid jargon and abbreviations.

There is no need to reinvent the wheel. Language from the Federal and State OSHA codes or from similar sources can be rephrased to suit your purpose. Items may be borrowed from other checklists. (Be aware of copyrights if you do this.)

Write the items so that the person using the checklist has three choices: yes, no, and not applicable. All of the items should be written in such a way that the answer is always the same if there is a problem. (Either a "yes" always indicates a problem or a "no" always indicates a problem.) That way, problems immediately catch the eye of the person reading the completed checklist. Be sure to leave space for the user to provide detail on the location and nature of problems.

Organize the checklist in a logical way. There is no single right way to do this. The checklist should suit the needs of the people who are using it. For example, it could be organized to parallel the AFSCME publication Safe Jobs Now, the OSHA code, or the order in which the people who conduct inspections will look at items in a location.

If a checklist is used in the process of conducting safety inspections, the inspectors should bear in mind that it is not a substitute for talking to the employees who work in the area which is being inspected. There is no substitute for personal contact.

If checklists are distributed to employees to complete, actual inspections of the workplace still need to be done. Employees may "overlook" problems for a number of reasons, including fear of retaliation by their supervisors and the desire to obtain safety rewards from their management.

Also, if employees complete checklists, the information from them should be compiled and available for the people conducting the actual workplace inspection. That information can be a big help to safety inspectors by making them aware of particular problems which may require special attention.