Workplace Safety Audit Checklist

Score each cell against the layered process audit (LPA) sheet — sort, set in order, shine, standardize, sustain. Look for tools out of shadow board, WIP staged outside floor markings, and trash that has accumulated since the last shift. Take photos of any deviation for the findings log.

OSHA 1910.37 requires exit routes be unobstructed at all times. Pallets staged in the aisle, gaylords blocking an exit door, or a forklift charger cord across egress are all immediate-action items. Confirm minimum 28-inch aisle clearance and a clear line of sight to the nearest exit sign.

Spot-check tool check-out log against high-value tooling on the board. Verify calibrated gauges show current cal stickers and no past-due red tags are in service. Lost or uncontrolled gauges drive measurement-system risk on every job they touched since their last cal.

Per OSHA 1910.212, every machine with a point of operation, ingoing nip point, rotating part, or flying chip must be guarded. Walk each press, lathe, mill, saw, and conveyor — confirm guards are present, secured, and not bypassed with magnets or tape. A removed light curtain on a press is an amputation hazard and a Top-10 citation.

OSHA 1910.147 requires a written, machine-specific LOTO procedure posted at the energy isolation point. Confirm electrical disconnects, pneumatic bleed valves, and stored-energy releases are labeled and match the current procedure. Generic plant-wide LOTO procedures do not satisfy the standard.

Observe a maintenance tech apply LOTO from start to finish: notify affected employees, shut down, isolate, lock and tag, dissipate stored energy, verify zero state. Watch specifically for the verify-zero step — operators routinely skip it and that's how amputations happen.

Walk the chemical storage areas and shadow-list every product on the shelf. Compare against the SDS index. Any chemical present without an SDS is a HazCom 2012 violation; any SDS for a chemical no longer used should be archived, not deleted.

SPCC and state EPA rules require secondary containment sized to 110% of the largest container for oils and many regulated chemicals. Check pallets and berms for cracks, accumulated rainwater, or product residue. Document any compromised containment for same-week repair.

Every primary container needs a GHS label with product name, pictograms, signal word, and hazard statements. Secondary containers (squirt bottles, dip tanks) need at minimum product identifier and hazards. Door placards should match NFPA 704 ratings for the worst-case material in the room.

SQGs have 180 days from the accumulation start date posted on each hazardous waste drum; LQGs have 90. A drum past its limit triggers reclassification of generator status and immediate manifesting. Confirm dates are legible and the satellite-accumulation areas are at-or-near the point of generation.

Confirm safety glasses, hearing protection (where 1910.95 hearing-conservation thresholds apply), cut-resistant gloves, and any task-specific PPE called out in the JHA are stocked and within reach. Replenish any station below the par level.

ANSI Z358.1 requires weekly activation of plumbed eyewash and shower units to flush stagnant water and verify flow. Run each unit for the full minute, confirm tepid water, and verify no obstruction within 10 feet. Log a fail if any unit does not deliver compliant flow — corrective work order issued same day.

Press the test button on each emergency light and confirm 30-second illumination. Confirm exit signs are illuminated and visible from any point in the work area. The assembly point map at each exit should match the current evacuation plan, not a layout from two reorganizations ago.

NFPA 10 requires monthly visual inspection (initial the tag) and annual third-party service. Confirm the gauge is in the green, the pin and seal are intact, and the unit is mounted at its assigned location — extinguishers walk off when not chained.

Enter every finding into the CAPA system (Intelex, Cority, ETQ, or whichever QMS the plant runs). Each finding gets a named owner, severity rating, root-cause classification, and a target close date. Photos from the floor walk attach to the record.

HazCom 2012 requires retraining when a new chemical hazard is introduced to the work area — not at the next annual refresh. Schedule a targeted toolbox talk on the new SDS, pictograms, and exposure controls. Capture acknowledgment signatures.

OSHA 1904.29 requires the 301 form (or equivalent) within 7 calendar days of the incident becoming known. Add the case to the 300 log and confirm the 300A annual summary will reflect the case. Coordinate with workers' comp carrier on parallel filing.