Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
perform. periodic. inspections. of. the. workplace. at. a. frequency. established. in. the.
worksite's.speciic.safety.and.health.program..The.supervisor,.in.conjunction.with.
the.site.safety.and.health.oficer,.should.determine.the.required.frequency.of.these.
inspections.based.on.the.level.and.complexity.of.anticipated.work.activities.and.on.
the..hazards.associated.with.these.activities..In.addition.to.a.review.of.worksite.condi-
tions.and.activities,.these.inspections.must.include.an.evaluation.of.the.effectiveness.
of.the.worksite.safety.and.health.program.in.addressing.site.hazards.and.in.protect-
ing. site. workers.. The. safety. and. health. oficer. may. need. to. revise. the. safety. and.
health.program.as.necessary.to.ensure.the.program's.continued.effectiveness..Work.
crew.supervisors,.foremen,.and.employees.need.to.inspect.their.workplace.prior.to.
the.start.of.each.work.shift.or.new.activity..At.a.minimum,
.
1.. Supervisors.and.employees.should.check.the.equipment.and.materials.that.
they.will.use.during.the.operation.or.work.shift.for.damage.or.defects.that.
could.present.a.safety.hazard.
.
2.. Supervisors.and.employees.should.check.the.work.area.for.new.or.changing.
site.conditions.or.activities.that.could.present.a.safety.hazard.
.
3.. Employees.should.immediately.report.identiied.hazards.to.their.supervisors.
WhAt to AudIt
The.complexity.of.the.worksite.and.the.myriad.of.areas,.equipment,.tasks,.materials,.
and.requirements.can.make.the.content.of.most.audits.overwhelming..As.evidenced.
in.Table 15.1,.the.audit.topics.that.could.be.targeted.on.a.worksite.are.expansive.
Safety.and.health.audits/inspections.can.be.done.on.or.for.the.entire.plant.(e.g., man-
ufacturing),. a. department. (e.g.,. quality. control),. a. speciic. worker. unit. (e.g., boiler.
repair),.a.job.or.task.(e.g.,.diving),.a.certain.work.environment.(e.g., conined.spaces),.a.
speciic.piece.of.equipment.(e.g.,.forklift),.a.worker.performing.a.task.(e.g.,.power.press.
operator),.or.prevention.of.an.event.(e.g.,.ire)..It.is.important.to.ensure.that.inspections.
and.audits.be.tailored.to.meet.the.needs.of.your.company.regarding.auditing.for.safety.
and.health.concerns.
tyPes oF AudIt Instruments
The. topics. of. audits. and. the. form. you. use. will. depend. on. the. type. of. work. being.
performed..There.are.four.primary.audit.formats:.checklist,.evaluation,.narrative,.or.
compliance..A.short.example.of.a.checklist.is.shown.below..This.checklist.requires.
a.simple.yes.or.no.response.(see.Table 15.2).
_____.Yes._____.No. Chemical.goggles.are.worn.when.working.with.chemicals.
_____.Yes._____.No. A. face. shield. is. used. when. secondary. eye. protection. is.
needed.
The.evaluation.format.requires.the.person.completing.the.audit.to.complete.the.
form.as.follows:.1.(excellent),.2.(very.good),.3.(good),.4.(fair),.and.5.(very.poor).(see.
Table 15.3)..An.example.of.this.type.of.format.is:
