Having the knowledge to conduct your own workplace health and safety inspection is a valuable tool. Whether your business is unionised or unorganised, a factory, a warehouse or an office, many advantages exist to conducting a periodic health and safety inspection.

A primary reason for conducting a workplace health and safety inspection is to increase your odds of winning grievances and Department of Labour complaints. Documentation has the benefit of increasing your bargaining power and lessening chances that management will disagree with your arguments. Workplace health and safety inspections are also sometimes used to activate and educate members when used as an organising tool.

Book a consultation with one of our consultants if you need help with workplace health and safety inspections.

Who are able to conduct a Workplace Health and Safety Inspection?

Any worker can conduct a workplace health and safety inspection. However, how an inspection is done and who carries it out depends on the unique circumstances of your workplace. In unorganised workplaces an inspection has to be carried out cautiously on breaks, during lunch, or even by communicating with co-workers before or after work. In unionised workplaces workers are given leeway to carry out a more direct inspection. Unionised workers even have the legal right to bring someone from outside into the workplace to conduct the inspection.

Workplace Health and Safety Inspection Proceedings

• Set goals for yourself;
• Make use of a checklist;
• Keep detailed notes;
• Inspect documents; and
• Involve other people.

What to do with the findings of a H&S Inspection:

• Grievances should be filed if your contract already contains health and safety clauses. You can gain more bargaining power through group grievances, in which a number of people sign on. You should keep in mind that past practices can also be grieved;
  
• Department of Labour complaints should be filed if your employer is in violation of regulations. The Department of Labour will subsequently conduct an investigation of their own;
  
• Different campaigns should be organised. You should thus be able to direct action by means of building support and showing upper management that employees are unified.