• Inspections of all walking-working surfaces are required to be performed regularly and as necessary.
• If safety deficiencies are found, they must be corrected before workers can resume working on those surfaces.

Employers are required to conduct inspections of all walking-working surfaces, including those identified as having fall or falling object hazards or the potential for falls or falling objects.

An inspection is intended to identify and correct regulatory violations, reduce company liability, and promote good relations with workers.

Inspections must be conducted regularly and as necessary. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) uses a performance-based approach instead of mandating inspection frequency. This allows employers some flexibility to establish a schedule of how often inspections need to be done given circumstances and variables in the workplace.

The term “regularly” means that an employer has some type of schedule, formal or informal, for inspecting areas that is adequate to identify hazards. Once an employer makes this determination, OSHA expects the inspections to be conducted according to that frequency.

Subpart D also requires employers to conduct inspections “as necessary.” This means that inspections must be done when particular workplace conditions, circumstances, or events occur that warrant an additional check to ensure that they are safe for employees use. For example, if a forklift bumps a stairway, the stairs should be inspected.

If a deficiency is found, repairs must be made before employees are allowed to work in the area, or the hazard must be guarded until corrections or repairs are completed.

Although not required by OSHA, many employers find checklists helpful to ensure that critical compliance requirements and other items are not overlooked.