How often must inspections be conducted?

How often inspections must be conducted is dictated by the applicable OSHA standard, which varies considerably. If not specified in a standard, then management should decode how often inspections will be conducted. This can be annually, semi-annually, bi-monthly, monthly, weekly, or even daily. Deciding how often inspections should take place can be difficult; therefore, employers should conduct a survey of the workplace to help in this determination.

Once a survey has been completed, two things should be considered:

• If any area has the potential to cause excessive accidents, and
• How severe the accident would be if it occurred within the area.

Some employers make it standard policy to inspect all of their facilities and equipment at least annually, with more frequent inspections for high hazard or production areas. Others do complete inspections more frequently than once a year, depending on the risks the company faces. It is up to each employer to assess the relative risks at the company and develop an adequate safety inspection schedule.

And keep in mind that the day after an inspection an unlabeled container can reappear. Remember that an inspection is a “snapshot” in time of a company’s safety compliance.