When do walking-working surfaces need to be inspected?

OSHA requires under 1910.22(d)(1) that inspections of ALL walking-working surfaces be done “regularly” and “as necessary” to ensure that they are in safe condition for employee use.

OSHA says that the term “regular inspection” means that an employer has some type of schedule, formal or informal, for inspecting walking-working surfaces that is adequate enough to identify hazards. As such, OSHA is allowing employers to determine when and how often these inspections are conducted. Once an employer makes this determination, inspections must be conducted according to that frequency.

In addition to regular inspections under Subpart D, “Walking-Working Surfaces,” employers must also conduct inspections “as necessary.” This means that they must be done when particular workplace conditions, circumstances, or events occur that warrant an additional check of walking-working surfaces in the workplace to ensure that they are safe for employees use.

In other words, these inspections would not be conducted at fixed times as would regular inspections because situations could arise at any time that put workers at risk of slips, trips, and falls. For example, a parking lot would need to be inspected under the “as necessary” requirement if it snowed to ensure that the walking-working surface was not unsafe due to ice, etc.

The key is to ensure that walking-working surfaces are inspected often enough to identify and correct hazards in a timely manner.