INSPECTION REPORT

Introduction
At the request of ________________ a health & safety inspection of the ________ workshop
was carried out on ________________.
Please find enclosed the report and recommendations from the inspection.

Terms of reference
The inspection was carried out on___________ by ___________(name & job title).
The purpose of the inspection was to identify areas of good practice and to highlight
hazards to health & safety.
The inspection was carried out using observation sheets, and by grouping hazards.
Risks to health & safety were prioritised as follows:
High requires immediate attention
Medium requires action within 1 month
Low requires action within 6 months.
OR
Action required was prioritised according to the time scale required to carry out
remedial action: Immediate action required within 1 week (low cost)
Medium action required within 3 months (low cost)
Long-term action required within 12 months (medium to high cost)
The following abbreviations are used within the report:
E.g. COSHH - Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002
MHSWR Management of Health & Safety at Work Regulations 1999.
etc.

Jane Riley 2004

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Summary
This report has been produced following a health & safety inspection of ________.
The inspection showed that:
1. Overall, the standard of health & safety was reasonable,
2. Hazards exist in several areas, some of which require immediate attention as current
health & safety legislation is being contravened.
Breach of statutory duties can result in criminal prosecution, and fines of up to
20 000.
Findings and recommendations are discussed within the report, and your attention is
directed particularly to the items highlighted as requiring urgent attention. These items
represent areas where there is considerable risk of injury to employees or where
legislation is being breached. Recommended action is directed towards improving
working conditions in order to:
1. Ensure the health, safety and welfare of staff and visitors,
2. Comply with statutory duties and avoid enforcement action and fines
3. Improve organisational control of health & safety.
If you wish to discuss any of these matters further, please dont hesitate to contact me.

Findings (be brief! i.e. pick out hazards which pose a high risk).
List positives.
E.g. the inspection identified several areas of good practice, which should be
commended.
Storage areas were clearly marked and well organised. There was provision of metal
cupboards for hazardous substances, which were clearly signed in compliance with the
Health & Safety (Signs & Signals) Regs. A health & safety information board was noted,
providing relevant and timely information for staff.
List negatives. Think about the high risk areas where urgent action is required & try to
group them. E.g. Problems were found in the following areas:
1. Housekeeping

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Numerous examples of poor housekeeping were found and are listed on the
observation sheets. They are producing trip hazards, fire hazards and hygiene
hazards, and therefore the risk of injury to employees and visitors.
The Workplace H, S & W Regs require that the workplace is kept clean and tidy. It is
recommended that the workplace is cleaned and all waste materials are removed
within 1 week. Covered rubbish bins should be provided, and a system of daily
emptying should be implemented within 1 month. These represent low cost actions.
In the long term, it is recommended that the possibility of employing a caretaker be
explored, in order to improve the overall standard of cleanliness in the workshop and
to aid legal compliance. This would require a cost benefit analysis to be carried out,
as it would involve significant cost. All employees should be trained on induction on
general housekeeping procedures, including the correct storage of tools. This would
involve little cost as it could be carried out in house by supervisors.

2. Electricity
Evidence of poor maintenance of electrical equipment was observed, together with
trailing cables, which produce a tripping hazard. The risk of electrocution, fire or
burns to staff is stressed, and requires urgent action, both to protect personnel and
to aid compliance with the Electricity Regulations and PUWER.
It is recommended that visual checks of all electrical equipment are carried out
immediately. All equipment found to have frayed cables, or other damage should be
removed from the workshop, labelled DO NOT USE and quarantined.
In addition, a competent person (Electricity at Work Regs) should carry out Portable
Appliance Testing within 1 month. Annual testing should be carried out thereafter,
and a system of testing of all new equipment should be introduced before it is used
for the first time. This will involve medium cost, as external provision is required, but
will result in significant risk reduction.
All cables which cross traffic routes within the workshop should be re-routed
immediately, as they pose a significant risk. In order to try to eliminate trailing
cables, a review of electrical sockets should be carried out within 1 month. Any
additional provision of electrical sockets should be planned for in next years budget
as it may involve high cost.

3. Hazardous substances
Several examples of unlabelled and incorrectly stored substances were found, as
indicated on the inspection sheets. All substances should be labelled according to
CHIP Regs and storage of substances in specified areas should be implemented
within 1 month, at low cost. Any unlabelled substances should be investigated by a
competent person to establish what they are & then either labelled or disposed of

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safely. Action required in 1 week, at low to medium cost, depending on the

availability of competent personnel and disposal requirements.
4. Fire
A foam extinguisher was provided, but its position was not clearly signed. The only
major hazard was a locked fire door, which places staff in extreme danger and
contravenes the Fire Precautions Act. Fire doors must remain unlocked whenever
staff are using the workshop, and instructions for their operation should be
displayed. The fire door must be unlocked immediately, and signage implemented
within 1 week. Little cost is involved in these actions, but significant risk reduction
and legal compliance can be achieved.
5. First Aid
Details of first aiders were displayed and a first aid box was mounted on the wall.
However, its contents were depleted and must be replenished immediately, as this
contravenes the First Aid at Work Regs and places staff at risk. The contents should
be replenished within 2 weeks at low cost. It is recommended that first aiders be
made responsible for checking contents weekly, and for replenishing stocks as
necessary. Costs are low, but will involve instructing first aiders and monitoring
compliance. Again, this is a low cost action which should be implemented within 1
month.

Etc, etc.
Conclusions
It is advised that the recommendations in this report be implemented in order to
improve health & safety, and aid legal compliance.
There are a number of low cost actions which can be carried out quickly, and which will
significantly improve health & safety standards, reduce the risk of harm to employees
and visitors and help to achieve legal compliance.
Medium and long term actions have been indicated where further risk reduction could
be achieved. There are obvious cost implications, but the long-term actions could be
incorporated into future budgets, according to priority.
The inspection sheets list additional hazards which produce a lower risk to staff and
visitors, but which you should be aware of. Although they will need to be reduced in the
future, they are of a lower priority than those included in this report. Again, action
should be planned and budgeted for according to the timescales indicated on the
inspection sheets.

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It is advised that implementation of all recommendations is monitored, and that another

inspection is carried out, to monitor progress, in ___months.
Remember: You must on no account just re-hash your inspection sheets. It is OK
to refer to them within your report, but essentially the report is about
highlighting hazards where urgent action is required. This generally means where
risks are high or where low cost but quick action can be taken to significantly
reduce risk.
For each hazard group you need to include: What you found (in general terms)
Why it's a problem (e.g. risk of )
Legislation breached (e.g. contravenes the Electricity at Work Regulations)

What needs to be done (include any statutory requirements e.g. Requirement of

LOLER that all lifting equipment which lifts people undergoes a thorough
inspection every 6 months)
Who needs to do it (e.g. competent person)
Timescale (e.g. should be carried out in the next month) Don't forget to include
longer-term action where appropriate.
An indication of cost (low, medium, high)
Don't forget - if you mention training BE SPECIFIC! Say what the training should
include, what the purpose would be, whether or not it can be carried out internally & an
indication of cost.

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