Workplace Inspections and Safety Audits: How to Run Them

This guide separates inspections from audits, using pages from regulators, the ILO, CCOHS and the ISO/TC 176 audit group read on 17 October 2026.

The short answer

An inspection looks at conditions, equipment and work practices and records what it finds. An internal audit checks whether the arrangements for health and safety exist and work. OSHA's Recommended Practices ask for regular, documented inspections with workers on the team; ILO-OSH 2001 asks for periodic audits by competent people independent of the activity audited. Either way, each finding needs an owner, a date and a later check that the fix held. Duties differ by country, and this article is general information, not legal advice.

Inspection, audit, risk assessment, observation

• Inspection. CCOHS calls it a critical examination of the workplace to identify and record hazards for corrective action. ILO-OSH 2001 counts systematic inspection of work systems, premises, plant and equipment as active monitoring.
• Audit. ILO-OSH 2001 says an audit determines whether the management system and its elements are in place, adequate and effective. CCOHS describes a checklist-based measure using records, observation, interviews and questionnaires. See ISO 19011.
• Risk assessment. A judgement of how likely harm is and how serious, then a decision; OSHA lists inspection reports as an input. See our risk assessment guide and hazard identification.
• Observation. CCOHS uses it inside the inspection: the report section listing each unsafe condition or act, and watching work for deviations from accepted practice. Define it yourself if you run a separate scheme.

Audits by an outside certification body are covered in our guide to ISO certification, accreditation and audits.

What the sources say about the duty

These are the provisions as the sources state them. Check the law that applies to you.

Great Britain. Regulation 5 of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 requires every employer to make and give effect to arrangements, appropriate to the activities and size of the undertaking, for the effective planning, organisation, control, monitoring and review of preventive and protective measures. Employers of five or more must record them. It names no interval; HSE lists "regular, planned checks of the workplace" as one form of monitoring. legislation.gov.uk warns that revised text may be out of date.

United States. OSHA 3885 (October 2016) says its practices are recommendations only and that employers will not be cited for lacking a programme that complies. Some standards set inspection duties, read on osha.gov because the eCFR blocks automated requests. 29 CFR 1910.178(q)(7): industrial trucks examined before service, at least daily, or after each shift if used round the clock, defects reported and corrected immediately. 29 CFR 1926.20(b)(2): construction programmes provide for frequent and regular inspections by competent persons. 29 CFR 1910.147(c)(6): each energy control procedure inspected at least annually by an authorized employee other than its users, certified. These cover named equipment or procedures, not a general walk-round.

European Union. EU-OSHA describes Directive 89/391/EEC, of 12 June 1989, as setting minimum requirements, with periodic reassessment of hazards among its elements. The page does not mention inspections.

International and Canada. ILO-OSH 2001 is voluntary guidance with sections on monitoring (3.11), audit (3.13) and corrective action (3.15). CCOHS says legislation requires workplace inspections and may set their frequency.

Designing an inspection programme

No source fixes one interval or form. They agree on these points.

Scope. OSHA: all operations, equipment, work areas and facilities, including storage, offices, on-site contractors and vehicles. CCOHS adds places where no one regularly works, such as car parks, and says each shift can differ.

Frequency from risk. CCOHS lists legislation, past incidents, operations, shifts and new equipment, with extra attention for high-hazard areas. OSHA adds inspecting before changes.

Who inspects. OSHA wants workers on the team. CCOHS names committee members and people who know the hazards and work; a supervisor's familiarity helps but can limit objectivity.

A checklist that fits the area, and evidence. OSHA lists categories such as housekeeping, electrical and fire protection, says each workplace has its own list, and says to document inspections, with photos or video. CCOHS asks for the exact item and place, and calls a checklist a basic tool.

Rating findings. OSHA suggests weighing severity, likelihood and the number of workers exposed, worst first, while easy fixes such as tripping hazards should be made as found. CCOHS suggests priorities A, B and C.

Actions with an owner and a date. CCOHS asks for a responsible person, a due date and a status, with unfinished items carried onto the next report.

Follow-up and trends. CCOHS says to use older reports to check actions and spot trends; a repeat may mean the earlier action failed. OSHA lists hazards found in inspections and timely corrective actions as indicators. See leading indicators and CAPA.

A worked example (invented)

This example is invented and describes no real warehouse. Scores are likelihood times severity on 1 to 5 scales, banded as in our matrix template: 1 to 4 Low, 5 to 9 Moderate, 10 to 15 High, 16 to 25 Extreme. Its rule: Extreme same day, High 7 days, Moderate 30, Low 90.

That is one Extreme, two High, two Moderate and one Low. Finding 4 is a repeat, which prompts a question about the earlier action. Of five actions open from the last report, four closed on time. At year end an auditor from another site samples the 12 monthly reports, finds 11 inspections done, and records the missed month.

Running an internal safety audit

The ISO 9001 Auditing Practices Group papers on committee.iso.org are written for quality audits, so we use them only for the shape of an audit programme. That site is managed by a third party outside ISO's control, and ISO does not guarantee its accuracy, completeness or timeliness. Each paper says it has not been endorsed by ISO, ISO/TC 176 or the IAF.

Programme and plan. The papers separate the audit programme, covering a period, from the plan for one audit; in a small organisation one person may do both. Managing the programme means setting objectives, identifying risks, matching team competence to scope, providing resources and monitoring each audit. ISO lists ISO 19011:2026 (May 2026); the ISO 19011 paper covers the 2018 edition.

Criteria. An audit needs something to audit against: the law, your policy and procedures, or a standard you adopted. ILO-OSH 2001 lists what can be covered, from policy to corrective action.

Frequency from risk. The internal audit paper says higher-risk processes and past nonconformities take priority. The planning paper, written for certification audits, accepts auditing some areas less often if the reason is recorded. OSHA wants programme evaluation at least annually.

Auditors and method. ILO-OSH 2001 asks for competent people independent of the activity audited. Use records, observation and interviews; the checklist paper says a checklist gives consistency and a record but is no substitute for planning.

Report and close. ILO-OSH 2001 says results go to those responsible for corrective action, with root causes found and effectiveness checked. EU-OSHA's OSHwiki says findings feed the periodic management review.

What an EHS policy is and contains

OSHA suggests a written policy signed by top management, describing the commitment to safety and health, pledging a programme for all workers and communicated to workers and, as appropriate, contractors and visitors. HSE says a policy sets out your general approach and who does what, when and how; with five or more employees it must be written down and shared with them. HSE gives three parts: a statement of intent signed by the most senior person and reviewed regularly, who is responsible, and the practical arrangements.

ILO-OSH 2001 asks for a policy that is concise, dated, signed or endorsed by the most senior accountable person, communicated, reviewed, and committed to preventing harm, meeting requirements, consulting workers and improving. CCOHS recommends annual review.

A policy differs from what sits beneath it. CCOHS says policies are put into effect through procedures, a specified way to carry out an activity, and that detail belongs there. None of the pages we read defines a "manual", so we do not. See safety management system, EHS and quality policy.

A safety management plan. No page we opened defines the term. CCOHS calls a health and safety programme a definite plan of action to prevent incidents and occupational disease, and OSHA refers to a hazard control plan. Check what your regulator, client or contract means by it.

The six most common mistakes

Inspecting only where work happens. CCOHS includes quiet areas.

Copying last month's report. CCOHS says not to repeat previous results, but to check whether actions were taken.

Findings with no owner or date. CCOHS asks for both, and a status.

Letting the checklist be the inspection. It guides the look and does not replace it.

Using findings for discipline. CCOHS says not to; OSHA suggests recognising people who find problems.

Auditing your own work. The sources ask for independent auditors and for checks that actions worked, not only that they closed.

Templates

Our safety audit checklist template is a 120-item inspection checklist with an owner and close date per finding. The 5S audit checklist template scores 25 checks from 0 to 5.

What 212 vendor profiles record about inspections and audits

We checked the records of 212 QHSE, EHS and ESG software profiles through 14 October 2026. In the 212 profiles researched, a missing statement means we found none, not that the product lacks the feature. No product is named, and the methodology describes the profile set.

In the 212 profiles researched, 104 (49%) record at least one capability named as an inspection or audit capability, documented or stated conditionally. For the other 108 we found no such statement.

Counting rule: only a capability's name admits it; audit trails, supplier audits, in-process quality inspection and unverified or unsupported statements are left out. Only named capabilities are counted, so these are a floor. The corrective action row includes quality CAPA.

Of the 104, 31 (30%) also name a capability tying findings to actions and 35 (34%) name scheduling or a programme; 29 name none of corrective action, finding-to-action or scheduling. 61 of the 104 document an offline workflow for the product in some form (31 documented and 30 partial). That field covers the whole product, and in 39 of the 104 an inspection or audit capability's own wording mentions offline use. For the other 43 the offline field records no documented or partial offline workflow. If you inspect in plant rooms, ask to see one done with no connection.

None of this shows that software establishes compliance, and none of it ranks a product. Software can hold records and route actions; the judging stays with people. See internal audit software, audit platforms compared, offline inspection apps and the library.

Disclosure. One of the 212 profiles belongs to a vendor that pays for sponsored placement on this site, and the editor works at that vendor. Its record was read by the same rules as every other and is counted in every figure above like any other profile. It is not named in this article.

FAQ

How often should workplace inspections be done?

No source we read gives one interval. CCOHS lists factors such as legislation, past incidents, operations, shifts and new equipment. Some rules fix intervals for named items, such as the daily truck examination.

What is the difference between an inspection and a safety audit?

An inspection examines conditions and practices. An audit examines whether the arrangements, such as policy, inspections and corrective action, are in place and effective.

Must an EHS policy be written and signed?

It depends. HSE says employers of five or more must write it down. OSHA, ILO-OSH 2001 and CCOHS describe a policy signed or endorsed by top management. Other countries differ.

Does an inspection or audit programme need software?

No source we read requires it. Our reading: paper can serve one area, and software helps with many areas, owners and reminders. Ask for a test with your own checklist, offline too.

Sources

Read on 17 October 2026 (standards on OSHA's pages, as the eCFR blocked automated requests). Pages on committee.iso.org are managed by a third party outside ISO's control, and ISO does not guarantee their accuracy, completeness or timeliness.

• OSHA: OSHA 3885 (PDF), management leadership, hazard identification, hazard prevention, program evaluation
• OSHA: 29 CFR 1910.178, 1926.20, 1910.147
• HSE: how to manage, prepare a policy, how to write it
• legislation.gov.uk: MHSWR 1999, reg. 5
• ILO: ILO-OSH 2001 (PDF)
• EU-OSHA: Framework Directive, OSHwiki on auditing
• CCOHS: inspections, programme, policy
• ISO/TC 176 (third-party managed): Auditing Practices Group, ISO 19011 paper, Internal audits, Audit planning, Checklist
• ISO: ISO 19011:2026 record
• The QHSE Standard: methodology and the profile evidence files behind the vendor counts