Construction Site/Workplace Inspections

Construction Site and Workplace Inspections are a proactive way of monitoring health and safety. For a construction site, school, office, factory, warehouse, or any other working environment, the use of inspections can assist in developing a Health and Safety focused environment.

For more information, see our extensive guide to health and safety for construction.

Typically inspections will focus on:

• compliance with legislative requirements
• compliance with safe systems of work (risk assessments & method statements)
• best practice standards
• hazard spotting
• safety behaviours and the general culture underpinning health and safety

Following any inspection completed for you by one of our consultants, a report would be provided highlighting areas of excellence as well as details on shortfalls with recommendations to bring performance up to an acceptable standard.

Why Workplace Site Inspections Are Essential

Health and Safety Compliance

Workplace site inspections are essential to ensure that employers are complying with health and safety regulations, as made clear by the Health & Safety at Work Act 1974, and other relevant legislation.

Workplace inspections not only help identify any potential hazards or risks in the workplace, they also help to ensure that the necessary measures and practices are in place to protect the health and safety of workers and visitors.

Accident Prevention

Workplace accidents can and do result in injuries, illnesses, and even fatalities in workplaces across the UK, every day. But, with a coherent and thorough workplace site inspection, business owners, and/or employers can:

• Identify potential hazards or unsafe practices that could lead to accidents, such as the mishandling of dangerous substances or the incorrect use of machinery.
• Allow for timely identification and correction of hazards, therefore reducing the risk of workplace accidents and promoting a much safer working environment.

Employee Welfare

One of the key reasons workplace site inspections are essential is for the overall well-being of employees. An in-depth workplace site inspection carried out by a qualified health and safety expert, ensures that:

• The workplace is clean, safe, and conducive to healthy working conditions.
• Areas such as ventilation, sanitation, and lighting, meet the relevant standards of health and safety in the workplace.
• Fire safety practices are up-to-date, and workers know what to do in case of a fire, including how to find and use fire extinguishers, and how to use fire doors to best effect.
• Any concerns or complaints workers may have about their working environment are addressed, dealt with, and/or resolved.

Legal and Regulatory Requirements

In the UK, employers have a legal obligation to provide a safe and healthy working environment for the employees, and visitors to the workplace. Regular workplace site inspections are there to help employers fulfil this legal obligation.

This is achieved by the workplace site inspection highlighting and identifying any non-compliance issues that may be occurring, and helping employers to facilitate the appropriate corrective actions.

If however, employers fail to comply with the relevant legislation around health and safety, they could face steep fines and/or harsh penalties, and in the worst-case scenario, non-compliance can lead to a prison sentence.

Continuous improvement

Workplace site inspections are an essential part of an ongoing process of continuous improvement in the workplace, whether the workplace is a construction site, a college campus, a factory, a laboratory, or a restaurant.

Regular workplace site inspections allow for the identification of areas within the workplace that need improvement, and the appropriate measures that can be taken to address and resolve them.

By identifying and rectifying these safety gaps, workplace site inspections also help promote a culture of safety, and contribute to the overall improvement of health and safety performance in the workplace, ongoing.