Remember how your parents used to tell you how important it was to keep your room clean? Well, they were right! Mom and dad's advice applies to the workplace, too. Most general industry accidents are slips, trips and falls. They cause 15 percent of fatalities, second only to motor vehicles.

The good news about slips, trips and falls: They are generally easy to prevent. One of the easiest and most effective approaches is to implement a Housekeeping Inspection Program. A weekly, or better yet, daily, inspection will go a long way toward maintaining a safe workplace. This doesn't mean more work for the supervisor; a Housekeeping Inspection Program can be (and should be) accomplished by employees in each work area. The key is a simple form - a checklist - placed on a clipboard and kept in the applicable work area. Here's how to create one. There's also a sample checklist that you can modify to fit your facility in the "Tools" section of SafetyXChange.

Make Your Checklist Area-Specific

Do not create one generic checklist for your entire facility. Generic or general checklists do not address the core reason for doing the inspection: to monitor hazards common to a specific work area. Create a separate checklist for each area, even if it means that certain items will appear in more than one form.

Here are some items your checklist might include:

• Machinery and equipment
• Stock and material location (storage and during use)
• Tools (powered and non-powered)
• Aisles and fire exits
• Floors and stairs (markings, cleanliness, general condition)
• Overall appearance
• Lighting and environmental (heating, ventilation, air conditioning, etc.)
• Ergonomic issues (carpal tunnel, repetitive motion injuries, eye strain)
• "General comments" area for specific complaints/suggestions

Have Inspectors Sign & Date the Checklist

I recommend listing lines at the bottom of the checklist for the person conducting the inspection to sign and date. Why? Two reasons:

1. Employees are more apt to take the inspection seriously and do a thorough job if they have to sign their name on the form, particularly if you or the Safety Committee occasionally checks the inspection for accuracy.

2. Signed and dated checklists can be key documentation for OSHA inspections and court proceedings. They provide evidence that your company takes a proactive safety posture and involve employees in their own safety by giving them an opportunity to identify any concerns they may have.

Caveat: The documentation argument cuts both ways. Thus, if your checklist identifies problems or hazards, you must address them. Otherwise, the checklist can be a smoking gun documenting your company's disregard for safety! Each discrepancy should be addressed by writing a comment on the inspection form. This is a great job for the Safety Committee.

Conclusion

With very little effort, a Housekeeping Inspection Program can produce a cleaner and safer work area, reduce injuries, encourage employees to identify their safety concerns and provide you with documentation that can help with OSHA or in court. Using it will protect your employees - and make your parents proud!

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