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Inspection template in the LeanSuite app

Last reviewed

Electrical safety inspection checklist

An electrical safety inspection is a monthly walk of panels, cords, plugs and wiring to find the hazards anyone can see without opening equipment. Its 14 questions run from clear space in front of panels to GFCI protection in wet areas, arc flash labels and tool tagging. It does not replace testing by a qualified electrician: a No here is the reason to call one, with a photo of what was found.

A maintenance supervisor or EHS lead usually walks it area by area, with a camera. OSHA's general industry electrical rules sit in 29 CFR 1910 Subpart S, and clear working space in front of equipment is covered in 1910.303(g). Typical findings: a pallet of stock parked in front of a breaker panel, a chain of power strips under a desk, a cord with tape over a split jacket, or a missing knockout that leaves live parts open.

What it is for, as built: Monthly walk-through of electrical panels, cords and equipment for visible hazards. Not a substitute for an electrician's testing.

Use this template in LeanSuite

The full question list

The 14 questions in the inspection

Every question is answered Yes, No or N/A. Each No is flagged and asks for a photo and a comment, so the finding arrives with its evidence.

Panels and disconnects

  1. 1Clear space is kept in front of every panel and disconnect
  2. 2Panel doors are closed and circuits are labelled
  3. 3There are no missing knockouts or open holes in boxes
  4. 4Covers are on all outlets, switches and junction boxes

Cords and plugs

  1. 5Cords and plugs are undamaged, with no exposed wire
  2. 6Extension cords are not used as permanent wiring
  3. 7There are no daisy-chained power strips or overloaded outlets
  4. 8Cords are not run through doors, over sharp edges or under loads

Equipment and wiring

  1. 9Wiring is in conduit or trunking and is not damaged
  2. 10Equipment with damage or a burning smell is tagged out of service
  3. 11GFCI protection is used where it is wet
  4. 12Emergency stops and disconnects work when tested

Records

  1. 13Arc flash and voltage labels are in place where required
  2. 14Portable tools have been tested or tagged as the policy requires

Worked example, illustrative

A filled-in example

One section as it might be filled in on the floor, with every other section of the inspection answered Yes. The place and finding are made up to show how the inspection reads and scores.

Result: fail, 85.7% against a pass mark of 90

  • 14 questions, all of them count.
  • 2 answered No, so 12 of 14 are Yes: 12 ÷ 14 = 85.7%.
  • 85.7% is under 90, so the inspection fails.

What happened next: Supervisor tagged the grinder out. Electrician replaced the cord and installed an extra outlet at the bench within the week.

Scored here as one point per question with N/A left out. In the app each answer carries the points set on the template, so change them after you clone it if your plant weighs some checks more.

Electrical Safety Inspection

Inspection, monthly

Area or panel inspected
Press shop, panel DP-3 area

Cords and plugs

  1. Cords and plugs are undamaged, with no exposed wireNo
  2. Extension cords are not used as permanent wiringYes
  3. There are no daisy-chained power strips or overloaded outletsNo

    Comment: Grinder cord has tape over a split jacket near the plug. Three power strips chained together under the inspection bench.

    Photo attached to each No

  4. Cords are not run through doors, over sharp edges or under loadsYes
Drawn from this template's own questions, not a screenshot of the app. Illustrative answers.

When to use it

  • Once a month.
  • The person responsible for the area or equipment answers each question on the spot.
  • Each record starts with: Area or panel inspected.

How it is scored

The template is built with points per answer and a pass mark of 90. In this library every audit is set to pass at 80 and every inspection at 90. Each submitted inspection shows its score and pass or fail, and every No is flagged with its photo and comment.

Change the points or the pass mark after you clone it. How rules and scoring work.

Read and print

More in safety inspections and audits

All safety inspections and audits templates

FAQ

Electrical safety inspection checklist: common questions

  1. Monthly, area by area, is how this walk is set. Walk an area again after any electrical work, after a new machine or bench is installed, when storage layouts change near panels, after a tripped breaker that nobody can explain, and after any shock or burning smell is reported. Wet areas and workshops with many cords deserve a look between months.

  2. A maintenance supervisor or EHS lead who can recognise a damaged cord, an open knockout and a missing label does it, with a camera. They do not open equipment. Any No that involves live parts, a burning smell or a failed stop goes to a qualified electrician the same day, and the maintenance lead confirms the fix.

  3. A fail means a shock or fire hazard anyone could touch: exposed wire, open live parts, overloaded outlets, a blocked panel. Tag damaged equipment out of service and move the stock away from the panel before you move on. Everything that needs tools goes to a qualified electrician with an owner and a date. In this template every No is flagged and asks for a photo and a comment, and an inspection that scores under its pass mark of 90 is a fail.

  4. Keep the area or panel name, date, who walked it, a photo of each No, what the electrician found and fixed, and the dates. Over months the record shows which workshop keeps chaining power strips and which panel keeps getting blocked, which is a layout or outlet problem to fix rather than a reminder to send. In LeanSuite each submitted inspection is stored with its score, its pass or fail, and the photo and comment on every No.

  5. 14 questions in 4 sections: panels and disconnects, cords and plugs, equipment and wiring, and records. Every question is answered Yes, No or N/A.

Use this template in LeanSuite

It is ready in the Template Marketplace inside Lean Creator as “Electrical Safety Inspection”. Clone it into your plant, change any question, then schedule it to a person, role or asset with reminders. Auditors complete it on a phone or tablet, with photo evidence where required.

Not on LeanSuite yet? On a 90-day pilot our team sets up your account and digitizes the forms and checklists you use today, this one included.

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