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Inspection template in the LeanSuite app

Last reviewed

Hand and power tool inspection checklist

A monthly inspection of the hand tools and power tools in one tool crib or area. The 12 questions check handles, heads and edges on hand tools; cords, guards, triggers, test tags and batteries on power tools; and whether tools are stored, tagged and used for the right job. A tool that fails comes out of use the same day, tagged, rather than going back on the shelf.

A team lead or the tool crib attendant usually runs it with the area's tool list. What a failure looks like: a grinder with its guard taken off to fit a larger disc, a mushroomed chisel head, a drill with a nicked cord taped up, a test tag well past its date, or a screwdriver used as a pry bar. Tag the tool and take it out of use on the spot.

What it is for, as built: Monthly inspection of hand tools and power tools.

Use this template in LeanSuite

The full question list

The 12 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.

Hand tools

  1. 1Handles are secure, with no cracks or splinters
  2. 2Heads are not mushroomed, chipped or loose
  3. 3Cutting edges are sharp and undamaged
  4. 4Spanners and sockets are not worn or sprung

Power tools

  1. 5Cords and plugs are undamaged
  2. 6Guards are in place and work
  3. 7Switches and triggers work and release properly
  4. 8Test or inspection tags are in date
  5. 9Battery packs and chargers are in good condition

Storage and use

  1. 10Tools are stored in their place
  2. 11Damaged tools are removed from use and tagged
  3. 12The right tool is used for the job

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: pass, 91.7% against a pass mark of 90

  • 12 questions, all of them count.
  • 1 answered No, so 11 of 12 are Yes: 11 ÷ 12 = 91.7%.
  • 91.7% is at or above 90, so the inspection passes. The No still needs its fix.

What happened next: Crib attendant tagged the grinder out at once. Maintenance lead ordered 125 mm discs and refitted the guard within two days.

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.

Hand and Power Tool Inspection

Inspection, monthly

Tool crib or area
Maintenance tool crib

Power tools

  1. Cords and plugs are undamagedYes
  2. Guards are in place and workNo

    Comment: Angle grinder 3 has its guard removed so a 230 mm disc fits a 125 mm body. Disc overhangs the body.

    Photo attached to the No

  3. Switches and triggers work and release properlyYes
  4. Test or inspection tags are in dateYes
  5. Battery packs and chargers are in good conditionYes
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: Tool crib or area.

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

Hand and power tool inspection checklist: common questions

  1. Monthly per tool crib or area as built. Inspect sooner after a tool related injury or near miss, when tools come back from a contractor or an off-site job, when new tools arrive, after a wet or very dusty job, and when a batch of test tags falls due. A tool that someone reports as odd gets looked at that shift, not next month.

  2. A team lead or the tool crib attendant, working from the area's tool list. They need to know what a mushroomed head, a sprung spanner, a nicked cord and a missing guard look like, and how to read the test tags. The maintenance lead or EHS lead reviews failed checks, and electrical repairs go to a competent person, not to whoever has a roll of tape.

  3. A fail means the next user can get hurt: a chip flying off a chisel head, a shock from a cut cord, a disc with no guard. Tag the tool and take it out of use on the spot. It does not go back on the shelf. Repair or replace it 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 crib or area, date, each failed tool by its ID with the finding, a photo, the tag number and the repair or disposal that closed it, plus the test tag dates checked. The trend shows which tools get abused and which areas need a word about using the right tool for the job. In LeanSuite each submitted inspection is stored with its score, its pass or fail, and the photo and comment on every No.

  5. 12 questions in 3 sections: hand tools, power tools, and storage and use. 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 “Hand and Power Tool 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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