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Safety audit checklist

A safety audit is a planned check of how well a workplace controls its hazards: an auditor walks the site, looks at the conditions, asks people how the work is done and checks the records behind it, then scores what was found and turns every gap into an action with an owner. A safety inspection checks the condition of equipment and areas on a short cycle; a safety audit also asks whether the program behind them works. A safety audit checklist makes that walk the same every time, so it covers the controls that prevent injuries in every area: exits, fire extinguishers, machine guards, electrical, lockout/tagout, chemicals, PPE, first aid and training records. Scoring it the same way each time shows which areas slip. In the US many of the checks relate to OSHA 29 CFR 1910 rules, such as 1910.22 (walking-working surfaces), 1910.37 (exit routes), 1910.157 (portable fire extinguishers), 1910.212 (machine guarding), 1910.147 (lockout/tagout), 1910.1200 (hazard communication) and 1910.132 (PPE); the checklist does not replace a compliance review. Page 1 of this template has 34 checks in ten areas, each answered Yes, No or N/A with space for the finding. Page 2 has the score by area (Yes ÷ (Yes + No), with N/A left out), a high, medium and low risk rating with example timescales, an action table for every No and sign-off. The Excel version works out the score by area and overall, counts the No answers by risk, and lists every No on an actions sheet with its status and days late.

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Page 1 of the safety audit checklistFields for site, date, auditor and area manager, and 34 checks in ten areas from walking-working surfaces to training and records, each with Yes, No or N/A to circle and a column for the finding.
Walking-working surfacesExits and fire protectionMachine guardingElectricalLockout/tagoutChemicals and labelsPPEErgonomicsFirst aidTraining recordsRisk-rated actions

When to use it

When to use a safety audit checklist

  • Monthly or quarterly, as a full walk of the plant by a supervisor, the safety team or the safety committee.
  • Before an internal or external safety audit, or an insurer's visit.
  • After a change to the layout, new equipment or a new process.
  • After an incident, to check the same conditions in the rest of the plant.

How to fill it in

  1. 1

    Plan the route

    Cover every area, including maintenance shops, chemical stores, plant rooms and the corners nobody visits. Bring the actions from the last audit.
  2. 2

    Answer every check on the floor

    Yes when it meets the standard, No when it does not, N/A only when it truly does not apply. A blank is a check that was not done.
  3. 3

    Talk to people

    Ask how to raise the alarm, where the safety data sheets are, what PPE the job needs. Some checks can only be answered by asking.
  4. 4

    Make it safe now

    A missing guard or a blocked exit is dealt with before you leave the area, and still written down.
  5. 5

    Rate and assign every No

    High, medium or low risk, an action, an owner and a due date. Set your own timescale for each rating.
  6. 6

    Score and compare

    Score each area as Yes ÷ (Yes + No) and compare it with the last audit. A falling area or a repeat finding needs a look at the cause.

Types of safety audit

Safety inspection vs safety audit vs compliance audit vs ISO 45001 audit

The words get used loosely. These are the four checks most plants run, from the most frequent to the least.

  • Safety inspection

    What it looks at
    The condition of one area or piece of equipment today: guards, exits, extinguishers, racking, forklifts
    Who, and how often
    The area's own people or a supervisor, daily to monthly
    On this site
    Warehouse, forklift, crane and machine guarding inspection checklists
  • Safety audit (this checklist)

    What it looks at
    Every area of the plant, the conditions and the records behind them, scored so areas can be compared
    Who, and how often
    A supervisor, the safety team or the safety committee, monthly or quarterly
    On this site
    This checklist, then the job hazard analysis for the tasks it flags
  • Compliance audit

    What it looks at
    Whether the site meets the regulations that apply to it, rule by rule, such as the OSHA standards for general industry
    Who, and how often
    A safety professional or an outside auditor, often yearly
    On this site
    A legal review; this checklist does not replace one
  • ISO 45001 internal audit

    What it looks at
    Whether the safety management system works as planned: policy, risk assessment, objectives, incident follow-up
    Who, and how often
    Trained internal auditors on an audit programme
    On this site
    ISO 45001 internal audit checklist

What's on the checklist

The 34 checks on the safety audit checklist

Ten areas of a general manufacturing plant. On the sheet each check is answered Yes, No or N/A, with space for the finding; every No gets a risk rating and an action on page 2.

Walking-working surfaces and housekeeping

Floors, aisles, stairs, platforms

  1. 1Floors clean and as dry as possible, with no spills or leaks
  2. 2Aisles and walkways marked and kept clear of stored material
  3. 3No trip hazards: cords, hoses, loose mats or damaged flooring
  4. 4Stairs, platforms and guardrails in good repair, handrails fitted

Exits and fire protection

Getting out and putting a fire out

  1. 5Exit routes and exit doors free and unobstructed
  2. 6Exits marked with a visible Exit sign, exit routes lit
  3. 7Extinguishers mounted, unobstructed, charged, monthly check recorded
  4. 8Flammable liquids in safety cabinets, sprinkler heads kept clear

Machine guarding

Points of operation, nip points, rotating parts

  1. 9Guards in place at points of operation, nip points and rotating parts
  2. 10Guards secured, not removed, bypassed or propped open
  3. 11Emergency stops marked, within reach and tested
  4. 12Interlocks on doors and covers stop the machine when opened

Electrical

Panels, disconnects, cords

  1. 13Clear working space in front of panels, nothing stored there
  2. 14Panel covers closed, breakers and disconnects labeled
  3. 15Cords and plugs undamaged, extension cords not used as fixed wiring

Lockout/tagout

Control of hazardous energy

  1. 16Written energy control procedures for the machines that need them
  2. 17Locks and tags applied by authorized employees during servicing
  3. 18Periodic inspection of each procedure done within the last year

Hazardous chemicals and labels

Hazard communication

  1. 19All containers labeled, including secondary containers
  2. 20Safety data sheets readily accessible on every shift
  3. 21Chemicals stored by compatibility, lids closed, spill kit nearby

PPE

Assessed, provided, worn

  1. 22Written PPE hazard assessment for the area, certified and current
  2. 23Required PPE posted at the area entrance and worn there
  3. 24PPE in good condition, damaged PPE taken out of use

Ergonomics and manual handling

Lifting, reaching, repetition

  1. 25Lifting aids, carts or hoists used for heavy or awkward loads
  2. 26Work heights and reaches suit the people doing the job
  3. 27Reports of strain or discomfort followed up, not left open

First aid and emergency

First response

  1. 28First aid kits stocked and checked, trained first aiders on each shift
  2. 29Eyewash or shower where corrosives are used, clear and tested
  3. 30Emergency numbers, evacuation map and assembly point posted
  4. 31People asked can say how to raise the alarm and where to go

Training and records

The records behind the checks

  1. 32Training current for LOTO, hazard communication, PPE and equipment
  2. 33Actions from the last audit closed or on schedule
  3. 34Near misses and incidents in the area reported and followed up

A filled-in example

Illustrative, not a benchmark

An example: a monthly audit of a machining and assembly plant (illustrative).

The example audit in one picture

  • Yes: 26 checks
  • No: 5 checks
  • N/A: 3 checks

Score = Yes ÷ (Yes + No)

  1. 26 ÷ (26 + 5)= 84%
Audit score84%

34 checks: 26 yes, 5 no, 3 not applicable. Score 26 divided by 31 is 84 percent. Of the 5 no answers, 1 is high risk, 3 medium and 1 low.

N/A answers are left out of the score. The 5 No answers: 1 high risk (made safe before leaving the area), 3 medium, 1 low.
  • 34 checks: 26 Yes, 5 No, 3 N/A (no flammable liquids stored, no interlocked covers, no corrosives in the area). Score = 26 ÷ (26 + 5) = 84%.
  • No, high risk: a fixed guard taken off a conveyor tail pulley and left on the floor. The conveyor was locked out until maintenance refitted the guard that shift.
  • No, medium risk: pallets stored in front of an electrical panel (cleared during the audit), an unlabeled spray bottle of degreaser, and two new starters not yet trained in hazard communication.
  • No, low risk: the monthly extinguisher check not recorded for two months.

The guard finding was the second in three months, so the team asked why the guard kept coming off: operators removed it to clear jams. Maintenance fitted a hinged, interlocked cover so jams can be cleared safely, and the next audit checked it.

Common mistakes

  • Auditing from the office

    A checklist ticked at a desk finds nothing. Walk every area, every time.

  • Using N/A to avoid a No

    N/A raises the score. Use it only when the hazard really is not there.

  • Findings with no owner

    A No without an action, an owner and a date is still a hazard next month.

  • Fixing the condition, not the cause

    If the same No comes back, ask why it keeps happening before fixing it again.

Download the template

Free to use: print it, copy it and edit it for your team. Enter your name and work email once to download.

Run this template in LeanSuite

In LeanSuite you run safety inspections, Gemba walks and LOTO checks from ready-made templates, a failed item raises a safety tag automatically, and every corrective action has an owner and a due date, with delays flagged.

See it in a 45-minute demo

FAQ

Safety audit checklist: common questions

  1. A planned check of how well a workplace controls its hazards. The auditor walks the site, looks at conditions, asks people how the work is done and checks the records behind it, such as training, inspections and procedures. Every gap gets a risk rating, an action, an owner and a due date, and the score shows which areas are slipping.

  2. An inspection checks the condition of an area or a piece of equipment, often daily to monthly, by the people who work there. An audit is wider and less frequent: it covers every area, checks the records and asks whether the safety program behind the inspections works. Plants need both.

  3. Walking and working surfaces, exits and fire protection, machine guarding, electrical, lockout/tagout, hazardous chemicals, PPE, manual handling, first aid and emergency response, and the training records behind them. Add checks for the hazards specific to your site.

  4. Many plants do a full audit monthly or quarterly and shorter area walks weekly. Some items have their own frequency, such as the monthly visual inspection of portable extinguishers in OSHA 29 CFR 1910.157(e)(2).

  5. Among others, 29 CFR 1910.22 (walking-working surfaces), 1910.37 (exit routes), 1910.157 (portable fire extinguishers), 1910.212 (machine guarding), 1910.303 (working space about electric equipment), 1910.147 (lockout/tagout), 1910.1200 (hazard communication), 1910.132 (PPE) and 1910.151 (first aid). The checklist does not replace a compliance review.

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