Published 7 Sep 2023
What is an Inspection Checklist?
An inspection checklist (also referred to as an inspection sheet) is an essential tool for inspectors and professionals across multiple industries. Inspection checklists help assess the compliance of a process, procedure, equipment, or facility with industry, governmental, or internal standards. Using an inspection checklist ensures that the object of inspection goes through a detailed and documented evaluation. Once the inspection has been completed with the help of a checklist, the object of inspection can then be endorsed for its intended use. Aside from compliance, inspection checklists are also used to validate the safety, quality, and/or efficiency of business operations.
In this article
- Purpose
- Importance
- What to Include in Your Inspection Checklist
- FAQs about Inspection Checklists & Forms
- Perform Efficient Inspections with SafetyCulture
- Related Inspection Checklists & Forms
Purpose
Inspection checklists are used by professional inspectors primarily as a guide for performing appropriate assessments to determine if what is being inspected—whether that is a product, equipment, facility, or service—meets a certain quality or is performing according to customer expectations or specifications set by regulations or industry standards. When used correctly, inspection checklists help with the following:
- Keeping people organized and focused on the task at hand
- Promoting accountability as inspection results serve as written records
- Boosting employee morale, knowing that facilities and equipment are inspected for compliance with regulations and industry standards
- Providing clear documentation to regulatory bodies about the inspections performed
Importance
Inspection checklists are important because they are vital to keeping a product, equipment, facility, or property compliant with existing safety regulations and up to par with industry quality standards. For industries that deal with tasks related to manufacturing, construction, automotive, facility management, and food safety and production, checks guided with the use of inspection checklists help businesses from different industries ensure that the products and services their customers receive will meet or exceed expectations. Further, regular inspections conducted using inspection checklists provide more benefits to organizations in the form of the following:
Safety
Regular inspections help define the line between a safe working environment and one beset with hazards.
Maintenance
Equipment and facility abuse is discouraged by regular inspections. With inspection records, maintenance managers can strengthen maintenance programs as inspections help them identify the best frequency of schedules for the upkeep of assets.
Reputation
No company is looking forward to appearing on the news when something wrong happens. Through regular inspections, companies are able to immediately rectify issues before they become major.
Business Costs
Periodic inspections help prevent workplace injuries, which can result in costly lost work time and compensation claims.
What to Include in Your Inspection Checklist
The content of your inspection checklist will depend on its purpose. The questions or items stated in the checklist are tailor-fitted to the focus of the inspection and influenced by the standards and requirements administered by either the organization or governing bodies.
Here is a sample inspection checklist for reference.
Although this focuses on self-inspection, its contents are used for many other purposes. Here are a few question examples you can include in your inspection checklist:
General Information
No matter the kind of inspection checklist you create, it is important that you include all the basic information that everyone can circle back to when needed. Some important information include:
- What is the name of the inspector?
- What is the date of the inspection?
- Where is the location of the inspection?
- What’s the name of the company to be inspected?
- What is the name of the /team/project/business unit to be inspected?
General Work Environment
Most inspection checklists contain safety-related items to ensure a safe working environment for employees and for the place of business. Some work environment questions can be along the lines of:
- Are all worksites sanitary, orderly, and free of clutter?
- Are work surfaces kept dry and slip-resistant?
- Is combustible waste removed from the worksite properly and stored safely?
- Are all work areas adequately illuminated?
- Are all confined spaces compliant with 29 CFR 1910.146 (permit for confined spaces)?
Machineries and Equipment
Workplaces have their own set of machines and equipment used on a daily basis. To ensure their safe operation, consider asking the questions below:
- Are the employees properly trained on safe methods of machine/equipment operation?
- Is there a regular inspection of machinery and equipment?
- Are all machinery and equipment properly maintained?
- Are all emergency stop buttons easily identifiable?
- Are machine guards secure and accessible?
FAQs about Inspection Checklists & Forms
Inspection checklists and forms have many types, such as the following:
- General workplace inspection checklists
- Equipment usage inspection checklists
- To-do checklists
- Troubleshooting inspection checklists
- Safety inspection checklists
Some of the most common examples and uses for inspection checklists and forms include the following:
Yes, there are many mobile platforms available now for creating, managing, and using inspection checklists and forms. However, no one inspection checklist app is like the other. Each checklist app will be different and will cater to different needs.
Regardless, it would be best to use a multi-functional checklist app that is suited for all and any industries to have flexibility in your workflow. Choose a mobile app that will also work on computers, be usable offline, and give you the option to upload media files as needed.
Perform Efficient Inspections with SafetyCulture
Conducting inspections is an essential part of our daily work and is a necessity for many workplaces to perform their tasks efficiently and safely. However, it can be a tiresome process for many, especially in settings where there are many moving parts and items to inspect.
To streamline operations, consider using a mobile app that can greatly streamline the process of conducting and managing inspection checklists. One such app is SafetyCulture (formerly iAuditor). With its many useful features and benefits, it can revolutionize the way inspections are conducted and increase efficiency in various industries.
SafetyCulture aims to aid inspectors with their tasks and their respective teams by providing them with responsive and flexible checklists from the Public Library that are easy to use and modify as needed. The smart form builder in-app can also be used to create checklists from scratch or convert existing files for SafetyCulture use. The app will then store them in the cloud for easy access anytime and anywhere. Each checklist can then be templated and will come with different access controls, ensuring data privacy.
After completing a SafetyCulture checklist form, all results will be sorted and analyzed with Analytics. These will then come in a dashboard for easy viewing and understanding. Results and related checklists can also be exported and shared in PDF, Word, Excel, and Weblink formats as needed.
Moreover, SafetyCulture is more than just a checklist app—it is also an operations platform. Through it, you can also do the following:
- Schedule routine inspections in-app and automate notifications for staff to be reminded of them
- Encourage staff to report issues spotted during inspections as they see them and create corrective actions for them
- Communicate with your team for general updates by raising a Heads Up
- Monitor lone inspectors in the field with SHEQSY by SafetyCulture
- Insure workers and keep them safe with SafetyCulture Care
- Train staff on proper inspection processes and documentation practices
- Manage assets and their usage as part of the inspection process
- Keep track of supplies constantly in motion with Sensors
Related Inspection Checklists & Forms
Workplace Safety Inspection Checklist
A workplace safety inspection checklist is a tool used in performing internal and external audits of an office or any working environment. Use this digital checklist to assess if workplace health and safety (WHS) practices are followed.
Hotel Room Inspection Checklist
A hotel room inspection checklist is used to maintain guest rooms and ensure that they are clean and damage-free. Use this checklist to check if items in each room are in good condition. Perform an inspection using this checklist before check-in and after guests check out to ensure that rooms follow hotel standards and provide guests a high level of service.
Daily Vehicle Inspection Checklist
A daily vehicle inspection checklist template can be used by an authorized inspector to identify defects and mechanical issues for most vehicles. Begin by capturing general information of the vehicle including VIN, license plate and mileage and take a photo of the general condition of the vehicle. The template then prompts the inspector to check the brake system, coupling devices, engine operation, exhaust system and other critical safety components.
Property Management Inspection Checklist
Landlords or property managers can use this property management inspection checklist to record the overall condition of a property and ensure that it is in tip-top condition for tenant use. This can also be used as a quarterly rental inspection checklist to show tenants that the property managers are committed to maintaining the good condition of rental properties.
Home Inspection Checklist
Use this home inspection checklist template as a guide for what to look for in a home inspection checklist. With this template, you can check the components such as roofing, exterior, foundation, plumbing, crawlspace and structure, cooling, and more before deciding to buy a house.
