Inspection checklists are tools used in various industries in order to make day-to-day work easier. Lumiform’s inspection checklists make it easy for you to identify what you need to oversee and the processes you need to implement in order to maintain a productive, safe work environment. And different industries require different sorts of checklists.
Exactly which types of inspections are useful in your business will depend on your industry, but inspection checklists are used by everyone, from construction companies to real estate agents to manufacturers, to help them ensure a well-functioning workplace. The gastronomy business Sausalito’s uses Lumiform inspection software to maintain their HACCP system and make sure food safety practices are followed. Understanding how to design inspection checklists will improve the way you work and save you time.
What are the benefits of inspection checklists?
Businesses like Sausalito’s and Areas use Lumiform inspection checklists to optimize several areas of their operations. While inspections are typically a way for managers to ensure compliance with business protocols, they have a wide range of uses beyond that.
Safety
Regular and comprehensive inspections function as safety audit checklists in your company. Consistently evaluating workplace conditions means you can identify any hazards that might be present and remove them before any of your employees get hurt.
Maintenance
Inspection checklists are a convenient way that companies regularly evaluate the condition of their equipment and machinery, so they can make needed repairs in a timely fashion. Equipment maintenance also helps ensure workplace safety, but it goes beyond that. When you identify equipment failures and potential problems before they develop further, you’ll be able to avoid delays in productivity.
Quality control
Equipment and physical spaces aren’t the only things you can evaluate using inspections. They are also useful when auditing processes and procedures, to make sure tasks are completed correctly.
Overseeing the quality of work is a valuable function of inspection checklists across almost every industry. Following proper procedure in the construction industry, for example, helps prevent accidents and ensure safety. And in manufacturing, quality procedures translate to a functional, well-built end product. Having a checklist to refer to helps you clarify what these processes should be as well as react when they are not followed.
Reputation management
Businesses which ensure compliance with safety, quality, environmental, and other standards are businesses with good reputations. They are also places employees want to work; using checklists to uphold favorable conditions helps you keep your staff happy and makes it easier to hire in the future.
Regulatory compliance
Finally, establishing regular use of quality inspection checklists helps your business meet the requirements of national and international regulations, like OSHA’s safety standards or ITAR regulations. Complying with these rules saves your business thousands in fines and legal issues.
Your business can also earn certifications by operating in accordance with these rules. Earning international recognition like an ISO 45001 safety audit certification sets your business apart from others. The credibility you get from certifications can open you up to new business opportunities.
Ready to explore the different types of inspections Lumiform offers and create your own checklists? Register for Lumiform now and design your first checklist in minutes.
What information should inspection checklists contain?
In order to be useful to your business, inspection checklists should be tailored as specifically as possible to the work your organization does, and be easily readable. You want whoever is evaluating the inspection later to be able to draw conclusions quickly.
This is one reason starting with one of Lumiform’sinspection templates is a good idea; you won’t have to worry about formatting the document yourself and can simply include all your business-specific information. Readability is also essential because checklists and the information obtained from checklists must be accessible to everyone at your company.
So, what kinds of things should you include on an inspection checklist? You should think about what needs to happen in order for your work to be successful, and what could get in the way of that success. Things to measure with an inspection checklist include:
- Any potential hazards: A threat to workplace safety can come in the form of environmental hazards, physical hazards, behavioral hazards, and sometimes chemical hazards. Make sure your checklist includes instructions for removing any hazards you might find.
- Proper performance: The way an employee does their work is as important as the work getting done. Are they taking a shortcut that results in lower-quality work? Are they behaving unsafely when working? Your checklist should outline exactly what proper procedure looks like.
- Emergency preparedness: Ensuring safety in case of emergencies is another important function of inspection checklists. To the extent you can control emergencies, make sure you address as many risks as possible. Part of reducing these risks is providing PPE to your workers.,
- Equipment status: An essential purpose of inspections is making sure whatever equipment you use on the job is functioning and does not pose a safety risk to anyone using it. It’s important that equipment is inspected regularly to identify defects early and avoid turning a small repair into a big one.
Having all this information in your inspection checklists allows you to measure and improve different aspects of your business. Since the best inspection templates are specific, the types of inspection you conduct will reflect the concerns faced in your business.
Types of inspection checklist
Every business has different needs. A gastronomy business needs to keep track of their food waste, but probably is not going to use a home inspection checklist. And even businesses with the same needs – a safety audit checklist is universally necessary no matter your industry – will measure different things to ensure those needs are met. Businesses across numerous industries benefit from the inspection checklists Lumiform offers.
Construction inspections
In the construction industry, your main concerns are keeping workers safe, managing the construction site effectively, making sure your machinery is in working order, and completing jobs on schedule. When conducting a construction site inspection, you’re looking both at the site itself and at how workers are behaving when they’re on site. Make sure to check that:
- Your workers have appropriate PPE, such as hard hats, goggles, and reflective vests
- There is enough space so workers are clear of moving loads
- Workers are lifting correctly and have access to mechanical lifting aids
- Workers wear seatbelts and do not use their phones when operating vehicles
- The job site is clean and barricades/signage have been put up to warn passerby
- Workers have the relevant job qualifications and certifications for the job
Job site inspection information is key to running a safe and successful construction business. The other essential function of construction inspections is information about your equipment. Construction businesses rely on heavy, complicated, and potentially unsafe machinery like and forklifts to complete daily tasks. All the components of these machines need to be working, or the equipment becomes a safety hazard. You would use a forklift inspection checklist to make sure:
- The parking and moving brakes work properly
- The tires are in good condition
- The steering mechanisms move easily
- All indicator lights are working
- The oil levels are acceptable and no part of the forklift is leaking
Follow the example of our forklift inspection checklist when you examine other equipment, making sure to test each component of the machine.
Gastronomy inspections
Gastronomy businesses use food safety inspections, food waste inspections, and inventory management forms. When you serve customers, you need to make sure to follow safety guidelines in your kitchen and building. Two useful tools for food safety inspections are kitchen safety inspections and building inspection checklists.
Use these to make sure:
- Employees are washing their hands
- Food is being refrigerated/stored properly
- Surfaces are kept clean and don’t contaminate food
- The building is free of pests
- Kitchen staff wears PPE like hairnets and gloves
Your hospitalitybusiness also benefits from using checklists to track food waste, by recording the date, time, and quantity of disposal. A final gastronomy challenge easily addressed with an inspection checklist is inventory management. Having a simple way of tracking inventory helps you make future adjustments.
Fire safety inspections
Almost every business benefits from fire safety inspections. Any office or building contains fire hazards and fires are common risks in a wide range of industries – addressing fire safety is an important part of a kitchen safety checklist, for example. Use a building inspection checklist to ensure fire safety by checking that:
- Flammable chemicals and fluids are stored securely and away from people
- Combustible materials aren’t left in the open
- Electrical sockets are used safely, and there is no loose electrical wiring
- Employees follow smoking rules
- Heating and cooking equipment is regularly maintained
A thorough fire safety inspection also includes your firefighting equipment, most notably the office fire extinguisher . You can combine inspections or use a separate fire extinguisher inspection to check that:
- Fire extinguishers are easy for employees to locate and unobstructed
- The safety pins and handles are in good condition
- There is no rust on your fire extinguisher
Why should you digitize your inspection checklists?
One of the quickest ways to make all your inspection checklists more effective is to digitize them. Electronic and mobile checklists are faster, more flexible, and easier to distribute to your employees. Businesses that switched to Lumiform inspection software from pen-and-paper inspections have drastically sped up their inspection processes. The mobile app allows your employees to complete checklists from anywhere, so they can provide real-time information. As long as the checklist is downloaded, you can even complete it offline.
Digital inspection checklists are also centralized, meaning they’re easy to store. Once someone completes a Lumiform checklist, it’s saved to the cloud automatically. That means there’s no need to spend time tracking spreadsheets and papers across different platforms. Digital checklists eliminate the need for a filing cabinet.
Saving time isn’t the only reason you should digitize any inspection checklists you create, though it is the most immediately noticeable change.
Cost saving
Not having to rely on physical checklists or constantly draw up new checklists each time you want to carry out an inspection saves you money. Especially when you are conducting inspections to demonstrate regulatory compliance, you can use Lumiform to avoid high printer fees, like they do at Sausalito’s.
Digitized checklists cut costs indirectly as well, since less time spent on bureaucracy means more time spent working. And having clear standards available to each employee individually means higher-quality work. With Lumiform’s range of pricing plans, you’ll inspect faster and turn a profit.
Flexibility
Lumiform’s digital checklists are flexible because the mobile inspection app lets you complete work from any location, but they’re also flexible in terms of content. If there is something you need to address that isn’t covered by your chosen template, simply add it.
By including the particular requirements of each location’s operations, Areas was able to use Lumiform to maintain the same quality standards and follow the same regulations in all of their kitchens. Even with the specificity and options the form builder offers, creating inspection checklists is a matter of minutes.
Reporting and analysis
Lumiform’s electronic inspection checklists save and compile data about completed inspections into weekly and monthly reports automatically. That means as you complete more checklists, you get a deeper understanding of your business. These reports help managers oversee and improve processes.
While completing an inspection checklist, you are able to immediately flag issues and assign employees to correct those issues. By directly emailing responsible staff and describing exactly the issue, communication happens much faster.
To get started using inspection checklists or designing your own, try Lumiform today.
