Workplace safety inspection checklist template for Australia
Use this template to record what was actually seen, who may be exposed, the immediate control, the person responsible for a permanent fix and how closure was verified. It is a starting point for a workplace inspection, not a legal certificate or a substitute for task-specific inspection and testing by a competent person. Tailor it to the site, activity and state or territory. A safe workplace is not created by ticking every box; a finding only becomes useful when risk is controlled and the action is completed.
Safe Work Australia's risk-management guidance describes identifying hazards, assessing risk, controlling risk and reviewing controls, with worker consultation throughout. Its WHS best-practice checklist is a useful official reference. This template converts those principles into a field record. It is deliberately broad. Electrical installations, lifting equipment, pressure plant, asbestos, fire systems and other specialist items may require a separate licensed or competent inspection under local rules.
Copyable inspection record
Site and inspection details
| Field | Entry |
|---|---|
| Business / PCBU or employer | |
| Workplace / site address | |
| State or territory and local regulator | |
| Area, process or activity inspected | |
| Date and time; shift / conditions | |
| Inspector(s), role and competence for scope | |
| Worker or HSR consulted | |
| Previous inspection and open actions reviewed | |
| Relevant site plan, SWMS, risk assessment or permit version | |
| Next planned inspection / review trigger |
Status key: OK means the stated control was seen functioning at the time; ACTION means a gap or hazard was found; N/A means the item is genuinely outside scope, with a reason; NOT CHECKED means the inspector could not verify it. Do not use OK if the evidence was assumed or copied from an old report. For a serious or imminent danger, follow the site's stop-work and emergency process immediately; do not wait for the form to be filed.
| Area to inspect | Status | Observation and evidence | Immediate control / escalation | Action owner and due date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Work areas and access: housekeeping, slip/trip hazards, lighting, safe pedestrian routes | ||||
| Work method: actual activity matches current approved risk assessment, SWMS or procedure where required | ||||
| Plant and tools: guards, damage, pre-start checks, isolation, operator authorisation | ||||
| Electrical: damaged leads, temporary power, protection, access to live parts; specialist checks referred out | ||||
| Work at height: access, edge/fragile-surface controls, falling objects and rescue arrangement | ||||
| Vehicles and mobile plant: separation, routes, reversing, loading and pedestrian interface | ||||
| Hazardous chemicals: labels, SDS access, storage, spill controls, ventilation, required register | ||||
| Manual tasks and ergonomics: handling method, mechanical aids, work layout | ||||
| Emergency readiness: exits, alarms, extinguishers where applicable, first aid and contacts | ||||
| Worker information: induction, training, supervision, consultation and how hazards are reported | ||||
| PPE and welfare: suitability, condition, use, hygiene and facilities | ||||
| Psychosocial/work-design concerns: workload, aggression, isolation or other locally relevant hazards | ||||
| Contractors and visitors: coordination, access controls and shared-risk communication | ||||
| Previous corrective actions: completed in practice and still effective | ||||
| Site-specific additional item 1 | ||||
| Site-specific additional item 2 |
Finding and action log — create one row for each issue, including each issue found in a single checklist line. Avoid a vague “fix housekeeping” item that cannot be verified.
| Finding ID | Exact location and hazard / who may be harmed | Evidence (photo or record reference) | Immediate control and person notified | Further control selected and reason | Owner | Due date | Verification evidence / verifier / closure date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Inspector summary: Areas not inspected and why: ______. Serious issues escalated to: ______ at ______. Work stopped or area isolated: ______. Workers/HSR briefed: ______. Related incident, permit or risk assessment requiring review: ______. Person responsible for action review: ______. Review date: ______. Inspector signature/name: ______. Manager/reviewer acknowledgement and date: ______.
How to use the checklist well
Before the walk-through
Set the scope. A monthly warehouse inspection, a daily construction-site check and a post-incident inspection should not use identical questions without adaptation. Review recent incidents, near misses, complaints, maintenance defects, risk assessments and open actions. Ask workers and their health and safety representative, where applicable, what is difficult or unsafe in practice. Safe Work Australia emphasises consultation in risk management. Plan to look at normal tasks and less visible activities such as cleaning, setup, shutdown and contractor handover.
Confirm who may inspect the subject. A supervisor can observe a frayed lead and take it out of use; they should not sign a specialist electrical inspection they are not qualified to perform. If the inspection includes regulated plant, asbestos, fire systems or electrical testing, use the appropriately competent or licensed person and the relevant local form. Record the boundary of this checklist so an auditor can see what was not verified.
During the walk-through
Observe work as it actually happens. Ask a worker to explain the task and show the controls they use. Look for differences between the written method and the field setup. Record location, time and conditions, particularly if a hazard only occurs on a shift or during a changeover. Use photos only where they add evidence and respect privacy and site rules. A photograph of a damaged guard without the equipment ID or location is hard to act on.
When an imminent hazard is found, initiate the site's stop-work, isolation or emergency process. The template records what happened; it is not the control itself. For other findings, identify who could be harmed, what temporary protection is in place and what further control is needed. Prefer eliminating or engineering out the risk where reasonably practicable, rather than defaulting to a reminder or PPE. If an item is N/A, write why; if NOT CHECKED, set an owner to verify it.
After the inspection
Assign every finding to a named owner with a realistic target date, including any temporary control to maintain until closure. Make sure the owner knows the task and has authority/resources to fix it. Escalate overdue or repeated findings. Closure should require evidence that the control was implemented and works, not simply that a work order was marked done. For example, after a pedestrian route is changed, observe it during vehicle activity. After a procedure is revised, verify that the workforce has the right version and understands it.
Look for patterns. Several housekeeping findings in the same loading area may indicate a layout or scheduling issue; repeated PPE non-use may signal that the underlying method is impractical. Feed the insight into the risk assessment, maintenance plan, training and consultation process. Safe Work Australia's risk-management page treats review of controls as part of the cycle, not a final administrative step.
Example of a completed finding
A worker reports that an extension lead has been run through a wet delivery path and is being struck by pallet jacks. The inspector records the exact loading bay and lead ID, asks the worker to stop using the lead, isolates or removes it according to site procedure, and alerts the supervisor. The action is to redesign power access and cable routing, with competent inspection of damaged equipment before return to service. The owner and due date are recorded. Closure evidence is a photo of the new route plus a follow-up observation while deliveries occur. Merely ticking “electrical OK” because a test tag is in date would miss the current hazard.
How often should inspections happen?
Set a frequency based on the work, risk, change rate, legal requirements and the need for competent specialist inspection. The checklist is not a source for a universal weekly or monthly legal interval. Some construction, plant, electrical and other activities have specific rules; the applicable state or territory regulator and equipment guidance must be checked. A high-change construction area may need checks more often than a stable office, while a serious event can trigger an immediate inspection regardless of schedule. Document why the frequency is adequate and who can revise it.
State and territory boundary
Safe Work Australia develops model WHS laws, but the Commonwealth, states and territories implement and enforce their own rules. Victoria operates a different OHS framework. Before using this template for a legal inspection record, add the local requirements for the site, activity and equipment. A multi-state business may use the same basic form while maintaining local checklists and specialist attachments. Do not label a generic national checklist “WHS compliant” without that review.
Can software help?
Software may make it easier to schedule inspections, attach photos, assign actions and see repeated findings. The Complys Australia inspection and audit page advertises these workflows, but the integration team must verify which functions are live, available in the relevant plan and usable on the customer's device. This template stands on its own and does not require an account. Do not imply that Complys certifies an inspection or that an uploaded image proves a control is effective. The real next step is to inspect, act, verify and review.
Source/claim, product and ownership QA
| Material point | Primary source | Treatment |
|---|---|---|
| Identify, assess, control and review; worker consultation | Safe Work Australia risk management | Basis for action and review fields. |
| Official WHS checklist exists | Safe Work Australia best-practice checklist | Acknowledge official resource; no claim of official Complys status. |
| Model WHS laws need local implementation | Safe Work Australia legislation | Local and specialist checks required. |
| Complys inspection software positioning | Complys AU inspection/audit software | Implementation/plan verification gate. |
Internal-link decision: The inspection and audit software page is the money-page support; AU WHS software is broad category context. The proposed template owns a copyable inspection record, distinct from product-feature copy and the official Safe Work Australia best-practice checklist. Exact route and unpublished template ownership still need repository review.
Writer-side QA: Usable copyable form with status key, site facts, 14 inspection areas, action and verification log, example and instructions. No false universal inspection interval, legal certification or unverified Complys feature. READY is a draft for independent repository review, not a live page approval.