A workplace health and safety inspector arrives at your company. The receptionist contacts the person responsible for occupational health and safety, but unfortunately, they’re away that morning.
The production supervisor steps in. They know the operations well but aren’t exactly sure where to find the latest inspection reports. Meanwhile, some employees are wondering whether they’re allowed to answer the inspector’s questions.
No one is trying to hide anything. The company has preventive measures in place and conducts regular checks. But the team has never really discussed what happens during a workplace safety inspection.
This situation is more common than you might think.
Preparing your team for a workplace safety inspection isn’t about teaching employees what to say to avoid problems. It’s about making sure they understand the risks associated with their work, the preventive measures in place and who to contact when an inspection takes place.
And that preparation is just as valuable for your internal inspections as it is for a potential visit from a regulatory inspector.
Internal Inspection vs. Regulatory Inspection: What’s the Difference?
Before preparing your team, it’s important to understand the difference between these two types of inspections.
An internal inspection is initiated by the company, often by a supervisor, an OHS manager or a health and safety representative. Its purpose is to identify hazards, verify that preventive measures are being applied and correct any problems observed.
A regulatory inspection is conducted by an inspector who has powers established by law. In Quebec, CNESST inspectors may verify compliance with regulatory requirements, identify violations and require corrective actions.
According to the CNESST, inspectors may intervene following a complaint, a workplace accident, a refusal to work or as part of a planned intervention.
The visit may be announced or unannounced.
These two types of inspections serve different purposes. But they share one important characteristic: both provide an opportunity to observe what’s actually happening in the workplace.
And that’s where team preparation becomes essential.
1. Make Sure Supervisors Understand Their OHS Responsibilities
In many organizations, occupational health and safety is officially assigned to a designated person.
But during daily operations, supervisors are often the ones who respond when a hazardous situation arises.
They therefore need to understand the main risks in their areas and the measures in place to control them.
For example, a production supervisor should be able to explain the rules governing mobile equipment traffic, energy control procedures or the machine guarding measures used in their department.
They don’t need to memorize every section of the Regulation respecting occupational health and safety.
However, they should know where to find the applicable procedures and who to contact when a question falls outside their area of expertise.
This is also a good opportunity to confirm that responsibilities remain clear when the OHS manager is absent.
An inspection shouldn’t come to a standstill simply because one person is on vacation.
2. Prepare Employees to Explain Their Work Practices
When managers think about preparing for an inspection, documentation is often the first thing that comes to mind.
Yet much of the workplace’s health and safety reality can only be observed on the floor.
Can a worker explain what they do when equipment malfunctions? Do they know which protective measures to use for their tasks? Are they familiar with the procedure for reporting a hazard?
These are questions worth discussing long before an inspection.
The goal is certainly not to prepare scripted answers.
If an employee doesn’t know a procedure or doesn’t understand why a safety measure exists, that’s valuable information for the company.
It may reveal a training need, a communication issue or a procedure that no longer reflects actual operations.
Good preparation therefore involves discussing work practices with employees and making sure they genuinely understand the instructions.
The objective isn’t for everyone to give the exact same answer. It’s for workers to perform their jobs safely and explain the preventive measures they follow.
3. Make Sure Your Documentation Is Accessible and Up to Date
Imagine an inspector asking to review a machine’s lockout procedure.
The document exists, but no one knows whether it’s the current version. One supervisor finds a printed copy from three years ago, while another employee says a new procedure was introduced.
Situations like this create unnecessary complications.
That’s why it’s important to regularly verify that essential OHS documents can be located easily.
Depending on the company’s activities and applicable requirements, these may include the prevention program or action plan, work procedures, training records, inspection reports and corrective action follow-ups.
It’s also important to confirm that the documents reflect current practices.
A well-written procedure that is no longer followed on the floor doesn’t accurately represent what’s happening in the workplace.
Keep in mind, however, that not every document is required in the same way for every organization.
The documents your company needs will depend on its activities, risks and applicable legal obligations.
4. Conduct Internal Inspections Before Problems Occur
One of the best ways to prepare for a workplace safety inspection is to conduct your own inspections regularly.
And not just once a year because it’s on the calendar.
Internal inspections allow organizations to observe working conditions, speak with employees and identify potential hazards before they lead to an accident.
For example, an inspection in a warehouse might reveal pallets blocking a clearly marked traffic aisle.
In a workshop, it might identify a missing machine guard or equipment requiring maintenance.
In an office, observations could focus on workstation ergonomics and certain working conditions.
The CNESST emphasizes that regular workplace inspections help identify hazardous situations and contribute to improving prevention programs.
But an internal inspection is only valuable if its findings lead to action.
Identifying a problem without correcting it isn’t enough.
5. Involve Employees Instead of Simply Inspecting Their Workstations
An inspection can easily feel like a form of surveillance.
A manager arrives with a checklist, takes a few notes and leaves without explaining what was observed.
Employees aren’t always told what will happen with the findings.
But inspections can also create opportunities for meaningful conversations.
A worker who has operated the same machine for years may have noticed situations that their supervisor doesn’t necessarily see.
An employee working the evening shift might also identify a problem that never occurs during daytime inspections.
That’s why asking open-ended questions can be particularly useful.
Which tasks are the most difficult to perform safely? Are there situations where procedures become complicated to follow? Do certain problems keep coming back?
The next step is to follow up on what employees share.
If workers repeatedly report a hazard without seeing any changes, they may eventually lose confidence in the process.
Employee participation shouldn’t end when the inspection checklist is completed.
6. What Should You Do When a Regulatory Inspector Arrives?
The first step is to cooperate.
An inspector may arrive with or without an appointment. The company must allow the inspector to carry out their duties in accordance with the law.
In Quebec, the CNESST specifies that inspectors may access workplaces, conduct verifications, take photographs and request documents relevant to their intervention.
They may also meet with the individuals concerned.
In this context, it’s helpful to have a designated person available to welcome the inspector, understand the purpose of the visit and facilitate access to the requested information.
Where applicable, the health and safety representative may also have a role in accompanying the inspector during the visit.
Employees should never be asked to conceal a problem or present working conditions differently from reality.
And if a question requires further verification, it’s better to say so and provide accurate information afterward rather than improvise an answer.
The goal is to cooperate transparently while understanding the findings and any corrective measures that may be required.
7. What Should You Do When Non-Compliance Is Identified?
An inspection may reveal issues that require corrective action.
This isn’t the time to focus solely on who should have prevented the problem.
The priority is to understand the risk, determine the necessary measures and assign responsibility for addressing the issue.
Depending on the situation, some corrections must be completed immediately. Others may have deadlines specified in an inspection report.
In Quebec, the CNESST may also order work to be suspended or impose other measures when a hazard justifies intervention.
Any instructions and deadlines imposed by the inspector must be respected.
For internal follow-up, a simple action-tracking table can be useful.
| Finding | Corrective Action | Responsible Party | Follow-Up |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obstructed traffic aisle | Clear the area immediately and review storage procedures | Warehouse supervisor | Verify that access remains clear |
| Outdated work procedure | Update the procedure and inform affected employees | OHS manager | Confirm implementation |
| Missing machine guard | Prevent unsafe operation and arrange for appropriate repairs | Maintenance and operations | Verify safety before restarting the machine |
These examples are for illustrative purposes. Actual corrective measures must be determined based on the severity of the risk, applicable requirements and, where relevant, the inspector’s decisions.
What matters is following corrective actions through to completion.
A Successful Inspection Doesn’t Mean No Problems Were Found
This may be the most important distinction.
A company that never identifies issues during inspections isn’t necessarily a workplace without risks.
It’s worth asking whether inspections are thorough enough, whether employees are genuinely involved and whether problematic situations are properly documented.
On the other hand, an internal inspection that reveals several areas for improvement can be extremely valuable if the company takes the necessary corrective action.
The purpose of inspections isn’t to produce perfect reports.
It’s to understand workplace risks and verify that preventive measures are effective.
An organization that does this regularly will generally be better prepared to explain its prevention practices when an external inspection occurs.
How Can You Help Supervisors Conduct Better Inspections?
Not everyone has the same natural ability to identify workplace hazards.
A supervisor may know their production operations extremely well without having received training in a structured inspection method.
They may also feel comfortable correcting an obvious problem but have less experience documenting findings, determining corrective measures or ensuring proper follow-up.
Practical training can help develop these skills.
At Santinel, our Workplace Inspection Training is designed for managers, supervisors, OHS advisors and representatives, as well as health and safety committee members.
The training covers identifying hazardous situations, determining corrective actions and using practical tools to make inspections more effective.
For organizations that also want to review their inspection methods or strengthen their prevention approach, Santinel offers occupational health and safety consulting services.
It’s Better to Be Prepared Every Day Than the Day Before an Inspection
It’s normal for a regulatory inspection to raise questions.
But a company shouldn’t be discovering its procedures, risks and responsibilities for the first time when an inspector arrives.
The best preparation happens every day: supervisors understand their responsibilities, employees know the safety measures that apply to their work, documents are up to date and reported issues are properly addressed.
Internal inspections then become a way to verify whether prevention efforts are actually working.
Want to improve workplace inspections in your organization?
Discover Santinel’s Workplace Inspection Training. Our specialists can help your teams adopt a practical inspection method tailored to your operations and focused on reducing workplace risks.
