Free osha general industry inspection checklist
Jump to download form ↓Enter your email below to download this osha general industry inspection checklist as a ready-to-use PDF.
Free OSHA general industry inspection checklist (PDF-ready). Covers 29 CFR 1910 walking surfaces, exits, electrical, PPE, hazcom and machine guarding.
Commercial Director
How to use: download the PDF, print or complete digitally on any device.
- ✓PDF format, ready to print or fill on screen
- ✓Use as-is or customise to suit your operation
- ✓Go digital in MapTrack for photos, alerts and audit trails
Download free PDF template
Trusted by teams across Australia and New Zealand
We respect your privacy. Unsubscribe anytime.
Preview the template
See the first part of the osha general industry inspection checklist below. Download the full version above.
What is a osha general industry inspection checklist?
An OSHA general industry inspection checklist is a structured document used to verify that a workplace meets the requirements of OSHA 29 CFR 1910, the federal standard governing occupational safety and health in general industry workplaces across the United States. It covers walking-working surfaces (Subpart D), means of egress (Subpart E), powered platforms (Subpart F), occupational health and environmental controls (Subpart G), hazardous materials (Subpart H), personal protective equipment (Subpart I), general environmental controls (Subpart J), medical and first aid (Subpart K), fire protection (Subpart L), compressed gas and air (Subpart M), materials handling (Subpart N), machinery and machine guarding (Subpart O), electrical (Subpart S) and hazard communication (Subpart Z). Each line item is marked Pass, Fail or N/A with space for corrective actions.
OSHA 29 CFR 1910 is the most broadly applicable safety standard in the United States, covering nearly every general industry workplace from warehouses and manufacturing plants to offices and retail establishments. Employers have a legal obligation under the OSH Act of 1970 to provide a workplace free from recognized hazards. Regular documented inspections using a standardized checklist help employers identify violations before OSHA compliance officers arrive, reduce the risk of employee injuries, and demonstrate a commitment to continuous safety improvement. This checklist provides a comprehensive, repeatable framework that safety managers, supervisors and safety committee members can use for routine facility walkthroughs and annual comprehensive audits.
Learn more about compliance and inspections in MapTrack.
Benefits of using this osha general industry inspection checklist
- Regulatory compliance: documented inspections demonstrate compliance with 29 CFR 1910 and reduce the risk of OSHA citations, which can carry penalties of up to $16,131 per serious violation.
- Hazard identification: systematic inspections catch slip, trip and fall hazards, blocked exits, missing guards, electrical deficiencies and PPE gaps before they cause injuries.
- Injury reduction: workplaces with active self-inspection programs consistently report lower total recordable incident rates than those relying solely on external OSHA inspections.
- Insurance benefits: a documented safety inspection program supports workers compensation experience modification rate reductions and may lower commercial insurance premiums.
- Employee engagement: involving supervisors and safety committee members in regular inspections builds a culture of safety awareness and shared responsibility across the organization.
- Audit readiness: maintaining a library of completed inspection checklists provides immediate documentation when OSHA requests records during programmed or complaint-driven inspections.
Benefits of digitising forms in MapTrack
When you move your checklists from paper to MapTrack, you get:
- Field users can easily scan a QR code to complete a form on mobile. Unlimited users.
- Automatically get alerts when faults are identified.
- Link every form digitally as a PDF to the relevant asset, location or person.
- Receive a digital PDF copy with every submission to your email.
- Ability to share forms digitally.
- Build conditional logic (show or hide questions based on answers).
- Take pictures or attach photos. Not possible with a paper-based form.
- Electronic signatures.
- Edit forms later without reprinting.
- Restrict permissions (who can view, complete or approve).
- Build forms with AI (describe what you need and MapTrack suggests the form).
- Auto-apply the correct regulatory standard (OSHA, HSE, WHS) based on site location.
- Generate region-specific compliance reports that match local regulator expectations.
- Track jurisdiction-specific inspection intervals and certification requirements.
Book a demo to see how MapTrack handles checklists.
Try MapTrack free for 30 days
Full access to every feature. No credit card required. Per-asset pricing so you scale as your fleet grows.
- No credit card required
- 30 days free trial
- Cancel anytime
What to include in a osha general industry inspection checklist
This osha general industry inspection checklist covers 10 key areas:
- Facility and inspector details: facility name, address, area inspected, inspector name and title, date, inspection type (routine, annual, post-incident, pre-OSHA visit).
- Walking-working surfaces (Subpart D): floors clean and dry, aisles clear and marked, guardrails on open-sided platforms, stair rails present, ladder condition and storage.
- Means of egress (Subpart E): exit routes clear and unobstructed, exit signs illuminated and visible, emergency lighting functional, exit doors not locked or blocked from inside.
- Personal protective equipment (Subpart I): hazard assessment documented, appropriate PPE provided and available, employees trained on PPE use, PPE in serviceable condition.
- Hazard communication (Subpart Z): written HazCom program current, Safety Data Sheets accessible for all chemicals, container labels present and legible, employee training current.
- Fire protection (Subpart L): extinguishers mounted, charged and inspected, sprinkler heads unobstructed, fire alarm pull stations accessible, evacuation plan posted.
- Electrical safety (Subpart S): panel covers in place, working clearances maintained, no damaged cords, GFCIs tested, junction box covers installed.
- Machine guarding (Subpart O): point-of-operation guards in place, power transmission guards secure, abrasive wheel guards installed, guard interlocks functional.
- Materials handling (Subpart N): forklift daily inspections documented, overhead crane inspections current, slings and rigging in good condition, dock plates secured.
- Overall result: Pass/Fail determination, defect register with severity ratings, corrective action assignments, responsible persons and follow-up due dates.
How to use this osha general industry inspection checklist
- Prepare the inspection by selecting the areas to cover, assembling the checklist, reviewing recent incident reports and prior inspection findings.: Before beginning the walkthrough, review the previous inspection report to check whether corrective actions were completed. Gather the checklist, a clipboard, camera or phone for photos, PPE for the areas you will enter, and any test equipment such as a GFCI tester or light meter. Notify area supervisors that an inspection is taking place so they can answer questions and accompany you if needed.
- Walk the facility systematically, starting at the main entrance and proceeding through each area, marking each checklist item as Pass, Fail or N/A.: Follow a consistent route to ensure no area is missed. Inspect walking surfaces, exits and egress first because they affect every employee. Then inspect PPE usage, chemical storage and labeling, fire protection equipment, electrical panels and machine guarding in each work area. Photograph deficiencies to support corrective action requests and to create a visual record for the inspection file.
- Interview employees in each area about safety concerns, near misses and any hazards they have identified since the last inspection.: Ask workers whether they have noticed any new hazards, experienced near misses, or have concerns about their PPE, training or work procedures. Employee input often reveals hazards that are not visible during a walkthrough, such as intermittent equipment malfunctions, ergonomic issues or chemical exposures during specific tasks. Document these concerns on the checklist.
- Test safety equipment including GFCI receptacles, emergency lighting, fire extinguisher gauges, eyewash stations and safety showers.: Press the test button on each GFCI receptacle and reset it. Activate emergency lighting by simulating a power failure at the test switch. Check that fire extinguisher gauges show adequate pressure and that annual inspection tags are current. Flush eyewash stations and safety showers to verify flow rate and water clarity. Record results on the checklist and note any equipment that fails testing.
- Complete the overall assessment, assign corrective actions with due dates and responsible persons, and distribute the report to management.: Review all findings, assign a severity rating to each deficiency (imminent danger, serious, other-than-serious, de minimis) and set corrective action due dates proportional to severity. Imminent danger conditions must be corrected immediately or the area must be shut down. Sign the completed checklist, distribute copies to area supervisors and the safety committee, and schedule a follow-up inspection to verify that corrective actions were implemented.
In MapTrack, you can digitise regulatory compliance forms for your region. Each submission is stored as a timestamped PDF against the asset record.
Get the free template
Enter your email above to download the full osha general industry inspection checklist as a PDF.
Back to download formHow often should you complete this checklist?
OSHA does not prescribe a universal inspection frequency for general industry workplaces, but the general duty clause requires employers to maintain safe conditions at all times. Industry best practice is to conduct a comprehensive facility-wide inspection at least quarterly, with monthly focused inspections targeting higher-risk areas such as machine shops, chemical storage, electrical rooms and loading docks.
Daily informal inspections by supervisors at the start of each shift catch obvious hazards before employees begin work. Annual comprehensive audits that cover every Subpart of 29 CFR 1910 provide a baseline for the following year. After any OSHA 300 recordable incident, near miss or significant process change, a targeted inspection of the affected area should be performed before normal operations resume. Facilities with high hazard operations may increase frequency to monthly comprehensive inspections.
Frequently asked questions
Applicable regulatory standards
This template aligns with the following regulations and standards:
- OSHA 29 CFR 1910 Subpart D (Walking-Working Surfaces)
- OSHA 29 CFR 1910 Subpart E (Means of Egress)
- OSHA 29 CFR 1910 Subpart I (Personal Protective Equipment)
- OSHA 29 CFR 1910 Subpart O (Machinery and Machine Guarding)
- OSHA 29 CFR 1910 Subpart S (Electrical)
- OSHA 29 CFR 1910.1200 (Hazard Communication)
Need to digitise regulatory compliance forms for your region?
Register every asset in MapTrack, attach digital forms, and get a complete history of every inspection, service and compliance record.
Compliance and inspections · All templates · Pricing · Book a demo