Free WHS Inspection (Laboratory) Template

Purpose of the Free WHS Inspection (Laboratory) Template

This Free WHS Inspection (Laboratory) Template provides a structured starting point for systematically checking your laboratory environment for health and safety hazards. Regular inspections are a cornerstone of effective risk management, helping your organisation identify potential issues before they cause an incident, injury, or illness.

Using a standardised checklist helps ensure consistency, demonstrates due diligence, and fosters a proactive safety culture among your team.

The template covers common areas of concern in a laboratory setting, including chemical storage and handling, personal protective equipment (PPE) availability, equipment safety, waste disposal, emergency preparedness, and general housekeeping. It acts as a foundational tool within a broader WHS management system, providing documented evidence that hazards are being identified and controlled.

How to use the Free WHS Inspection (Laboratory) Template

To get the most value from the Free WHS Inspection (Laboratory) Template, it should be integrated into your organisation's safety procedures. The process typically involves downloading the document, customising it for your specific environment, scheduling and conducting the inspection, documenting findings, and implementing corrective actions for any identified non-conformances.

Important: This template is a general guide. We have designed it to be adapted.

You must customise it to reflect the specific hazards, equipment, chemicals, and processes unique to your laboratory. A genetics lab will have different risks compared to a materials testing lab, and your inspection checklist must reflect that reality.

This general inspection can be supported by more detailed daily checks for specific pieces of equipment. For example, if your lab regularly uses particular appliances, you might supplement this inspection with a dedicated pre-start checklist for blenders to ensure their safe operation each day.

When to use this Inspection Template

Regular, scheduled inspections are key to maintaining a safe laboratory. The frequency of these inspections—whether monthly, quarterly, or bi-annually—should be determined by your risk assessment, considering the nature of the work performed, the materials used, and any legislative requirements.

A high-risk lab working with volatile substances may require more frequent inspections than a low-risk educational lab.

In addition to routine scheduling, this inspection should also be conducted:

• After an incident, near miss, or reported hazard.
• When new equipment, hazardous substances, or work processes are introduced.
• Following significant changes to the laboratory layout.
• In preparation for an external audit or regulatory visit.

For equipment that poses a daily risk, such as cold storage units, consider implementing daily checks using a tool like our Free Pre-Start Checklist (Freezer) Template to complement the less frequent, comprehensive lab inspection.

Who should use this Inspection Template

This template is designed for use by competent personnel responsible for workplace health and safety. This can include Laboratory Managers, WHS/OHS Officers, Supervisors, and Health and Safety Representatives (HSRs).

The person conducting the inspection must be familiar with the laboratory's operations and have sufficient knowledge to recognise potential hazards, from incorrectly stored chemicals to inadequate machine guarding.

While management and safety officers often lead these formal inspections, encouraging participation from all lab personnel promotes a stronger safety culture. Some organisations find a team-based approach, involving a manager and a lab technician, to be highly effective.

This comprehensive inspection is distinct from the routine daily checks that all workers should perform on their immediate work area and equipment. For certain items, a specific checklist like our bottle warmer pre-start checklist can help formalise these daily operator checks.

For an independent and thorough assessment of your safety processes against legal and other requirements, many organisations engage external experts to conduct WHS compliance auditing. If you need other templates for different tasks or equipment, you can explore the complete free WHS resources library for more options.