Free WHS Inspection (School) Template

Purpose of the Free WHS Inspection (School) Template

Regular safety inspections are a fundamental part of managing Work Health and Safety (WHS) in any Australian school. This Free WHS Inspection (School) Template provides a structured starting point for systematically identifying, assessing, and documenting potential hazards across your educational environment.

Using a formal checklist helps ensure that no area is overlooked, from classrooms and playgrounds to administrative offices and maintenance sheds. It supports a proactive approach to safety, helping your school meet its duty of care to students, staff, and visitors.

The template is designed to be a practical tool that helps formalise your inspection process. It prompts users to look at common risk areas and provides a clear format for recording findings, recommending corrective actions, and assigning responsibility.

Adopting this structured approach is a key component of effective risk management and forms an important part of broader WHS management systems, demonstrating a clear commitment to maintaining a safe and healthy workplace.

How to use the Free WHS Inspection (School) Template

This document is provided as a fully editable DOCX file, with a PDF version also available for easy printing. To get the most value from this resource, follow these steps:

• Download and Customise: Download the template and open the DOCX file. Add your school’s name, logo, and specific inspection details.
• Walk Through and Adapt: Review the checklist items and adapt them to your school’s unique environment. Add sections for specialised areas like science labs, design and technology workshops, swimming pools, or agricultural plots. Remove any items that are not relevant.
• Conduct the Inspection: Use the customised checklist to perform a physical walkthrough of the school premises. Involve relevant personnel, such as the Health and Safety Representative (HSR), department heads, or maintenance staff.
• Document and Report: Clearly record all observations, noting any hazards or non-conformances. Use the comment fields to provide detail and take photos where necessary.
• Assign Corrective Actions: For each identified hazard, define a clear corrective action, assign it to a responsible person, and set a realistic due date for completion.

Please note: This template provides a foundational structure. We recommend you customise it thoroughly to address the specific hazards, equipment, and operational areas unique to your school environment.

What to look for during a school inspection

A thorough school inspection should cover all areas accessible to students, staff, and visitors. The checklist is categorised to guide you, but key focus areas should include:

• Classrooms and Learning Areas: Check for trip hazards (cords, bags), clear egress, appropriate furniture condition, secure shelving, and electrical safety.
• Playgrounds and Outdoor Areas: Inspect equipment for damage or wear, check soft-fall surfaces, ensure fencing is secure, and look for environmental hazards like trip roots or poor drainage.
• Sports Facilities: Examine goalposts, playing surfaces, and storage of sports equipment. Ensure procedures are in place for equipment use and maintenance.
• Science and Technology Rooms: Verify chemical storage, check functionality of safety equipment (eyewash stations, fume cupboards), and ensure machine guarding is in place. Specialised rooms may also require specific checks, like a daily pre-start check for a blender in a home economics classroom.
• Staff Rooms and Offices: Assess ergonomic setups, electrical equipment testing and tagging, and general housekeeping standards.
• Amenities and First Aid: Check that toilets and change rooms are clean and well-maintained. Ensure first aid kits are stocked and accessible, and that rooms for students with special needs are equipped appropriately. Some schools may benefit from a formal pre-start checklist for patient hoists in these areas.
• Grounds and Maintenance: Review pathways for trip hazards, assess lighting, and check the condition of maintenance equipment. Procedures should include items like a pre-start checklist for a lawn tractor before use.
• Access and Egress: Ensure emergency exits are clear and functional, and that access control systems are working correctly. This includes checking things like a pre-start checklist for a boom gate in the car park.

When to use it

Workplace inspections should be conducted on a regular, scheduled basis to proactively identify issues. A comprehensive site-wide inspection using this template is recommended at least once per term or semester.

Additionally, inspections should be triggered by specific events, such as after a significant incident or near miss, before the introduction of new equipment or facilities, or following major changes to the school layout or operations. Regular inspections form part of the evidence base for larger, less frequent WHS compliance audits.

Who should use it

This inspection template is designed for use by anyone with responsibility for health and safety within a school. This can include the Principal, Deputy Principal, Business Manager, a dedicated WHS Officer or Coordinator, or the Facilities Manager.

To ensure a comprehensive review, the inspection process should ideally be a collaborative effort involving Health and Safety Representatives (HSRs) and other relevant staff members who have direct knowledge of the specific work areas being inspected. Their input is invaluable for identifying hazards that may not be obvious during a simple walkthrough. You can find more templates and checklists like this one in our free WHS resources library.