Inspection + Maintenance
Types of inspections and audits
At the University of Alberta, safety is our culture. To assess the state of your work space/site inspections are helpful. You will come across these types of inspections and audits.
| Planned Inspection (Self-Inspection) | Completed by laboratory staff |
| Faculty of Engineering Inspection | Depending on laboratory compliance |
| Environment, Health, and Safety Audits | Annual audits (by EHS) |
Planned Inspection
The Faculty of Engineering, has mandated all work sites, labs and research spaces to carry out planned inspections, under the Planned Inspection Program (PIP). Inspection frequency for each facility (space) has been assigned based on hazards present. To find out your inspection frequency email enggsafety@ualberta.ca. A general frequency assignment matrix is shown below:
| Hazards | Inspection Frequency |
Total Inspections (per year) |
| Chemical | Monthly | 12 |
| Biological | Monthly | 12 |
| Radiation/Laser | Monthly | 12 |
| Physical | Bi-Monthly | 6 |
| Ergonomic | Semi-Annual | 2 |
| All other facilities (eg. computer labs/lecture theatres, etc) | Annual | 1 |
Please use the planned inspection database to inspect your facility. A user guide is provided (to the right) to help you navigate through the system. Once you submit an inspection, your Principle Investigator/Supervisor will receive a copy of the report, along with any delegates assigned in the system. A copy of these reports should be retained for documentation by the supervisor or lab safety designate, they can be downloaded from the database at anytime. Ensure all assigned corrective actions have been marked as complete in the database after completing them.
A planned inspection takes about 30 minutes to complete and should be completed every month (unless a lower frequency is assigned). An automated reminder will be sent to you based on your inspection frequency by the system. If the corrective actions are not completed by the due date, a reminder will be sent to the assigned personal.
To assign a delegate, follow the instructions in the user guide.
Faculty of Engineering Inspection
The Faculty Safety Advisor conducts inspections on a variable frequency based on a safety program review of the research space. You can also request a safety review of your space to be proactive and understand the requirements, by emailing enggplan@ualberta.ca.
EHS Audits
EHS audits are done on an annual basis. These are scheduled with the lab PI and there delegates two weeks prior to the inspection date. EHS is the University's regulatory department, that will assess your labs compliance with the provincial, federal, and institutional regulations and policies.
Maintenance
A periodic maintenance plan must be created by all facilities for the equipment owned by them. If you require assistance in maintaining your equipment or hiring a contractor to assist you, please contact our safety office for advise.