OSHA inspection duties, run as checks per piece of equipment
Forklift pre-shift checks, monthly extinguisher checks, exit route and general workplace inspections under 29 CFR 1910, recorded per asset with evidence.
What the standard asks
The general duty clause requires a workplace free from recognised hazards. Specific standards then require inspections at set intervals for particular equipment.
Examples: powered industrial trucks must be examined before being placed in service each day or shift (1910.178(q)(7)); portable fire extinguishers need a monthly visual inspection and an annual maintenance check (1910.157(e)); exit routes must be kept unobstructed and lit (1910.37).
Where a standard requires a record, it must be available to OSHA on request. Where it does not, a record is still how employers show the inspection happened.
OSHA 29 CFR Part 1910: Occupational Safety and Health Standards
How AssetWRX handles it
- 01
Each truck, extinguisher and exit is an asset
A QR label on the equipment opens its record, so the operator's daily check lands on the right truck and the monthly extinguisher walk lands on each unit.
- 02
Pre-shift checks that take a minute
The forklift template is a short pass or fail list on a phone, with a photo on fail. A failed brake or horn takes the truck out of service and opens a job.
- 03
Monthly walks as scheduled inspections
The extinguisher and exit route checks run on schedule, remind the right person and record who did them.
- 04
Records ready for a compliance officer
Signed, timestamped reports per asset or per site, kept on the record and shareable by link.
Questions
- Does OSHA require a written forklift inspection?
- 1910.178(q)(7) requires the examination before use each day or shift; it does not itself require a written record, but a record is how you show it happened and many employers and insurers require one. AssetWRX records each check with who, when and the results.
- What does the monthly extinguisher check involve?
- 1910.157(e)(2) requires a visual inspection at least monthly: the extinguisher is in place, accessible, charged and undamaged, with the tag initialled and dated. Annual maintenance is a fuller check by a qualified person.
- Can contractors use the same checks?
- Yes. Contractors are invited to specific assets and jobs, complete the same templates and their results sit on the same record.
General guidance, not legal advice. Duties depend on your premises, jurisdiction and risk assessment; confirm them with a competent person.
Run the first check this week
Your first asset is free, with no card. Import the checklist at signup, label the asset, run the check on a phone.