5 Reasons Inspections Get Missed By Honest Workers

For many of us, routine workplace inspections such as fire equipment, first aid equipment, and preventative maintenance are a monthly, daily or even hourly occurrence.

Several legislative Acts mandate these inspections, putting pressure on employers and property managers. Despite these pressures, most organizations have at least one item that chronically falls through the cracks.

Why might this be? We set out to answer just that, and returned with these top 5 factors.

1. Procrastination

According to research, 20% of people chronically avoid difficult tasks. Some key reasons for procrastinating include not knowing where to start, feeling overwhelmed by disorganization, and simply forgetting. The use of automatic reminders and scheduled alerts can help kick this habit by surfacing the right task at the right time.

2. Ambiguous locations

Often, many floors and hallways look similar. Having a list of location descriptions can sometimes falsely lead workers to believe that each location was visited, since all the descriptions sound familiar and lack detail. A simple solution, such as a unique naming convention or an electronic identifier like an NFC tag, can help workers confirm they are inspecting the correct location.

3. Fear of incompetence

The fear of making a mistake, and therefore not appearing like an expert, is particularly prevalent with individuals concerned about their reputation. Workers in this category are typically the least suspected due to their strong performance record; however, they excel again once their initial fear is replaced with expertise. Allowing time to adjust, experiment and build familiarity can restore the feeling of confidence.

4. Interpersonal issues

Having a "free rider" on the team will no doubt have a negative impact on other members. Strong workers who see their efforts undermined by picking up for a colleague's shortcomings will become frustrated. This cascade effect can be mitigated if strong workers believe the free rider will not go unnoticed by management. A simple acknowledgement of a job well done goes a long way. A system of time-stamping and user-stamping each inspection report will also identify the strong performers and hold everyone accountable.

5. Site obstructions

Not having clear or safe access to the area being inspected — whether due to construction, clutter, weather or other common factors — can prevent an inspection from being completed. The real issue is remembering which locations still need to be revisited after the clipboard gets put down. Having an electronic way to filter through hundreds or thousands of inspection records will make follow-up far more manageable and reduce the risk of locations being permanently overlooked.

Even the most honest workers can have difficulty completing their routine inspections from time-to-time.

Digital inspection solutions can help put an end to missed inspections by providing live updates on remaining inspections, guidance on where to locate inspection points, and checklists to help inspectors know what to look for.

Learn more about how they can streamline your inspections. Contact us at customerservice@tapreport.io.

About Tap Report

Tap Report is a Canadian software company that provides a digital solution for managing workplace inspections, safety compliance, and operational reporting. It replaces manual processes, such as paper checklists and spreadsheets, with a mobile and web-based system that allows teams to complete inspections, capture data, and generate compliant reports.

Through an easy-to-use interface and automated workflows, Tap Report helps ensure that inspections are completed, deficiencies are categorized and tracked, and issues are escalated efficiently to the right people. It also offers analytics, customizable reporting, and integrations that helps organizations improve safety, compliance, and operational performance.

For more information, visit www.tapreport.io or contact us at customerservice@tapreport.io.