Life-Safety Equipment Inspections

Ensuring that life-safety equipment is inspected regularly helps reduce risks. This isn't just best practice — it's the legal responsibility of the building owner and/or property manager. Not checking or knowing that a particular piece of equipment requires attention will not absolve the responsible party of negligence.

Mandating routine inspections

National and provincial legislation, as well as some insurance policies dictate the frequency of life-safety equipment inspections. For example, the Ontario Fire Code mandates that equipment such as fire extinguishers must be inspected every 30 days. Ontario’s Occupational Health and Safety Act states that inspections of electrical rooms, first aid kits, eye wash stations and more must be conducted at specified intervals that will prevent the development of unsafe working conditions.

Legislation also identifies the types of deficiencies and conditions to look for during these inspections. If a deficiency is found during an inspection, it’s important to quickly resolve it.

Failure to take immediate corrective action, could result in punitive fines or stop work orders from governing bodies.

Inspection tools

The use of a pen and paper to record inspections is still common.

Staff members or third-party contractors are assigned particular equipment / locations to inspect along with a corresponding checklist of items. As inspections are completed, if any deficiencies are found, they are recorded in a note section. These inspection sheets are then submitted to management for review. Management verifies the inspection results and contacts the appropriate personnel regarding any deficiencies found for remediation.

Software solutions are available to automate inspection workflow.

Staff members or third-party contractors are similarly assigned particular equipment / locations to inspect. At each inspection location, they scan a NFC-tagged asset to access guided inspection checklists tailored to each piece of equipment or location. Inspection results are captured instantaneously and stored in a centralized database, eliminating paperwork. Any deficiencies found automatically trigger notifications to the appropriate personnel for remediation. Real-time dashboards provide visibility into inspection progress, and highlights any outstanding issues.

Selecting the right inspection tool depends on your organization's size, operational needs, and compliance requirements. Whether using traditional pen & paper inspections or a digital solution with automated workflow, the most effective approach is one that promotes consistency, improves accountability, and ensures issues are identified and addressed promptly. This will ultimately help protect your people and assets, while satisfying compliance and legislative requirements.

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.