Business Category: Safety / Industrial Category: Manufacturing

Automotive Workshop Inspection Checklist

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This checklist is designed to help workshop owners, mechanics, and technicians ensure that safety policies are visibly displayed and practiced. It also verifies that procedures for addressing findings are established, that first aid kits and eye protection equipment are available, and that standard operating procedures for workshop activities are implemented while ensuring effective fire safety, chemical safety, and fall protection measures are in place.

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Automotive Workshop Inspection Checklist
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How to Use This Checklist

  • **Work through the checklist in order.** The Inspection section asks who conducted the check, who prepared it, and at which location, so the record has an owner and a place before you start assessing conditions.
  • **Walk the workshop, not the clipboard.** Items such as fire extinguishers provided, maintained and accessible, extinguishers spaced at 15 metre intervals, sprinkler heads with 45 cm clearance, fire hydrants clear and accessible, and all exits clear and accessible are things you confirm by looking, so move through the workshop zones and verify each one on site.
  • **Open the cabinets and check the stores.** Confirm flammable liquids are in a flammable storage cabinet when not in use, with doors closed and secured; that oily rags sit in a metal safety box with an airtight lid until properly disposed; that compressed gas cylinders are properly stored and secured; and that all hazardous goods and substances are stored and labelled correctly, with safety data sheets available for all chemicals and an inventory of chemicals maintained.
  • **Check the equipment records as well as the equipment.** Electrical equipment maintenance as per the manufacturer's recommendations, hoists and jacks inspected and maintained as per the manufacturer's recommendations, compressors regularly inspected and maintained, electrical tools inspected and maintained regularly, and regular inspection of lifting equipment such as chains and slings all ask you to confirm the records exist, not just that the item looks serviceable.
  • **Answer each item Yes, No, or N/A.** N/A is for items that genuinely do not apply to your workshop, such as pit areas equipped with fall protection where there is no pit. Do not use it to skip something that is merely inconvenient.
  • **Look at people as well as premises.** Fire fighting instructions provided to staff, new employee and contractor orientation conducted, PPE training for employees when using hazardous goods or substances, and hearing protection and audiometric testing provided with records maintained all ask whether the workforce has been briefed and equipped, not just whether the paperwork exists.
  • **Note every 'No' and route it.** The Inspection section asks whether observation resolution procedures are in place — use them. A 'No' against an item such as oil rags stored correctly or unauthorised access restricted at site should become a finding with someone responsible for closing it out.

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What an automotive workshop inspection is

An automotive workshop inspection is a structured walkthrough of the whole site — the bays, stores, plant and people — to confirm that the controls that keep mechanics and technicians safe are actually in place and being followed. This checklist is the tool that supports that work. The checklist is organised into nine sections: Inspection; Policies and Procedures; Manual Handling; Fire Safety; Flammable Gas and Liquid Safety; Workshop Zones; Chemicals; Preventing Falls from Heights; and Maintenance of Premises. It contains 70 items, mostly answered Yes, No, or N/A.

Why it matters

A workshop holds the hazards of a garage and a light industrial site in the same room: vehicle lifts, compressed gas, flammable liquids, hot work, stored parts, and people working at height over pits and mezzanines. The checklist treats those hazards as one set of controls to be verified rather than as separate concerns, which is how they present themselves on the floor. It also connects the physical state of the workshop to the systems behind it. Alongside the hardware — first aid kits, eye wash stations, extinguishers, guarding — the checklist asks whether safety policies are visibly displayed and practised, whether procedures for addressing findings exist, and whether standard operating procedures for workshop activities are implemented. A finding without a resolution procedure is just an observation.

What a good inspection covers

**Fire safety.** Confirm fire extinguishers are provided, maintained and accessible, and that staff have been given fire fighting instructions. Check extinguishers are spaced at 15 metre intervals and identified, that sprinkler heads have 45 cm clearance with no obstruction of flow, that fire hydrants are clear and accessible, and that the emergency service phone number is displayed. **Flammable gas and liquid safety.** Confirm flammable materials are stored away from electrical sources and that 'NO SMOKING' signs are posted and enforced. Check compressed gas cylinders are properly stored and secured. Oily rags should be in a metal safety box with an airtight lid until properly disposed of, and flammable liquids should be in a flammable storage cabinet when not in use, with doors closed and secured. All fuels, oils and other flammable liquids belong in appropriate containers, and flammable liquid drums must be grounded and bonded during distribution. Heat and spark generating activities should be performed at least 6 metres away. **Chemicals.** Verify that all hazardous goods and substances are stored and labelled correctly, that safety data sheets are available for all chemicals, and that an inventory of chemicals is maintained. Employees using hazardous goods or substances should have PPE training. Used oils and other products must be disposed of properly, and asbestos-containing materials handled appropriately. **Manual handling.** Look at whether the risk of manually handling heavy items has been assessed and controlled, whether awkward postures are identified and managed, whether mechanical aids are used for lifting heavy objects, and whether toolboxes are mobile for easy access. **Preventing falls from heights.** Mezzanine levels should be equipped with guardrails and access ramps, stairs fitted with handrails and non-slip treads, and work platforms used for accessing work at heights. Pit areas must be equipped with fall protection. **Maintenance of premises.** Check the workshop floor is free of slip and trip hazards, that adequate lighting is provided, exits are clear and accessible, restrooms are available and clean, and a clean break room area is provided. Confirm parts are stored in appropriate areas with racks and shelves, and that no goods are stored on the rooftops of offices or buildings unless those roofs are designed for the loads. **Workshop zones and the wider site.** Confirm eye protection is provided and required when necessary, guarding is installed on equipment when necessary, no electrical equipment is used in wet areas of the workshop, tire inflation cages are available and used, and unauthorised access is restricted at the site.

Policies, procedures and records

Underpinning the physical checks is a set of items on the systems that make the workshop work: whether a visible safety policy is displayed, whether a safety committee is established, whether observation resolution procedures are in place, whether new employees and contractors receive orientation, and whether standard operating procedures for workshop activities are implemented. The checklist also asks that first aid kits and eye wash stations are available, injury records are maintained, emergency contact numbers posted, an injury response poster displayed, and lockout/tagout procedures for maintenance and repair exist.

Frequently Asked Questions

The checklist groups its items under nine sections: Inspection; Policies and Procedures; Manual Handling; Fire Safety; Flammable Gas and Liquid Safety; Workshop Zones; Chemicals; Preventing Falls from Heights; and Maintenance of Premises. Together these cover your admin records, how materials are moved by hand, fire and flammable-substance controls, the condition of work areas, chemical handling, work at height, and maintenance of the premises.

The checklist uses a simple answer scale of Yes, No, or N/A for each item. That lets you record whether a control is in place, flag what is missing, and mark items that do not apply to your workshop without leaving anything ambiguous.

Fire safety is checked through a run of requirements: extinguishers provided, maintained and accessible, with fire fighting instructions given to staff; extinguishers spaced at intervals of 15 metres and identified; sprinkler heads kept clear with 45 cm clearance and no obstruction of flow; fire hydrants clear and accessible; the emergency service phone number displayed; and all exits clear and accessible.

Flammable materials must be stored away from electrical sources, and 'NO SMOKING' signs posted and enforced. Compressed gas cylinders are to be properly stored and secured. Oily rags belong in a metal safety box with an airtight lid until properly disposed of. Flammable liquids are stored in a flammable storage cabinet when not in use, with the doors closed and secured. All fuels, oils and other flammable liquids must be in appropriate containers, and flammable liquid drums grounded and bonded during distribution. Heat and spark generating activities are performed at least 6 metres away.

Chemical safety is covered by storing and labelling all hazardous goods and substances correctly, keeping safety data sheets available for all chemicals, maintaining an inventory of chemicals, providing personal protective equipment (PPE) training for employees when using hazardous goods or substances, and disposing of used oils and other products properly. The checklist also asks that all asbestos-containing materials are handled appropriately.

The checklist addresses work at height through mezzanine levels equipped with guardrails and access ramps, stairs equipped with handrails and non-slip treads, work platforms used for accessing work at heights, and pit areas equipped with fall protection. It also includes eye protection provided and required when necessary, and asks that the workshop floor is kept free of slip and trip hazards.

Manual handling is covered by risk assessment and control for manual handling of heavy items, identifying and managing awkward postures, using mechanical aids for lifting heavy objects, and keeping toolboxes mobile for easy access.

Maintenance and servicing items include a workshop floor free of slip and trip hazards, adequate lighting, clear and accessible exits, available and clean restrooms, a clean break room area, electrical equipment maintained as per the manufacturer's recommendations with records kept, hoists and jacks inspected and maintained as per the manufacturer's recommendations, compressors regularly inspected and maintained, electrical tools inspected and maintained regularly, and all lifting equipment such as chains and slings inspected regularly.

Yes. The inspection section records when the check was conducted, who prepared it, and the location, alongside items on visible safety policy, a safety committee, observation resolution procedures, new employee and contractor orientation, first aid kits and eye wash stations, injury records, emergency contact numbers, standard operating procedures for workshop activities, restricted unauthorized access, an injury response poster, and lockout/tagout procedures for maintenance and repair. Keeping a record each time lets you track whether findings are resolved.
Arne Reis
Written by
Arne Reis
Founder

Process optimizer with 25 years of expertise, focused on operational excellence in quality, maintenance, EHS, and commissioning. Emphasizes innovative solutions and top-quality standards.

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