A laboratory inspection form for routine lab safety audits: the chemical hygiene plan and training, door signs, conduct and housekeeping, exits, each fume hood with its test date and airflow, chemical storage and labels, compressed gas cylinders, eyewash and showers, hazardous and sharps waste, electrical and equipment, and biological work where it applies — scored, with every failed check turned into a finding.
Lab and Inspection
Which lab, who runs it, and who inspected.
Inspection Title
Institution or Company
Address
Building and room number
Lab supervisor or principal investigator
Lab contact during the inspection
What kind of work is done here? — Chemistry, Biology or microbiology, Clinical or diagnostic, Teaching, Materials or engineering, Quality control, Radioactive materials, Lasers, Other
Type of inspection — Routine scheduled, Lab self-inspection, Follow-up of earlier findings, After an incident, Lab closing or moving
Your Company
Inspected by
Date
Plans, Training and Signs
The written program, the people who have read it, and what is posted at the door.
Is the chemical hygiene plan, or the lab safety manual, available in or near the lab? — Yes, No, N/A
Have the people working here signed to say they have read it? — Yes, No, N/A
Are there written procedures for the most hazardous work done here? — Yes, No, N/A
Are lab safety training records current for everyone working in the lab? — Yes, No, N/A
Does the door sign show the hazards inside and an emergency contact, and is it up to date? — Yes, No, N/A
Is contaminated or out-of-service equipment tagged so nobody uses it? — Yes, No, N/A
Photographs — door sign and postings
Conduct and Housekeeping
How people are working, and whether the space lets them work safely.
Is the lab free of food, drink and cosmetics, including in lab refrigerators? — Yes, No, N/A
Is everyone at the bench wearing suitable eye protection? — Yes, No, N/A
Are lab coats worn, and are long hair, open shoes and shorts kept out of the lab? — Yes, No, N/A
Are benches, floors and sinks clean and uncluttered? — Yes, No, N/A
Is there enough clear bench space for the work being done? — Yes, No, N/A
Are aisles kept clear — about 36 inches wide — with nothing stored in them? — Yes, No, N/A
Are exits marked, unlocked from inside and unobstructed? — Yes, No, N/A
Is storage kept at least 18 inches below sprinkler heads? — Yes, No, N/A
Is the lab locked when nobody is in it? — Yes, No, N/A
Photographs — benches and aisles
Fume Hoods
One entry per hood: tested, working, and used as a hood rather than a cupboard.
Does the lab have chemical fume hoods?
Fume hoods
Hood number or tag
Date of last airflow test, from the hood label
Is that test within the last year? — Yes, No
Does the airflow monitor read normal, with the alarm working? — Yes, No
Is the sash at or below the marked working height, or closed when not in use? — Yes, No
Is the hood free of stored bottles and clutter blocking the airflow? — Yes, No
What is wrong with it
Photo
Do the people using the hoods know how to work in them safely — sash low, six inches in? — Yes, No, N/A
Chemical Storage and Labels
Every container identified, compatible things together, breakables low.
Does every container, including vials and wash bottles, show the full chemical name — not just a formula or initials? — Yes, No, N/A
Are labels legible and intact? — Yes, No, N/A
Are chemicals stored by hazard class, with incompatibles separated? — Yes, No, N/A
Are containers suitable for what they hold, closed, and in good condition? — Yes, No, N/A
Are liquids stored in trays or tubs that would catch a leak? — Yes, No, N/A
Are large bottles and corrosives stored below eye level, and away from shelf edges? — Yes, No, N/A
Are flammable liquids kept in a flammables cabinet, beyond what is in use? — Yes, No, N/A
Is the total amount of flammable liquid within the limit for this lab? — Yes, No, N/A
Are peroxide-forming and time-sensitive chemicals dated when opened, and none past their date? — Yes, No, N/A
Are refrigerators used for flammables of a type rated for it, and labeled for chemicals only? — Yes, No, N/A
Photographs — storage and labels
Compressed Gases
Cylinders that cannot fall, are identified, and are returned when empty.
Are there compressed gas cylinders in the lab?
Is every cylinder secured upright with a chain or strap at about two-thirds height? — Yes, No, N/A
Do cylinders not in use have their valve caps on? — Yes, No, N/A
Is each cylinder labeled with its contents? — Yes, No, N/A
Are empty cylinders marked empty and sent back promptly? — Yes, No, N/A
Are regulators suited to the gas, and are lines and fittings free of leaks? — Yes, No, N/A
Are toxic or flammable gases kept in a ventilated cabinet or with gas detection, where needed? — Yes, No, N/A
Photographs — cylinders
Emergency Equipment and Plans
What someone needs in the first minute after a splash, a spill or a fire.
Is the eyewash reachable in about 10 seconds, with nothing in the way? — Yes, No, N/A
Is the eyewash flushed weekly, with a record? — Yes, No, N/A
Is the safety shower unobstructed and tested on schedule? — Yes, No, N/A
Is a fire extinguisher in place, accessible and inspected? — Yes, No, N/A
Is there a spill kit suited to the chemicals here, with its location known? — Yes, No, N/A
Is the evacuation route posted, with the locations of alarms and extinguishers? — Yes, No, N/A
Are emergency phone numbers posted by the phone or the door? — Yes, No, N/A
Is there a stocked first aid kit, including anything specific to the lab's hazards? — Yes, No, N/A
Photographs — emergency equipment
Waste
Chemical, sharps and broken glass waste in the right containers.
Is there a designated, signed area for hazardous waste? — Yes, No, N/A
Is waste segregated so incompatible wastes never share a container? — Yes, No, N/A
Is every waste container labeled with its full contents and a start date? — Yes, No, N/A
Are waste containers kept closed when not being filled? — Yes, No, N/A
Are liquid waste containers in secondary containment? — Yes, No, N/A
Are needles and blades going into a proper sharps container, not full past its line? — Yes, No, N/A
Is broken glass collected in a rigid box, separate from general trash? — Yes, No, N/A
Photographs — waste
Electrical and Equipment
Power, plant and shelving that will not cause the next incident.
Are extension cords used only temporarily, not run under doors or daisy-chained? — Yes, No, N/A
Are outlets free of overloading, with no multi-plug adapters stacked? — Yes, No, N/A
Are equipment cords and plugs undamaged? — Yes, No, N/A
Are electrical items kept clear of sinks and water baths? — Yes, No, N/A
Is equipment in good repair, with nothing broken still in use? — Yes, No, N/A
Are belts, pulleys and other moving parts guarded? — Yes, No, N/A
Are gas, water and vacuum lines free of leaks? — Yes, No, N/A
Is shelving stable and anchored, with lips or rails on open shelves? — Yes, No, N/A
Photographs — electrical and equipment
Biological Work
Only for labs handling biological materials.
Does the lab work with biological materials or agents?
Biosafety level — BSL-1, BSL-2, BSL-3, Not assigned
Is the biohazard sign on the door, with the agents and contact named? — Yes, No, N/A
Is the biosafety cabinet certified within the last year? — Yes, No, N/A
Is a suitable disinfectant available, and are surfaces decontaminated after work? — Yes, No, N/A
Is biological waste in labeled biohazard containers and sent for treatment? — Yes, No, N/A
Is there a biological spill kit and procedure? — Yes, No, N/A
Findings and Sign-Off
What needs fixing, who owns it, and who signed.
Anything corrected during the inspection
Corrective actions
What needs doing
Exactly where
Priority — Stop now, Today, This week, Before next inspection
Owner — a person, not a department
Due by
Photo
General observations
Any other photographs
Inspector — signature
Lab supervisor — name
Lab supervisor — signature
Health & Safety
Laboratory Inspection Form
A laboratory inspection form for routine lab safety audits: the chemical hygiene plan and training, door signs, conduct and housekeeping, exits, each fume hood with its test date and airflow, chemical storage and labels, compressed gas cylinders, eyewash and showers, hazardous and sharps waste, electrical and equipment, and biological work where it applies — scored, with every failed check turned into a finding.
✓Free — no account, no trial, no card.
Fill this in and download the finished PDF. Your answers stay on this device as you type. We ask for an email address once, at the download.
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This form audits the whole lab. Assessing the risk from one substance or procedure — who is exposed, how, and which controls it needs? That has its own page: Chemical exposure assessment (COSHH)
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A laboratory inspection form is the record of a periodic safety walk through one lab: is the paperwork in place, are people working safely, are the fume hoods doing their job, are chemicals and gas cylinders stored the way they should be, would the eyewash work if someone needed it, and is the waste under control. This form covers all of it, lists each fume hood separately, folds away gas cylinders or biological work when a lab has none, and phrases every check so a Yes is the safe answer — which makes the score honest and the failed checks easy to list. You can fill it in here and download a finished PDF without creating an account.
Who uses a lab inspection, and how often
In universities and research institutes, the environmental health and safety office usually inspects each lab once or twice a year, and the lab itself is expected to do a shorter self-inspection more often — monthly is common. In industry, quality control and R&D labs are often folded into the site safety inspection schedule. Teaching labs in schools and colleges are typically checked each term.
The same form serves all three. What changes is who walks it with you: the lab manager or principal investigator should be there, so the actions have an owner before you leave the room.
Fume hoods deserve their own list
A chemical fume hood is the most important control in most labs, and the one most often defeated by habit: the sash left fully open, bottles stored at the back blocking the baffles, a hood used as a cupboard for things nobody wants to throw away. Each hood here is its own entry, with its ID, the date of its last face-velocity test, whether the airflow monitor reads normal, and whether the sash and the work area are as they should be.
A hood with an overdue test or an alarm that has been silenced should be tagged out of use until it is checked. That is a finding, and the form records it against the hood by number.
What tends to fail
Across most lab audits, the same handful of items account for the majority of findings:
Secondary containers and sample vials without a full chemical name.
Incompatible chemicals stored together, often acids with organics or oxidizers.
Gas cylinders not secured, or secured with a single strap that could slip off.
Eyewash stations not flushed weekly, or blocked by a trolley.
Waste containers left open or without a start date.
Food or drink in the lab, or in a lab refrigerator.
Scoring and the follow-up
Every check is Yes, No or N/A. The score is the share of applicable checks answered Yes, with each fume hood counted separately. The No answers are what matter: the report puts them first, and in the ReportWalk app a re-inspection turns each one into a card asking whether it has been fixed.
Speak while you walk, and the document writes itself: say what you see at each bench, hood and cabinet, and photograph the problems as you find them.
Common questions
What should a laboratory safety inspection cover?
Plans and training, signage, conduct and housekeeping, exits, fume hoods, chemical storage and labeling, compressed gases, emergency equipment, waste, electrical safety and, where it applies, biological safety. This form covers each of those.
How often should fume hoods be tested?
Most institutions test face velocity at least once a year and after any change to the ventilation system. The hood should carry a label with the date of its last test and the sash height it was tested at.
Is this the same as a chemical hygiene plan?
No. The chemical hygiene plan is the lab's written safety program. This inspection checks whether the plan is available, whether people have read it, and whether what it says is happening on the bench.
Does it cover biosafety cabinets?
Yes, briefly. If the lab works with biological materials, a gated section checks the biosafety cabinet certification, signage and decontamination. A full biosafety audit for higher containment levels is a separate document.
Can a lab use it for self-inspection?
Yes. Many labs walk it monthly themselves and keep the PDFs, so the formal annual inspection starts from a record of what has already been fixed.