Facilities & Property checklist
Safety Audit Checklist
Audit property safety across walking surfaces, exits and fire protection, electrical rooms, mechanical plant, hazardous materials, ladders and roof access, emergency preparedness, contractor work, public-area protection, corrective actions, and management oversight.
Are exit routes, electrical access, walking surfaces, emergency safeguards, and high-risk property areas free from uncontrolled critical hazards?
Facilities Safety Lead | Control immediate exposure | Correct hazard and verify before closure
Select an answer to preview the workflow.
About this checklist
What a property safety audit checklist should help you verify
Verify that routine property operations, common areas, technical spaces, emergency systems, contractor work, and maintenance activities are controlled consistently, critical hazards are escalated quickly, and corrective actions remain visible until verified.
When
Routine safety audits, post-incident reviews, contractor work, occupancy changes, and higher-risk property inspections
Use it for monthly or quarterly property safety audits, after incidents or near misses, during high-risk contractor work, after renovations, when occupancy changes, before major events, or when recurring safety findings need structured follow-up.
Who
Facilities, property management, EHS, engineering, maintenance, security, and contractors
Facility managers, property teams, EHS, engineering, maintenance, housekeeping, security, contractor managers, landlords, tenant representatives, and operations leaders can contribute evidence and actions.
Outcome
Safer properties with visible hazards, owners, controls, and verification
Create one evidence trail for safety conditions, critical findings, interim controls, emergency safeguards, contractor work, corrective actions, work orders, specialist reviews, trends, and management sign-off.
Complete safety audit checklist
60 checks across walking surfaces, exits and fire protection, electrical safety, mechanical plant, hazardous materials, work at height, emergency preparedness, contractor controls, occupant protection, corrective actions, trends, and sign-off
Ten sections, sixty checks. Expand any section, then adapt the audit to your property type, occupancy, local building and fire requirements, electrical and chemical rules, contractor permits, emergency plans, accessibility responsibilities, and jurisdiction-specific safety obligations.
Section 1Audit scope, property risk profile, responsibilities, incidents, and previous findings
- Confirm the property, building, floor, zone, audit date, occupancy or operating status, and safety-audit scope are clearly identified.
- Verify current safety procedures, emergency information, risk assessments, inspection schedules, permits, contractor rules, and escalation criteria are available where applicable.
- Review recent incidents, near misses, first-aid cases, hazard reports, tenant or occupant complaints, insurance findings, and previous safety-audit actions before the walk-through.
- Identify higher-risk areas such as roofs, electrical rooms, mechanical rooms, loading zones, service yards, plant rooms, storage areas, workshops, and contractor work zones.
- Confirm ownership is defined across facilities, property management, engineering, maintenance, EHS, housekeeping, security, tenants, landlords, and contractors.
- Record property, audit date, scope, lead auditor, facilities owner, EHS or safety owner, and planned follow-up date.
Section 3Exit routes, emergency doors, fire protection, emergency lighting, and responder access
- Confirm required exit routes, exit access, exit doors, stairs, corridors, and discharge areas are free and unobstructed.
- Verify exit doors can be used as intended during an emergency and are not blocked, improperly locked, damaged, or restricted by temporary work or access-control arrangements.
- Check exit signs, directional signs, emergency lighting, alarm devices, evacuation information, and other emergency safeguards for visibility and serviceable condition.
- Inspect visible fire extinguishers, fire doors, alarm points, detectors, sprinkler valves, hose cabinets, hydrants, risers, and responder access for obstruction or obvious damage.
- Confirm fire doors and smoke-control doors are not improperly propped, wedged, obstructed, damaged, or prevented from operating as intended.
- Escalate blocked exit routes, impaired fire-protection systems, out-of-service emergency safeguards, or restricted responder access immediately and apply approved interim controls.
Section 5Mechanical rooms, plant equipment, pressure, energy isolation, guarding, and maintenance safety
- Inspect mechanical rooms, pump rooms, boiler areas, HVAC plant, generator rooms, compressor spaces, and utility zones for safe access, housekeeping, leaks, damage, and abnormal operating condition.
- Check guards, covers, barriers, rotating-equipment protection, access panels, belt or coupling guards, and other safeguards for secure condition where provided.
- Confirm isolation points, shutdown controls, equipment labels, lockout or tagout provisions, and safe maintenance access are identifiable where energy-control procedures apply.
- Inspect pipes, valves, pressure equipment, hot surfaces, steam systems, compressed-air systems, fuels, refrigerants, and other utility hazards for obvious leaks, damage, missing insulation, or uncontrolled exposure.
- Verify maintenance tools, removed guards, open panels, temporary hoses, cords, parts, and work-in-progress do not leave uncontrolled hazards when technicians are absent.
- Escalate failed safeguards, severe leaks, unstable equipment, abnormal vibration, overheating, pressure hazards, or other plant conditions requiring shutdown, restriction, or specialist review.
Section 7Ladders, roof access, elevated work, platforms, fall hazards, and restricted-area controls
- Inspect portable ladders provided for property work for damage, missing feet, cracked rails, defective rungs, contamination, unauthorized repair, or unsuitable condition.
- Check fixed ladders, roof-access ladders, hatches, roof routes, platforms, mezzanines, catwalks, guardrails, and access points for secure condition and visible deterioration.
- Confirm floor openings, roof openings, edges, pits, service voids, temporary openings, and elevated maintenance areas are protected according to the site's applicable fall-protection requirements.
- Verify access to roofs, elevated plant, restricted technical areas, and other higher-risk spaces is controlled to authorized personnel.
- Check contractors performing work at height use the required permits, access equipment, fall-protection systems, barricades, exclusion zones, and competent supervision where applicable.
- Escalate damaged ladders, missing guardrails, unsafe roof access, unprotected openings, unstable platforms, or other serious fall hazards immediately.
Section 9Contractor safety, permits, public and occupant protection, security interfaces, and temporary work
- Confirm contractors receive site safety rules, emergency information, access requirements, reporting expectations, restricted-area controls, and task-specific requirements before work begins.
- Verify permits or approvals for hot work, confined-space entry, electrical work, isolation, excavation, roof work, work at height, fire-system impairment, or other controlled activities are used where applicable.
- Inspect contractor work zones for barricades, signage, housekeeping, safe material storage, cords and hoses, equipment security, public separation, and safe access around the activity.
- Confirm temporary shutdowns, bypasses, disabled alarms, isolated fire systems, open panels, floor openings, scaffolds, or temporary routes are documented and managed with appropriate interim safeguards.
- Check security and safety controls do not conflict with emergency egress, emergency-service access, tenant access, or safe maintenance routes.
- Record repeated contractor safety issues, permit failures, poor housekeeping, unsafe temporary work, occupant complaints, or recurring supervision weaknesses for vendor-performance follow-up.
Section 2Walking-working surfaces, housekeeping, floors, stairs, access routes, and slip-trip controls
- Inspect floors, corridors, passageways, entrances, lobbies, service routes, and other walking-working surfaces for holes, cracks, unevenness, loose materials, or trip hazards.
- Confirm spills, leaks, standing water, dust, debris, waste, trailing cords, hoses, tools, and other slip or trip hazards are promptly controlled.
- Check stairs, landings, handrails, guardrails, ramps, platforms, floor openings, covers, and elevated walking areas for secure condition and visible damage.
- Verify walking-working surfaces are inspected regularly and hazardous conditions are repaired, guarded, restricted, or otherwise controlled before continued use.
- Confirm housekeeping equipment, stored materials, deliveries, furniture, maintenance work, and waste do not obstruct routine access routes or create new hazards.
- Review recurring wet areas, repeated trip hazards, damaged flooring, poor drainage, and recurring housekeeping findings for preventive action rather than repeated temporary correction.
Section 4Electrical rooms, panels, wiring, receptacles, temporary power, and electrical working access
- Inspect electrical panels, distribution boards, switchgear, disconnects, control panels, and electrical rooms for secure covers, visible damage, contamination, water exposure, or overheating evidence.
- Confirm required access and working space around electrical equipment is not obstructed by storage, furniture, waste, tools, carts, or temporary equipment.
- Check receptacles, switches, plugs, cords, power strips, extension cords, visible wiring, conduit, junction boxes, and covers for damage, exposed parts, looseness, or makeshift repair.
- Verify temporary power and extension-cord use is controlled by the site's electrical-safety rules and is not being used as an unmanaged permanent installation.
- Confirm electrical rooms and panels remain dry, appropriately secured, identified, and accessible to authorized personnel as required by the site.
- Escalate exposed energized parts, arcing, burning odor, abnormal heating, damaged insulation, repeated breaker trips, water intrusion, or other serious electrical warning signs immediately.
Section 6Hazardous materials, cleaning chemicals, fuels, compressed gases, labeling, storage, and spill controls
- Confirm cleaning chemicals, maintenance products, paints, fuels, oils, refrigerants, gases, and other hazardous materials are identified and stored in approved areas.
- Verify containers are correctly labeled and unmarked bottles, food containers, damaged containers, or uncontrolled decanted chemicals are not in use.
- Check current SDS information, product instructions, required PPE, emergency information, and safe-use guidance are available to affected personnel where required.
- Inspect storage for closed containers, stable shelving, incompatible-material segregation, ventilation needs, spill containment, ignition control, and access restrictions as applicable.
- Confirm compressed-gas cylinders are stored and secured according to site requirements and damaged, leaking, or uncontrolled cylinders are escalated.
- Verify spill kits, drainage protection, waste handling, emergency contacts, and response procedures are appropriate to the hazardous materials present in the property.
Section 8Emergency preparedness, alarms, first aid, evacuation, severe weather, and incident readiness
- Confirm an emergency action plan or equivalent property emergency plan is current and addresses reasonably expected emergencies applicable to the site.
- Verify procedures cover emergency reporting, evacuation or shelter actions, accountability, critical operations, rescue or medical duties where assigned, and emergency contacts as applicable.
- Check alarm or notification arrangements, emergency contact lists, assembly or muster information, evacuation maps, and occupant instructions are current and accessible.
- Inspect first-aid supplies, AEDs where provided, emergency communication devices, eyewash or shower units where required, spill-response equipment, and other designated emergency resources for serviceability.
- Confirm emergency drills, alarm tests, evacuation exercises, severe-weather reviews, or other preparedness activities are completed and corrective findings are tracked where required.
- Review whether property changes, construction, tenant changes, blocked routes, new hazards, altered occupancy, or temporary work require updates to emergency arrangements.
Section 10Safety findings, corrective actions, verification, incident trends, management review, and sign-off
- Classify each finding by walking surface, fire or egress, electrical, mechanical, chemical, work at height, emergency readiness, contractor, public-area, security, or other approved safety category.
- Prioritize findings using severity, likelihood, exposure, occupancy, asset criticality, regulatory significance, and the need for immediate restriction or interim control.
- Assign corrective actions, work orders, specialist inspections, contractor actions, emergency-plan changes, training, or procedural improvements to named owners with due dates.
- Verify significant corrective actions through reinspection, live photos, work-order evidence, testing, specialist sign-off, drill results, or other objective proof before closure.
- Trend recurring hazards, incidents, near misses, repeated audit findings, overdue actions, contractor issues, electrical concerns, egress problems, and fall hazards for preventive improvement.
- Record final audit status, critical open risks, restricted areas, overdue actions, required specialist reviews, next audit date, lead auditor, facilities owner, safety owner, and management approval.
Take it with you
Download the printable PDF to audit property safety consistently, record C, PC, NC, or NA findings, capture live hazard evidence, and connect immediate controls, work orders, contractor actions, specialist reviews, and verification to accountable owners.
Use the complete checklist during your next property safety audit
This internal Facilities & Property template supports general property safety audits. Apply current building, fire, electrical, hazardous-material, work-at-height, emergency, contractor, accessibility, insurance, and local regulatory requirements as controlling references.How to use it
Turn property safety audits into a controlled hazard-to-verification workflow
Define the property's risk profile, inspect everyday and higher-risk conditions, control critical exposure immediately, then assign corrective work and verify that hazards stay closed.
Define scope and risk hotspots
Review incidents, previous findings, high-risk rooms, contractor work, occupancy changes, emergency arrangements, open actions, and responsible property functions.
Inspect property safety controls
Check walking surfaces, egress, fire protection, electrical access, mechanical rooms, hazardous materials, ladders, roof access, emergencies, and temporary work.
Control hazards and assign action
Restrict unsafe areas where required, capture live evidence, create work orders or specialist reviews, assign owners, due dates, and interim controls.
Verify closure and prevent recurrence
Reinspect significant actions, review incidents and repeat findings, trend recurring hazards, and use the evidence to strengthen maintenance, contractor, and emergency controls.
Live interactive demo
See how property safety audits work when they are run in Taqtics
Use the digital workflow to guide property safety rounds, capture live hazard evidence, flag critical findings, assign facilities or contractor actions, verify closure, and compare recurring safety risk across a property portfolio.
Capture property, zone, hazard, live photo, severity, interim control, owner, work order, due date, verification, and audit history together.
Turn blocked exits, electrical hazards, unsafe floors, plant-room defects, chemical issues, fall hazards, and contractor problems into assigned action.
Track critical findings, repeat hazards, overdue actions, contractor issues, electrical concerns, egress failures, emergency-readiness gaps, and verified closure across sites.
Illustrative website demo. Responses are not stored or submitted.
Why digitize it
A clearer way to manage safety audits across every property
Taqtics connects scheduled safety audits, live hazard evidence, critical findings, interim controls, facilities work orders, contractor actions, verification, recurring risk trends, and reporting across property portfolios.
Audit every property consistently
Capture property, floor, zone, hazard, photo, severity, owner, interim control, due date, and audit history together.
Standardize critical-risk rules
Use consistent C, PC, NC, NA options, critical-finding criteria, photo proof, escalation rules, access restrictions, due dates, and verification expectations.
Close hazards with accountable action
Assign facilities repair, specialist inspection, contractor correction, emergency-plan change, chemical control, access restriction, or other corrective work and verify it.
Compare safety risk across properties
Track repeat hazards, blocked exits, electrical concerns, fall risks, contractor findings, emergency-readiness gaps, overdue actions, and closure performance across sites.
Frequently asked questions
Safety audit checklist FAQs
What should a Facilities & Property safety audit checklist cover?
It should cover walking-working surfaces, housekeeping, exits and emergency access, fire-protection visibility, electrical rooms and working access, mechanical and plant-room hazards, hazardous materials, ladders and elevated access, emergency preparedness, contractor work controls, temporary work, occupant protection, corrective actions, verification, trends, and management review.
What does OSHA require for walking-working surfaces in general industry?
Where OSHA general-industry requirements apply, 29 CFR 1910.22 requires places of employment and walking-working surfaces to be kept clean, orderly, and sanitary, and requires walking-working surfaces to be inspected regularly and as necessary and maintained in a safe condition.
What should be checked around exit routes?
Check that required exit routes remain free and unobstructed, doors are usable as intended, exit signs and emergency lighting remain serviceable, and emergency safeguards are not impaired by storage, maintenance, construction, or access-control changes. OSHA 29 CFR 1910.37 contains relevant requirements for covered workplaces.
What electrical items should a property safety audit check?
A routine audit can identify obvious hazards such as blocked electrical working access, damaged covers, exposed parts, wet electrical equipment, overheating evidence, damaged receptacles or cords, and uncontrolled temporary power. Technical electrical testing and compliance determinations should be handled by qualified personnel.
What emergency-preparedness controls should be audited?
Review the current emergency action plan or equivalent property plan, emergency reporting, evacuation or shelter procedures, occupant accountability, alarms and notifications, contacts, assembly information, first-aid or emergency equipment, drills, and changes that could affect emergency routes or response.
What should happen after a critical safety finding is identified?
Control exposure immediately using shutdown, isolation, barricading, access restriction, temporary safeguards, or another appropriate measure. Assign corrective work to a named owner, escalate technical or regulatory concerns as required, and verify the completed action before final closure.
Digitize every stock audit
Run retail stock audits with live evidence and accountable variance control
Maintain one operational view of count completion, stock accuracy, value variance, shrink risk, open actions, approvals, and recurring inventory-control issues.
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