Monthly PPE Inspection Checklist

It carries the PPE categories as the core, with the condition, the expiry, the storage and the action, plus the summary: the count in service, the count replaced, the count retired, and the count due next month. Work through it once a month, mark the items, write the replacement list, and the monthly PPE inspection is the document that keeps the PPE record honest over the month. The summary is the point, because the trend of the replacements is the trend of the PPE condition.

How to use the template

1. Set the header — the site, the month, the inspector, the next inspection
2. Work the PPE categories — the head, the eye, the hand, the foot, the respiratory, the fall, the hi-vis
3. Check the condition, the expiry and the storage for each category
4. Record the fails on the replacement list with the owner and the date
5. Complete the summary — the in service, the replaced, the retired, the due next month
6. Sign it, file it, and carry the due-next-month to next months checklist

Worked example

A monthly PPE inspection: the hard hats, 12 in service, 2 replaced (past the life), 1 retired (cracked); the gloves, 18 pairs, 6 replaced (the liner exposed); the harnesses, 4 in service, 0 replaced, 1 due for the 5-year inspection next month; the cartridges, 8 sets, 2 replaced (the change-out). Summary: 42 in service, 10 replaced, 2 retired, 1 due next month. The trend: the glove replacements are climbing, and the root cause is the task, not the gloves, and the action is the task change.

Standard & legal context

The monthly PPE inspection is the site-level maintenance check for the UK PPE at Work Regulations 1992, which require the PPE to be maintained in an efficient state, and the OSHA 1910.132 and the specific standards in the US. The ISO 45001:2018 clause 8.1.2 and the PPE within the controls carry the duty at the management system level. The monthly frequency is the site practice, and the summary is the trend the management review reads.

Common mistakes

1. Repeating the inspection without the summary — the summary is the point, and the trend of the replacements is the trend of the condition
2. No root cause on the climb — the replacements climbing is the pattern, and the root cause is the task, not the PPE
3. No due-next-month carry-over — the item due next month is the trigger, and the checklist that does not carry it is the one that misses it
4. No storage check — the storage degrades the PPE, and the storage is the item that catches the harness in the sun