Are Safety Inspections Necessary?

Safety inspections can be a nuisance. They can for example, slow down production in a factory, delay service at a restaurant, cost money to manufacturers out of compliance and inconvenience consumers in many ways. Despite these annoyances, inspections save lives, and reduce injuries and illnesses across industries. In fact in some industries such as food service and production statistics suggest that food born illnesses are greatly reduced by the judicious use of inspections.

According to the USDA, incidences of contamination at food processing plants is down for both Listeria monocytogenes and E. coli, both leading causes of food born illness. For example, illness contracted from Listeria monocytogenes was down 32% in 2006 (http://fsis.usda.gov). In the United States it is estimated that 5,000 people will die every year as a result of improperly handled food which suggests that there is a significant need for safety inspections in food service.

Another area where safety inspections can and do save lives is in the workplace. The organization that oversees safety inspections in the United States OSHA, reports that deaths due to hazards in the work place are down from a rate of 5.2 per 100,000 workers in 1992 to 4.0 in 2005 (http://bls.gov/iif/oshwe/cfoi/cfch0004.pdf). Safety inspections in the workplace examine biological and chemical contaminates, equipment safety, building safety and maintains records on incidences for each industry. These inspections can save someone’s life and while they are often inconvenient to industry, may well be worth the cost.

Inspections by fire departments and building inspectors likewise save lives and reduce the loss of property. For instance, fire inspectors routinely use a checklist of critical items that include hazardous conditions such as exposed wiring, improper storage of flammable materials, blocked fire exits, absent of improperly maintained fire extinguishers and fire detectors. In addition a multiple storied building will need fire escapes with a sturdy ladder. While a landlord may feel unfairly penalized if their cited for a missing light bulb in an exit sign, a victim of a fire in the landlord’s building may appreciate being able to see the lighted sign in a smoke filled hallway.

Auto safety is another area where inspections can directly save lives and reduce injuries. Vehicle inspection for example insure that cars are equipped with good working brakes, functional safety belts, reliable steering and adequate tires and headlights. There are countless reports of accidents directly influenced by all of these safety features. Still many motorists feel that safety inspections are a waste of time and money and in some states such as Colorado are no longer mandatory. Despite the easing on inspections, driving an unsafe vehicle can lead to tickets and fines, and in the event of an accident the driver of a faulty vehicle may be held liable. In this case safety inspections would result in less risk of an accident and culpability for an accident. Safety equipment for automobiles such as a child’s car seat should also pass rigorous testing. An unprotected or inadequately protected child is at a greater risk of injury in an accident so stiff inspections and standards only make sense. When it comes to child safety playground equipment should also be regularly inspected.

Safety inspections do result in additional expenses and inconveniences to industry and the consumers alike, but they are designed to save lives and they often accomplish that goal. When weighing cost against human lives and safety, they are well worth the expense.

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