What should I ask about a fabrication shop’s shop safety and incident records?

Start with the records. Request the incident and injury log, any time-loss events, near-miss notes, equipment inspection sheets and training sign-ins. Look at whether entries are specific and followed by corrective action, or vague and rarely updated.

Walk the floor. Check guarding, lockout practices, ventilation, fire protection, storage of gas cylinders and how clean the aisles are. Ask the crew, away from the owner, whether they feel safe and whether concerns are acted on.

Ask about contact from safety inspectors, and about any open orders or claims. Ask your lawyer which obligations pass to a new owner and which approvals must be redone. Also ask the insurer how past incidents affected cost and coverage. Finally, check whether any products or equipment in the shop have been the subject of public safety notices, and what was done in response. Ask what the owner would fix first if given the chance. The answer shows what they already know about the shop’s weak points, and it gives you a short list for your first months. Also ask who is responsible for safety day to day and whether that person is staying. A written program that nobody owns tends to fade, so look for a real person who keeps it alive.

Key takeaways

• Request incident, near-miss, inspection and training records.
• Walk the floor and ask crew members how safe they feel.
• Ask what changed after each serious event.