Inspections

Free Equipment Checkout Form Templates

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Posted on by GoCanvas Team

Free Equipment Checkout Form Templates

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Construction job sites require workers to use heavy equipment, tools, and other important assets. Keeping track of your equipment is an essential part of the job and having processes in place helps ensure equipment is well managed.

Some companies choose to manage this process with simple equipment checkout forms on site using paper. But paper forms are not always ideal for growing businesses that need to establish documented processes for tracking equipment and inventory checkout. Instead of relying on paper forms, construction firms can use mobile apps and forms for easier management and visibility into job site operations.

Continue reading this article to learn how mobile forms can be used for managing the equipment checkout process.

Why do you need a digital equipment checkout form?

Printable checkout forms using paper have a few disadvantages. Here are some of the top reasons to consider going paperless:

Paper forms can be easily lost or corrupted

Unfortunately it can be very easy to misplace or lose important forms when using paper. When managing assets like equipment, issues with paper work can lead to valuable things potentially becoming lost or misplaced.

Companies looking to simplify inventory management and asset tracking have gone the way of digital apps that make it easy to keep track of checkout and equipment forms. Since records are stored digitally to the cloud (even without an internet connection), you can be sure that forms are never lost and are easily accessible from anywhere.

The other downside with paper forms is that sometimes information is not filled out entirely, leaving off important details on the form. This can require you to track down the information later on or deal with incomplete data. Mobile apps help to ensure that data is filled out correctly every time, with required fields, drop-down lists, GPS tracking, and other features that promote standardized data.

Printable forms provide limited visibility in real-time

Digital apps also provide a better system to work between job site and office. While paper forms tend to become siloed, information stored to the cloud is easy to report on and track from anywhere.

For equipment management, this means your team has greater visibility across multiple job sites and information can be tracked in real-time. This can save time for everyone involved and provide a better solution for documenting and reporting on equipment being used for construction projects. Bringing information online can help to streamline tasks and improve workflows between disparate teams and locations.

GoCanvas Equipment Checkout Form Templates – Start Your Free Trial

GoCanvas is a leader provider of mobile apps for the construction industry, helping contractors worldwide to streamline their operations. Our mobile forms are completely customizable to your business needs, providing an easy-to-use platform for managing how work gets done. GoCanvas offers many pre-built form templates for the construction industry, like our equipment checkout form.

Key benefits of this app:

  • Equipment log that is designed to keep track of tools and other assets securely from a centralized platform for contractors
  • Ensure you know where heavy equipment and rentals are being used, helping to avoid lost tools and costly replacements
  • Customize what information is collected, from name of the tool, serial number, date and time, condition of the equipment, and more.
  • Collect digital signatures to provide an electronic record 
  • Sync to analytics and reporting tools to easily run reports or export them to PDFs to share via email.

Sign up for a free trial to see how mobile forms can simplify tasks like equipment checkout, inspections, work orders, and much more. Looking for something else? Search thousands of pre-built form templates on the GoCanvas App Store.

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About GoCanvas

GoCanvas® is on a mission to simplify inspections and maximize compliance. Our intuitive platform takes care of the administrative tasks, freeing our customers to focus on what truly matters – safeguarding their people, protecting their equipment, and delivering exceptional quality to their customers. 

Since 2008, thousands of companies have chosen GoCanvas as their go-to partner for seamless field operations.

Check out even more resources

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Partner Snapshot: Forte Supply Chain Solutions

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How To Prepare for an OSHA Safety Inspection

Posted on by GoCanvas Team

How To Prepare for an OSHA Safety Inspection

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Plenty of owners of small- and medium-sized businesses find the prospect of having an Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) inspection scary, especially since the agency is now inspecting businesses from bakeries and liquor stores, to construction companies, tire stores, and performing arts companies.

But you can be ready for OSHA.

Knowing what to expect, and using some easy-to-use technology, can help even small- and medium-sized businesses without large safety budgets feel like they are equipped if OSHA comes calling. This article will cover four steps you can take to prepare for OSHA inspections, and avoid fines and violations.

  1. Understand OSHA’s inspection priorities and most-cited hazards
  2. Develop safety checklists unique to your business
  3. Put an OSHA inspection plan in place
  4. Know what to do on inspection day — and after

OSHA inspection planning is critical for almost every type of business. Continue reading this article for our guide to OSHA Safety Inspections.

1. Know OSHA’s Most-Cited Hazards

While OSHA doesn’t break down its more than 70,000 or so annual inspections by industry, it does offer a list of its top 10 most-cited violations. Think of these as “trouble spots” you should concentrate on addressing. In 2020, these were the top 10 most frequently cited standards by OSHA. 

  1.     Fall Protection—General Requirements (§1926.501): 5,424 violations
  2.     Hazard Communication (§1910.1200): 3,199 violations
  3.     Respiratory Protection (§1910.134): 2,649 violations
  4.     Scaffolding (§1926.451): 2,538 violations
  5.     Ladders (§1926.1053): 2,129 violations
  6.     Lockout/Tagout (§1910.147): 2,065 violations
  7.     Powered Industrial Trucks (§1910.178): 1,932 violations
  8.     Fall Protection—Training Requirements (§1926.503): 1,621 violations
  9.     Personal Protective and Life Saving Equipment—Eye and Face Protection (§1926.102): 1,369 violations
  10.     Machine Guarding (§1910.212): 1,313 violations

Three out of the top 10 most-cited violations — fall protection, scaffolding, and ladders — involve construction standards. Not surprisingly, the construction industry remains among the industries most frequently inspected by OSHA.

How does OSHA choose when and where to conduct an inspection?

The agency can’t possibly inspect all 7 million workplaces that it covers. Here is how OSHA decides where to go:

  • Referrals or tips. Hazard information reported by government agencies, nonprofits, the media, and individuals often prompts an investigation.
  • Employee Complaints. Employees can request anonymity when filing complaints and such allegations often warrant OSHA follow-up.
  • Follow ups. OSHA frequently conducts follow-up inspections to previous visits, so stay prepared.

2. Develop Unique Safety Checklists

OSHA may have issued you a “checklist” when you opened your business, but that’s just a starting place.

That’s because the agency’s inspectors additionally develop their own policies for specific industries via the “General Duty” clause. They can then use it to cite workplaces for violations of regulations that aren’t written down. And they do it. It’s clear that as a business owner, you can’t simply follow OSHA’s safety checklist and take a nap.

You’re responsible for creating and maintaining your own safety checklists and procedures specific to your industry and workplace – and then for keeping those checklists up-to-date and following them.

To create your checklist:

  • Start with what OSHA delivered to you
  • Take a look at the most cited violations list
  • Inspect your workplace to find any other potential violations that might likely occur
  • Create more than one checklist – one for the front office, and other for the primary worksite itself

Then get employees from each area to take turns checking for and recording any hazards they encounter on a regular basis – some items only monthly, others every day. (You’ll want to develop safety inspection calendars to guide inspection efforts in each area.)

Let Technology Help You

Now, this is where mobile application technology comes in.Moving from paper checklists to mobile apps, which can be customized to your company’s unique and varying needs, can make your OSHA compliance efforts much easier and more effective.With mobile checklists, you:

  • Enter data in real time and that data is not only stored in the cloud, but can be immediately shared with a supervisor or manager, minimizing response times
  • Create a variety of inspection checklists for various tasks and sites – all accessible from a smartphone or tablet
  • Update your mobile apps as OSHA guidelines evolve and change to reflect changes and immediately deploy the information across your organization
  • Your mobile checklists are not only more flexible than the paper versions, ensuring that your business is in compliance with the latest regulations, but employees will never again have to drag around a big binder while doing a self-inspection or making copies of paper checklists.

Mobile data will also offer insight into:

  • What are your common problem areas?
  • Which of your safety procedures are redundant?
  • Which employees are completing safety checks regularly?
  • Which team members are wearing the proper protective clothing and equipment?
  • Which employees are safety leaders? Safety violators?

3. Put an OSHA Inspection Plan in Place

Now that you’ve made your checklists and safety self-inspection calendars, you have to prepare for the inevitable:the day an OSHA inspector shows up. What happens and what do you really need to be ready for?

Create a plan

First, you need to put together a day-of-inspection plan. Doing so will give you some control over the OSHA inspection, make a good impression on the inspector, and – most importantly – result in fewer violations. Assemble an inspection team, including:

  • Representative from management. A member of senior management or your dedicated safety officer. He or she is charged with recording everything that happens, making decisions about where and what the inspector can observe, and answering questions.
  • Photographer. Always photograph everything the OSHA inspector photographs.
  • Document controller. To have access to all the documents the inspector might request. This is where mobile form apps are extremely useful. Your document controller will be able to access everything he or she needs with a few swipes of a tablet.
 

Prep the team in advance

Due to changing priorities and regulations, OSHA may shift its focus to any business or industry at any time. It’s important to prepare your team in advance and here are a few tips:

  • Practice Interview Questions. Prep your team for likely employee interviews and understand your rights. They should answer questions specifically and truthfully, but not volunteer any additional information.
  • Hold Surprise Inspections. Try to make these mock inspections as true to an OSHA inspection as you can. Get pushy: For instance, “demand” documents that your team members aren’t supposed to give up.
  • Create Mobile Checklists in Advance. Use mobile checklists to help you prepare for OSHA inspection day. Besides self-inspection checklists, mobile apps can help you create your inspection plan, manage “surprise” inspections, and organize all those regulatory documents.

Make sure you understand what rights your team has if the OSHA inspector arrives and be sure to test your team’s knowledge in advance.

4. How Software Can Help Your Business with OSHA Compliance

No matter how well you prepare, OSHA might find something that you need to correct. But with proper preparation, you’ll be much less likely to be cited for serious violations. Most importantly, you’ll have a strong system in place to keep your employees safe and free from workplace hazards.

By tapping into the power of mobile apps and cloud-based technology, you can ensure that your business is more than ready to welcome OSHA inspectors when they come calling.

Use Mobile Forms Apps to Stay Violation-Free

By using mobile apps to create safety checklists, analyze your business’ safety program and trouble spots, and implement corrective action, you’ll avoid injuries and safety violations — keeping you off OSHA’s radar in the first place.

GoCanvas has a wide variety of OSHA mobile apps that can help make your business safer. Get in touch to find out how cloud-based data collection can take your OSHA compliance efforts to an entirely new level.

Why GoCanvas for OSHA Compliance?

GoCanvas has a wide variety of OSHA mobile apps that can help make your business safer. Get in touch to find out how cloud-based data collection can take your OSHA compliance efforts to an entirely new level. 

Easy-to-use software. Creating checklists to inspect and regularly record hazards and correct them can keep you clear of fines. Making those checklists mobile keeps data at hand and accurate.

Accessible documentation. Mobile apps ensure that the appropriate people have access to important documents in real time and employees know their roles in case of an audit.

Improve safety compliance. In the majority of cases, OSHA’s inspections are not announced in advance. You have to be prepared at all times and mobile apps like GoCanvas can help to ensure compliance and lower your risk.

Sign up for your free trial of GoCanvas today or contact our team to learn more about GoCanvas for Safety Compliance.

3 Key Benefits of Software for Mobile Forms

Still not sure about moving to software for capturing form data? Here are some of the key outcomes companies have seen when implementing software platforms for mobile data:

  • Increase Productivity. Mobile forms can improve annual productivity by 28% and show an ROI in 6 months.
  • Cost Savings. A company can lose hundreds of hours in manual data entry. Mobile forms save an average of $40,000 in year one.
  • Lowered Risk. Companies that implemented mobile form software report that they have reduced their risk and liability by 18%
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About GoCanvas

GoCanvas® is on a mission to simplify inspections and maximize compliance. Our intuitive platform takes care of the administrative tasks, freeing our customers to focus on what truly matters – safeguarding their people, protecting their equipment, and delivering exceptional quality to their customers. 

Since 2008, thousands of companies have chosen GoCanvas as their go-to partner for seamless field operations.

Check out even more resources

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Top Checklist Apps for the Construction Industry

Posted on by GoCanvas Team

Top Checklist Apps for the Construction Industry

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Embracing technology is one opportunity for contractors in the construction industry to increase their productivity and streamline operations. Construction project management software is one category of software solution that can be deployed on job sites to manage how work gets done. This article covers some of the top construction checklist apps in the construction industry, with links to examples and templates you can access on the GoCanvas site. We will also share some of the key benefits for using construction checklist apps and the top use cases within the construction industry.

Why Go Digital with Construction Checklist Apps

Historically, companies used paper forms as the primary mode of collecting data, but more firms are beginning to move away from paper-based processes. Companies are now switching to digital apps that can simplify the process for everyone involved and eliminate the headaches of using paper forms. Bringing the process into the digital world is beneficial to organizations in a number of different ways. Here are some of the key benefits:

Improve Workflows Between Field and Office

Construction apps help to streamline work between the field and the office. Eliminating paper forms helps to reduce the time spent on manual and error prone processes that can waste time and decrease productivity for everyone involved. All data can be easily captured using a mobile device or tablet, without requiring an internet connection. Digital construction apps transform how teams work, both in the field and in the office, with a suite of tools designed to improve and manage workflows.

 

Enable Best Practices for Data Management and Analytics

Digital construction apps for contractors help to ensure that data is consistent and accurate every time, with standardized fields for collecting information and best practices for data capture. Businesses also need greater visibility into their operations in real-time. Digital construction apps allow you to track issues in the field and have a quick turnaround time if another action needs to be taken, like scheduling further maintenance or repairs, for example. Construction apps for contractors promote best practices for data capture in the field and allow companies to easily roll up and summarize information for reporting.

Top Use Cases for Construction Checklist Apps

There are many types of construction checklist apps available for job sites today. These can help with safety, quality, project management, and much more. Here are some of the top use cases to consider:

Safety and Risk Management. Checklist apps are useful for converting your paper forms into digital safety programs. Perform inspections, report incidents, assign toolbox talks, perform safety audits, and much more. Digital tools help you to assign and manage your safety programs, helping to formalize these programs and minimize your risk.

Quality Control. Construction checklist apps are widely used to ensure that quality standards are met. Quality control inspection checklists can be utilized during all phases of construction projects, and PDF reports can be generated automatically for key project stakeholders. Managing quality control checklists using construction management software can help your business avoid rework and delays. Construction checklist apps ensure this work is completed and can be monitored using dashboards and analytics.

Equipment Inspections. Routine equipment inspections are another popular use case for checklist app software. Preventative maintenance and equipment inspections can be performed from a mobile device or tablet, bringing this information directly to the cloud. Companies have found that real-time insights into field operations can help them become more proactive and address problems before they lead to larger issues for the project. Construction apps enable data analytics and help to make your data actionable.

Project Management. Checklist apps are commonly used by project managers to ensure that processes are being followed on every job site. Common checklists like pre-project and project close out checklists help to keep work organized and provide a digital way to manage workflows.

10 Examples of Construction Checklist Apps 

There are many types of construction checklist apps available for job sites today. These can help with safety, quality, project management, and much more. We have compiled a list of the top construction checklist apps used in the construction industry. 

GoCanvas provides a central platform to manage all of your job site operations.  Follow the links to access the construction checklist apps on the GoCanvas App Store and sign up for a free trial to see all of our digital checklist apps for contractors.

1. Job Site Safety Inspection Checklist App 

This worker safety app also helps ensure that all construction work employees comply with OSHA standards in order to reduce workplace injuries and increase overall standards for workplace safety.

2. Safety Data Sheet (SDS) Compliance Checklist App

The safety data sheet app enables employers to develop a hazard management program of occupational safety measures, including training, which is specific to the individual workplace, and to consider any measures that may be necessary to protect the health and safety of the work area.

3. Equipment Inspection Checklist App

Construction equipment operators and others who are responsible for preventive maintenance and equipment safety can use the electronic inspection form to perform complete equipment safety reports from anywhere in the field.

4. Personal Protective Equipment Inspection Checklist App

Personal protective equipment must be used and worn in many work situations in order to protect employees from harm and potential hazards. Use this convenient construction checklist to make sure that occupational safety guidelines are being enforced to ensure the safety of your employees.

5. Electrical Safety Inspection Checklist App

The electrical work inspection app for employee safety provides an electronic self-inspection checklist that covers all aspects of electrical installations, including personal protective equipment, circuit breaker safety and electrical cords. 

6. Quality Control Inspection Checklist App

Contractors, subcontractors and construction project managers can use the construction app to complete a new construction quality control inspection. The app inspects the pre-start phase, foundation phase of construction, rough phase, HVAC, plumbing, electrical, pre-finish phase, and finish phase.

7. Building Inspection Checklist App

This checklist includes a building inspection checklist and tracks all aspects of a building including exterior, heating systems, electrical systems, housekeeping, fire safety, evacuation plans, and other miscellaneous areas ensuring compliance with building codes.

8. Construction Pre-Estimate Checklist App

This checklist helps track all the necessary steps to complete before submitting new construction estimates. Capture all the details of different construction projects, including listing the preferred vendors, permits required, material prices and more. Use the information to create the final estimated cost for new construction contracts.

9. Project Startup Checklist App

The startup checklist app is a smart alternative to project management software and paper forms at the job site. The construction project plan checklist covers everything from defining the scope of work at the job site, to developing the construction project plan and timeline. Once completed, the general contractor, management and other stakeholders can sign off on the project requirements electronically to ensure that all quality standards are met.

10. Project Closeout Checklist App

This helpful checklist is designed to help construction management teams and independent contractors. Use the construction checklist to make sure that all details are covered when handing off project work for quality assurance purposes, and that requirements from the general contractor and project managers have been met.

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About GoCanvas

GoCanvas® is on a mission to simplify inspections and maximize compliance. Our intuitive platform takes care of the administrative tasks, freeing our customers to focus on what truly matters – safeguarding their people, protecting their equipment, and delivering exceptional quality to their customers. 

Since 2008, thousands of companies have chosen GoCanvas as their go-to partner for seamless field operations.

Check out even more resources

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Partner Snapshot: Forte Supply Chain Solutions

Explore how Forte Supply Chain Solutions partnered with GoCanvas, combining in-house industry expertise with our white-label mobile forms to revolutionize their processes.

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GoCanvas Integrations: Streamline your Workflow

Integrate with over 1,000 software applications. Enhance your GoCanvas experience by syncing real-time data to one or all of your business tools.

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Guide to Mobile Inspection Forms for the Trucking Industry

Posted on by GoCanvas Team

Guide to Mobile Inspection Forms for the Trucking Industry

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Trucks are the backbone of the global supply chain. According to the American Trucking Association, about 70 percent of all freight and cargo in the United States moves by truck. Without these vehicles, the U.S. economy would grind to a halt within a week. 

However, keeping that workforce moving comes with significant risks. Five million truck drivers share the roads with 250 million motorists — but even though large trucks only represent 2 percent of drivers, they’re involved in 11 percent of all road fatalities.

Passing inspections and complying with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) regulations is key to keeping drivers and motorists safe — and trucks moving and generating revenue.

But that’s often a challenge in and of itself. To pass inspections and meet regulations, carriers and drivers are required to keep a long list of records related to their operations. If, during an inspection or investigation, they can’t produce accurate, up-to-date documentation, carriers and drivers may face fines or have their vehicles taken out of service.  

Using mobile forms can help you maintain and monitor vehicles, repairs, and drivers, and can make it easier for employees to conduct frequent, regular inspections. In this article, we will cover how the information you collect can help you:

  • Keep your Safety Measurement System percentile low
  • Pass roadside inspections and keep trucks generating revenue
  • Understand and manage CSA interventions 

What Carrier Documentation is Required?

Carriers must maintain records including, but not limited to:

  • Accident registers
  • Hazardous materials shipping papers/logs
  • Vehicle maintenance history
  • Annual lists of driver violations
  • Driver’s medical examiner certificates
  • Driver safety performance evaluation certificates
  • Vehicle identifying information: DOT registration, vehicle make, serial number and tire sizes
  • Vehicle inspections: schedule, type and date
  • Pre- and post-trip inspection reports  

How Does Driver Safety Impact Carriers? 

Drivers themselves are not rated, but their inspections, accidents, and violations impact the carriers’ safety measurements.  The data from inspections while a driver works for you remains part of your safety record for two years. Carriers do not inherit any of a new hire’s past violations — only violations received while driving under your authority. 

Why Use an App to Manage Critical Data? 

Pre- and post-trip inspection forms, regular maintenance inspections, and even regular tire inspections are all part of keeping your trucks moving. Logging all of this data onto paper forms means lost paperwork, manually re-entering data, and then storing all of those forms in one of many file cabinets. 

With mobile forms, data entry is more accurate because there is no duplicated data entry, form fields can be required so that nothing gets skipped, and that data is all stored in the cloud, and accessible to you and your drivers anytime and anywhere. And while paper forms get lost or can be destroyed in an accident, data securely archived in the cloud is easily accessed in the case of an accident or legal suit. 

Getting your team to complete regular inspections is key to keeping your vehicles moving. 

Here are some examples of the types of mobile form inspections:

  • Pre-trip inspections. Seven of the top ten CSA violations could be prevented with a thorough pre-trip inspection.
  • Maintenance inspections. Average downtime can cost $100 per hour, so a preventive maintenance system can save money in the long run, help avoid violations, and keep drivers safe.
  • Hazardous materials inspections. A serious violation of hazardous materials transport regulations can cost you more than $77,000.

1. Why Compliance, Safety, and Accountability Matter

 

Keeping Your Vehicles in Check

All vehicles that meet the description of a motor carrier are bound by FMCSA’s regulations, including Compliance, Safety, Accountability (CSA), FMCSA’s data-driven safety compliance and enforcement program. CSA is designed to improve safety and prevent commercial motor vehicle (CMV) crashes, injuries, and fatalities. The core element of CSA — the Safety Measurement System (SMS) — measures carriers’ safety performance. Poor safety and compliance can prompt two other elements of the program: interventions and Safety Fitness Determination.

What You Need to Know About CSA’s Ranking Systems 

Identifying Carriers for Interventions 

The FMCSA uses historical data, such as number of crashes or compliance violations, to identify carriers for interventions. Through interventions — which could range from warning letters to investigations — inspectors work with the carriers address those issues. They then use a rating system to designate the safety of motor carriers and remove those unfit to operate on public roads.

Safety Measurement System Percentiles

CSA’s Safety Measurement System (SMS) assigns carriers a Behavior Analysis and Safety Improvement Category (BASIC) percentile in seven categories. Carriers are grouped by the number of safety incidents (e.g., crashes or violations) they’ve had in each category, then assigned a percentile. The higher the percentile, the worse the performance. This percentile does not affect the carrier’s safety ranking; it simply prioritizes them for interventions.

Safety Rankings 

Safety rankings may be assigned after an on-site investigation. Carriers can be assigned the ranking satisfactory, conditional, or unsatisfactory. A carrier ranked as unsatisfactory is prohibited from operating a CMV in interstate commerce. 

The Safety Measurement System (SMS) assigns a BASIC percentile in seven categories: 

  • Unsafe driving
  • Crash indicator
  • Hours-of-service compliance
  • Vehicle maintenance
  • Controlled substances/alcohol compliance
  • Hazardous materials compliance
  • Driver fitness

SMS Prioritization & Public Reporting

Your company’s safety data is publicly available online in FMCSA’s Safety Measurement System (SMS). FMCSA updates the SMS once a month with data from roadside inspections, crash reports from the last two years, and investigation results. Some of what the SMS considers includes:

  • Number of safety violations and inspections
  • Number of trucks/buses a carrier operates and number of vehicle miles traveled
  • Severity of safety violations

How Do You Maintain Your Records?

To comply with the FMCSA’s CSA and SMS programs, and keep vehicles moving and companies generating revenue, it’s important for company owners and managers to evaluate the quality of their records and record-keeping systems. Mobile inspections help your crew stay up to date on maintenance, compliance, and keep trucks on the roads instead of out of service. 

Using a mobile app to enter, digitally record, and store data electronically eliminates vulnerabilities common to paper records and expedites the record-keeping process. 

2. Minimizing Roadside Inspection Downtime and Avoiding Fines

FMCSA’s Compliance, Safety, Accountability (CSA) program is designed to keep the roads safe. 

Part of keeping your company’s CSA ranking as low as possible is making sure that all of your vehicles pass roadside inspections with flying colors.  

How Do You Make Sure Your Drivers and Vehicles Pass Inspection?

Make the pre-trip inspection process quick and painless for your drivers. 

Use mobile apps to check, double check, and document all the basics like lights, mirrors, horns, etc. Remember that passing inspection is specific to the category of what is being transported. Instruct your drivers to pay special attention to their vehicle’s brakes, tires, and cargo security (as these are some of the leading causes of large truck crashes), and use a mobile app to document specific areas (including taking photos) pre-trip. 

Make documents easy to inspect.

Crumpled and incomplete documentation that a driver digs out of a messy glove compartment don’t leave a good impression on an inspector. A mobile inspection form gives your drivers access to inspection documents at their fingertips. If an inspector knows the paperwork is organized, he or she will have a better initial impression of your truck overall.

Cooperate.

This may seem like common sense, but it’s not always common. The more cooperation the officer receives, the smoother things go. An officer doesn’t have to go through with a full inspection just because he or she pulls a driver over, but does have the right to cite the driver, the company, or both, so attitude pays. 

How can mobile inspection checklists make your company more efficient (and successful) when it comes to roadside inspections?  

  • Much faster to complete than traditional paper forms
  • Cloud-based forms are instantly accessible for the inspector, anywhere, anytime 
  • Forms can be created to require drivers to fill in all sections so nothing gets skipped  
  • Fields can be pre-populated with company data for efficiency
  • GPS tracks and confirms where the inspection took place
  • Date and timestamp features keep drivers honest and prevent any backdating 
  • Image captures at point of inspection may be later used to substantiate compliance in the event of a crash or accident

What Does Non-Compliance Cost?

  • Improper or lack of recordkeeping violations can soar up to $14,502 per violation
  • Operating in violation of an out-of-service order carries a fine of $22,587
  • Violation of hazmat material regulations generates fines of no less than $463 but up to $77,114 per violation

Beyond the Fine

Non-compliance hits your bottom line beyond just the fine. Your loss of revenue will vary, but you can estimate it using the following equation:

Travel Speed x Revenue Per Hour x Downtime for Non-Compliance = Total Revenue Lost

So, for example, if your truck travels 50 miles in an hour, and your revenue is $1.75 per hour, you will lose $350 if your truck sits for only four hours. And that doesn’t include repairs on the spot, which are more expensive than if planned in advance. But as violations, roadside inspection violations, and fines are logged, they are added to the FMCSA’s Safety Measurement System (SMS).

As your ranking climbs within the SMS system, it is more likely that you will be targeted for intervention by FMCSA, which can affect your insurance and contract rates, and ultimately, your ability to attract new customers.

Worried that roadside inspections will take your vehicles out of service? Here are three of the most critical areas for drivers to be aware of to pass an inspection:

  • Completing a full pre-trip inspection. Besides the basic vehicle inspection, drivers should check any load securement devices if the load falls into any special categories. 
  • Knowing the working load limit. The limit requires that drivers use enough weight-rated tie downs to equal at least half the weight of the load. If they are under the limit, they will be out of service (OOS) until they correct the problem. 
  • Using the 10-foot rule. The general rule is that you need at least one tie down for every 10 feet of what the driver is hauling. The tie downs cannot be more than 10 feet apart. Inspectors will measure. Drivers should carry extra tie downs just in case. 

3. Understanding and Managing CSA Interventions 

FMCSA’s Compliance, Safety, Accountability (CSA) program uses the Safety Measurement System (SMS) to identify carriers that aren’t complying with safety regulations. When carriers earn high enough rankings, CSA uses intervention tools to step in and assist those owners and drivers — or take more serious action if carriers still fail to improve. 

Interventions fall into three categories:

Early Contact 

These initial actions include warning letters, which notify carriers of their performance issues, and targeted roadside inspections to look further into a carrier’s specific safety concerns. 

Investigation 

Safety inspectors (SIs) conduct investigations on site or off site to identify and address safety compliance issues and help carriers identify ways to improve. 

Follow-On 

Following an investigation, CSA may issue a follow-up action, which could include a cooperative safety plan, a notice of violation or claim, or an operation out of service order (OOSO), which instructs the carrier to immediately cease trucking operations.  

What Triggers an Intervention?

Carriers are selected for interventions based on the following:

  • Number of BASIC percentiles above a certain threshold 
  • A critical or acute violation in the last 12 months 
  • Commodity hauled (e.g., passengers or hazardous materials)
  • Intervention history 
  • Time since last intervention
  • Complaint or fatal crash 

Types of Investigations 

On-Site Investigations  

SIs conduct on-site investigations at the carrier’s place of business, where they can interview employees, perform vehicle inspections, and ask carriers to produce documentation to prove compliance. Using mobile forms, you can produce any requested data on demand, on any device. Relying on paper forms, you’ll likely have to spend time before the inspection planning, collecting information, and making copies.

During an on-site investigation, SIs may choose to conduct vehicle inspections to make sure your fleet meets safety performance and compliance regulations. To assess the extent of any issues, SIs may request documentation including roadside inspection reports, vehicle maintenance files, annual vehicle inspection reports, equipment repair receipts, and accident reports.  

Off-Site Investigations 

SIs can also request copies of carriers’ documents to review remotely as an off-site investigation. The SIs use these documents to identify safety performance and compliance problems.

What Happens When There’s a Crash? 

A trucking accident can be costly to a company in a range of obvious ways — such as loss of cargo or vehicle damage. But an accident can be the cause of many indirect costs as well, including lost customers, lost sales, and poor public relations. Crashes also impact carriers’ percentile ranking in CSA’s Safety Measurement System, which can increase the likelihood of an intervention or investigation. 

 And that introduces another potential cost: If carriers can’t produce copies of roadside inspections or repairs records when the accident is investigated, they may face steep non-compliance penalties, civil penalties, and even criminal charges.

Armed with mobile apps, drivers can immediately access inspections records and forms at any time, from any location. In addition, when carriers keep accurate and updated information, they’re better equipped to make sure each truck has been inspected and is in working order — which can help prevent accidents in the first place.   

Do you know how to handle an intervention?   

If you receive an initial warning letter, what should be your next step? Here are three things to consider:

Should you respond to the letter?

Actually, no response is necessary. FMCSA will continue to monitor your performance — it’s your job to immediately take steps to improve your safety performance so no further intervention is necessary. 

Should you prepare for an investigation?

A warning letter is just that — a warning. It does not indicate that FMCSA will conduct an investigation. However, if your safety performance and compliance don’t improve, FMCSA may decide to conduct additional interventions, which could include an investigation.

Take steps to improve your safety 

Now that you have received a warning, it’s up to you to improve your safety performance and compliance, and regularly monitor your SMS data to make sure you don’t put your company at risk for additional interventions. 

Using Mobile Inspection Data to Grow Your Business

Operating trucks of any size is essential for many businesses. Keeping them (and their drivers) on the road has a profound impact on profitability, so maintaining those vehicles is key. It directly affects your ability to compete and win new work in the market.  

Mobile apps can not only help you manage everything from preventive maintenance to daily and weekly inspections — they can also give you valuable insight into your data, which can help you find more business efficiencies and generate more revenue. 

  • Which drivers are most profitable?
  • Which ones routinely “forget” to do pre-trip inspections?
  • Which vehicles break down the most and at what time of year?
  • What are the most common problem areas found during inspections?

With GoCanvas apps, drivers can perform critical inspections for maintenance, pre- and post-trip, with ease. And you have the peace of mind that data is always available to access to keep your vehicles on the road generating revenue and your employees safe. 

The right tools can not only help you stay compliant, but also competitive. Compliance gets easier and vehicles stay on the road when inspections are completed on mobile apps. Key features of GoCanvas include:

  • Photos with inspections. Mobile apps allow the user to photograph wear, tear, and damage during a maintenance inspection.
  • GPS tracking. Knowing where an inspection took place helps you keep tabs on both your equipment and your employees.
  • Required fields. Requiring certain fields to be filled in ensures that all critical information is filled out on maintenance or pre-trip inspections. Data is more accurate, your company is more compliant, and your equipment keeps running.

Want to get started with inspections using mobile forms and apps? Sign up today for a free trial of GoCanvas or contact our team to learn more.

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About GoCanvas

GoCanvas® is on a mission to simplify inspections and maximize compliance. Our intuitive platform takes care of the administrative tasks, freeing our customers to focus on what truly matters – safeguarding their people, protecting their equipment, and delivering exceptional quality to their customers. 

Since 2008, thousands of companies have chosen GoCanvas as their go-to partner for seamless field operations.

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Home Inspection Checklists – Examples and Templates

Posted on by GoCanvas Team

Home Inspection Checklists – Examples and Templates

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Going Digital With Home Inspection Checklists

Inspection companies are moving toward digital apps rather than using traditional paper forms. By going digital, inspections can be completed from a mobile device or tablet, so information is instantly available in a PDF report. For home inspections, going digital allows you to have all of the necessary forms available within an app for inspectors to use from anywhere. These can be run without an internet connection, giving your business the ability to digitize information from remote locations. Here are some of the main benefits of going digital:

Eliminate paper forms and errors

Paper forms are notorious for becoming lost or misplaced over time. This can cause issues for a business when information is unavailable and it can create rework to fix the problems. Handwritten paper work is also known to contain mispellings, have incomplete sections, or other types of data entry mistakes. While paper work can be difficult to manage, digitizing this information solves many of these problems. Data becomes standardized, accurate, complete, and easy to access from the cloud.

Generate reports in real-time and reduce manual work

One common challenge with paper forms for inspections is the process of taking the paper work and turning it into the final report to share with clients and stakeholders. This process can be manual and time-consuming, requiring employees to dedicate their time on work that can be automated. Going digital with inspection apps allows you to generate the reports in near real-time. Share PDF reports instantly with clients and cut down on the time it takes to complete the reporting process.

Central system for data capture and sharing

Having a centralized system for capturing, storing, and managing your data is a key benefit of going digital with home inspection checklists. You can manage all of your core business documentation from a single platform for field operations. Continue reading this article for examples of specific home inspection checklists using the GoCanvas platform for mobile forms and apps. You can follow the links to view the checklists and sign up for a free trial to see the inspection checklist templates in our PDF designer. GoCanvas has thousands of pre-built templates for all different inspection types and you can easily customize the forms to fit your unique business needs.

10 Best Home Inspection Checklists – Examples and Templates

1. Home Inspection Checklist

This app is designed as a comprehensive tool for inspection companies to use when performing home inspections during real estate transactions. Each checklist can be quickly and easily accessed from a smartphone or tablet for follow-up, or can be generated into a PDF inspection report and submitted to real estate agents, the homeowner, or other appropriate parties. 

2. Residential Electrical Inspection Checklist

This mobile app replaces paper inspection forms that are used to inspect areas of electrical installations prior to installing insulation, sheet rock, paneling and other materials that cover wiring. The perfect tool for electrical inspectors, building code enforcement teams and others who deal with electrical safety and electrical wiring at job sites, this electrical inspection form is easily accessible from any smartphone or tablet and can be customized to meet different building codes and electrical safety regulations.

3. New Home Water Inspection Checklist

Contractors and housing developers can use the new home water inspection app to ensure that a new home has been constructed to meet water conservation standards and regulations. Using a mobile app allows you to automatically generate PDF reports for clients and streamline the inspection process.

4. Home Energy Audit

With the energy usage app, inspectors can perform energy audits quickly and easily right from their smartphone or tablet, making it easy to recommend cost effective energy conservation solutions. The comprehensive energy usage audit app covers a variety of audit data items that can affect energy consumption in the home, including the water heater, insulation type, number of windows and doors and number of floors. 

5. Home Sewer Inspection Checklist

The Home Sewer Inspection Checklist is designed for plumbers, inspectors, and the Do It Yourself (DIY) individual who want to inspect their home sewer. This app includes inspection criteria as well as possible recommendation bases in the findings.

6. Mold Inspection Checklist

The mold inspection app covers indoor mold growth testing, monitoring indoor air quality, checking for excess moisture and water damage and signs of existing indoor mold spores and more. Once the professional mold inspection has been completed, the mold inspector can save the results electronically for their records.

7. Radon Mitigation System Inspection Report

The Radon Mitigation System Inspection Report mobile app is used for performing detailed examinations for inspection reports. The app is designed to be used by inspectors as a reference when conducting an assessment on a radon mitigation system.

8. Residential Swimming Pool Inspection Report

Use this pool report to inspect the area for swimming pool safety hazard issues, safety certificates, diving board depth, pool safety barriers, storage of pool equipment, drain covers, leak detection, lighting system, and electrical equipment. The pool inspector can add notes about the pool structure, water chemistry, equipment and other notes as needed.

9. Fireplace and Chimney Inspection Report

Using this checklist helps ensure that all areas of the chimney are in good repair and that the fireplace and chimney inspection checklist identifies any defects that need repair. If you provide fireplace inspections, professional chimney sweeping services, chimney cleaning, chimney restoration, chimney flue inspection services, chimney repair, or a variety of other chimney services, then this chimney inspection form is the app for you. 

10. Wood Destroying Insect Inspection

The Wood Destroying Insect Inspection mobile app was designed for pest control company inspections. The app can be used for all types of wood destroying insects, including carpenter ants, termites, carpenter bees and beetles. Once completed, the pest control company can save the results for their records.

About GoCanvas

GoCanvas is a mobile platform that makes it simple for businesses to automate how work is done, replacing outdated processes and expensive paperwork. The GoCanvas App works on smartphones and tablets, helping companies easily collect information across their organization, share it instantly with others, and gain real-time insight on their business operations. GoCanvas can be easily customized by any type of business to empower their workforce, unleashing the value in data across the organization to help them connect better with colleagues and engage more effectively with customers.

GoCanvas is trusted by thousands of organizations throughout 70 countries, automating millions of workplace activities, making it one of the fastest growing mobile platforms in the world.

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About GoCanvas

GoCanvas® is on a mission to simplify inspections and maximize compliance. Our intuitive platform takes care of the administrative tasks, freeing our customers to focus on what truly matters – safeguarding their people, protecting their equipment, and delivering exceptional quality to their customers. 

Since 2008, thousands of companies have chosen GoCanvas as their go-to partner for seamless field operations.

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Top 4 Workplace Safety Apps

Posted on by GoCanvas Team

Top 4 Workplace Safety Apps

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There are many great reasons to invest in workplace safety apps. Digital technology for safety can help modernize your operations and provide greater insight into safety issues and patterns. 

A digital workplace safety management program will lead to better overall outcomes for your business. Apps help to keep workers safe and productive, ultimately lowering risk for your business and ensuring safety compliance. This article highlights the top workplace safety apps to roll out in your workplace.

#1. Covid Safety Apps

Employee health screening apps have become standard for businesses during the pandemic. This category of safety apps has been particularly useful in industries like retail, construction, manufacturing, and similar types of businesses that have needed to operate in-person.

The purpose of the technology is simple. It helps to screen employees daily to record their temperature, symptoms, and potential exposure to the virus. 

Key features include:

  • Alerts based on thresholds like high temperatures or symptoms
  • Photo capture (or manual entry) for thermometer readings
  • Required signatures
  • GPS location capture
  • Symptom tracker
  • Secure cloud storage
  • Online and offline data collection
  • Pre-populated info like employee names and badge numbers
  • Screening dashboard showing near real-time results
  • Employee health screening advice and resources
  • Vaccination Log
  • HIPPA Compliant to protect sensitive information

When workers are exposed to coronavirus, it can create delays and cause downtime or lost productivity. Minimize these risks by deploying simple health screening apps that can protect your business and your customers. With real-time reporting, you can hear about potential risks as soon as they are reported to minimize further exposure.

You can learn more about employee health screening apps by following this link.

 

#2. Safety Meetings Apps

Safety culture is a top priority for the construction industry and field crews. This category of safety apps is designed to digitize safety meeting content, so employees can watch videos and complete forms on their mobile devices.

Safety meetings, sometimes referred to as toolbox talks, can cover a wide range of topics. Apps can be used to formalize these programs and measure employee engagement with the meetings.

Key features include:

  • Workflow tools to manage and assign meetings
  • Toolbox talks available to complete from any mobile device
  • Digital signatures to record compliance
  • Real-time reporting on safety meeting attendance across job sites
  • Alerts to identify non-compliance
  • Program results stored in the cloud
  • Online or offline capabilities
  • Pre-built templates with hundreds of existing toolbox talks to choose from

When toolbox talks are run using a safety meeting app, it gives your employees an easy way to access critical safety information. Since safety meeting apps are digital, it gives your business an easy way to track and report on safety program data like meeting attendance and incidents. 

You can learn more about safety meeting apps by following this link.

#3. Incident/Accident Apps

Incident and accident reporting is a requirement set by OSHA. Safety apps can be used on job sites to provide the required forms to complete in case of an accident or near miss. By going digital with these forms, it ensures proper reporting procedures are followed and apps provide an instant way of reporting accidents through the proper channels.

Key features include:

  • Customizable mobile forms 
  • Required form fields to ensure data accuracy
  • Easily capture images, GPS stamps, and sketches of the actual site of the accident
  • Central cloud-based system for reporting and documentation
  • Access and share PDF files via email to stakeholders
  • Dashboards and reporting to analyze safety incidents across job sites
  • Pre-built templates for OSHA forms 300, 300A, 301, and more
  • HIPPA Compliant to protect sensitive information

Going digital with incident and accident reporting is a great alternative to using pen and paper. While paper forms can be easily lost or misplaced, digital apps and forms ensure that data is never lost and is shared in real-time with anyone that needs it.

Learn more about Incident and Accident Reporting apps by following this link.

#4. Safety Inspection Apps

Routine safety inspections are designed to audit and assess job sites. Safety apps can be used for safety inspections, using digital checklists and mobile forms. This type of app helps to streamline workflows by managing and assigning safety inspections in the field. Some common safety inspection apps include job safety analysis, PPE checklists, equipment inspections and more.

Key features include:

  • Easy-to-use digital checklists and image capture
  • Barcode scanning for equipment 
  • Digital signatures and GPS tracking to ensure locations
  • Dynamic form fields for faster data collection 
  • Data integrations to pre-populate any known fields
  • Pre-built and customizable templates based on use case

Using apps for safety inspections is a time-saver for inspectors in the field, making it faster to complete forms and eliminating the need to deal with manual-processes with paperwork. Apps also help operations teams to manage and assign work in the field, with instant reporting back to the office once work has been performed. 

Learn more about all of the types of safety inspection apps by following this link.

Software and Forms with GoCanvas for Construction

GoCanvas is a mobile platform that makes it simple for businesses to automate how work is done, replacing outdated processes and expensive paperwork. The GoCanvas App works on smartphones and tablets, helping companies easily collect information across their organization, share it instantly with others, and gain real-time insight into their business. Construction firms rely on GoCanvas to increase productivity, promote workplace safety, and create a competitive advantage. You can learn more about all of our safety management software solutions and forms here on our website.

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About GoCanvas

GoCanvas® is on a mission to simplify inspections and maximize compliance. Our intuitive platform takes care of the administrative tasks, freeing our customers to focus on what truly matters – safeguarding their people, protecting their equipment, and delivering exceptional quality to their customers. 

Since 2008, thousands of companies have chosen GoCanvas as their go-to partner for seamless field operations.

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5 Ways Mobile Inspection Apps Ensure Better Compliance

Posted on by GoCanvas Team

5 Ways Mobile Inspection Apps Ensure Better Compliance

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The whole point of inspections is to ensure compliance. They help you ensure your work is up to code and your employees are safe. But paper inspections come with a host of issues, many of which could be leaving you at risk. Here are five ways mobile inspection apps ensure better compliance:

1. Apps ensure information is accessible

Perhaps it got lost on the way to your office. Maybe you go to look up a form later on and just can’t find it. Either way, you’re missing a report. It happens to many businesses. In fact, up to 11% of documents are misfiled or lost. That’s 11% of your time wasted. Worse, lost inspections create a massive liability risk. 

Going mobile ensures you receive every inspection. Every finished safety inspection is stored securely in the cloud. There, you can access each and every form as a PDF, or download them for your own databases in various form types. GoCanvas also makes it easy in case OSHA audits you. 

With all safety inspections stored in your GoCanvas account, you can quickly retrieve your safety inspections to prove your continued dedication to a culture of safety. A mobile app ensures your business has all the safety inspection records you need to stay in compliance and give you an accurate bigger picture.

2. Apps help you avoid errors and misspellings 

Reading handwriting can be an art. You can have amazing inspectors, but if you can’t read their writing, they might as well have written the information in Greek! Mobile apps allow you to gather that information in a clear and easy-to-understand way. 

Every inspection has typed text. Easily read it at your computer, or even on the go on a smartphone or tablet. You’ll spend less time trying to translate and more time getting work done.

3. Apps create clear documentation

A safety inspection done on paper can be hard to verify. How can you be sure that it occurred at the appropriate time and place? 

Some companies have tried to game the system: New York is taking up a case against a business that hired unqualified people to pose as licensed site safety managers. These bad eggs, however, can put additional pressure on other businesses to prove that their work sites are safe. 

Going mobile can provide additional information to protect and validate your inspections. Automatic date and time stamps prove when an inspection took place. With one click, you can have GPS capture your location, proving that the inspection occurred at the right location. You can also take photos, providing visual information to back up your inspection. Need a signature? Just sign with a finger or a stylus. 

All of these features provide additional proof that paper forms can’t provide. They create external validation, protecting your business even further. Mobile apps keep your business safe and help you gather more information than ever before.

4. Apps eliminate paperwork and associated issues

It’s a dangerous world out there. Grease, dirt, heck even a cup of water can ruin a paper form! All it takes is a stumble for you to tear up an inspection and lose an hour of hard work. 

Sure, smartphones and tablets can break. But you can easily protect these devices in a way that was never possible with paper. You can put a paper inspection in a folder, but to use it, you have to write directly on it. 

On the other hand, with smartphones and tablets you have choices of different ruggedized devices and protective cases. Not only can you gather information, but you can also ensure that a cup of coffee won’t ruin your hard work.

5. Apps help to minimize rework and manual processes

It doesn’t matter how many asterisks or underlines you use; sometimes forms come back incomplete. With forms taking hours or days to come to your office, it’s often too late to go back and get good information. 

A mobile inspection removes this headache. With one click, you can make fields required. Even if an employee skips a section, they won’t be able to submit their inspection until they fill out the required fields. No more chasing down employees days later, just easy-to-read and complete inspections at your fingertips. 

Creating accurate reports relies on having the best data possible. Mobile technology reduces human error and allows you to gather more information in real time. Say goodbye to illegible handwriting, missing paperwork, and other holes in your information. Say hello to more accurate information in real time each and every time.

For more information about GoCanvas inspection apps, contact our team to start a conversation or sign up for a free trial to learn more.

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About GoCanvas

GoCanvas® is on a mission to simplify inspections and maximize compliance. Our intuitive platform takes care of the administrative tasks, freeing our customers to focus on what truly matters – safeguarding their people, protecting their equipment, and delivering exceptional quality to their customers. 

Since 2008, thousands of companies have chosen GoCanvas as their go-to partner for seamless field operations.

Check out even more resources

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The Complete Guide to FHA Home Inspection Checklists

Posted on by GoCanvas Team

The Complete Guide to FHA Home Inspection Checklists

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Passing an FHA home inspection is necessary when purchasing a home with an FHA loan. FHA loans pose a number of advantages for some borrowers. They can make loans possible with a lower credit score, which may be the only way that some borrowers can get the loans they need to move into their own properties. However, navigating an FHA home inspection can prove more challenging than navigating the inspection process for other types of loans. Home inspection checklists are key to ensuring that every requirement is fulfilled. 

What is an FHA home inspection?

An FHA home inspection takes an in-depth look at the entire property. Its goal is to ensure that the property fits the standards required for an FHA loan before the loan is improved. An FHA home inspection is used to determine the true market value of a home and to evaluate how much a home loan can be approved for the buyer. It also determines if the home is in good condition, or determines if there are any red flags that would make it a poor choice for the buyer.

Keep in mind that an FHA home inspection serves two key purposes. Its primary job is to protect the lender. If the buyer, who may already have a low credit score if they choose to apply for an FHA loan instead of another type of property loan, ends up in an unlivable property that does not meet those critical standards, they may not be able to manage upkeep on the property or take care of those vital repairs. Often, that can cause the buyer to fall behind on payments or even to abandon the property altogether, which the lender does not want to happen.

That inspection, however, can also provide a vital layer of protection to the buyer. Home buyers do not want to end up in a property that fails to meet minimum safety standards.The FHA home inspection will help ensure that the property is safe, reasonably well-maintained, and has a lower chance of leaving the owner with serious maintenance costs in the first few years residing there.

What do inspectors look for in an FHA home inspection?

During an FHA home inspection, the inspector will take a look at all the vital elements of the home and the surrounding area. The inspector will look for signs of:

  • Property concerns. Disturbances on the property, including sinkholes, oil or gas wells, or abandoned wells. The inspector will look for anything that might make the property dangerous for inhabitants.
  • Building issues. Structural problems and defects, including any signs that the property has foundation damage or wall damage. The inspector may, for example, take a look at any water marks on the walls or ceiling, or search for cracks in the foundation.
  • Accessibility concerns. Access to the property, including both vehicle and foot access and how difficult it may prove to get to the property in the event of an emergency. Stairs may also require handrails in order to protect the property owners. 
  • Signs of pest infestations. While some bugs or pests outdoors are normal, if there are signs of infestation indoors, from termite tunnels to obvious signs of rodent droppings, the inspector may deny the loan on the property until the infestation is dealt with.
  • Problems with the plumbing or wiring. The inspector may take a look at any leaking pipes, unsafe wires, or other hazards that could cause serious dangers to the residents of the property or to the property itself.
  • Roofing inspection. In order to pass an FHA inspection, a roof will need to be strong enough to last for two or more years, with no obvious problems like leaks or moisture buildup that could pose a serious hazard down the road. 

In essence, an FHA home inspection is designed to look for any potential problems with the property. The problems most flagged by an FHA inspector are those that could pose a danger to the residents or those that could pose a serious structural problem, including those that might result in severe damage to the property itself. 

Is it hard to pass an FHA home inspection?

Passing an FHA home inspection is harder than passing other types of home inspections because if the inspector identifies serious problems with the property, those problems will have to be dealt with before you can secure a loan. However, if a home is safe, in good repair, and has no obvious problems, you should pass an FHA home inspection fairly easily. 

What will fail an FHA home inspection?

There are several factors that could impact the ability to pass an FHA home inspection. Ultimately, however, there are three issues that the inspector is looking for. If the home inspected falls into one of these three key categories, a loan will likely be denied. 

#1. The house is unsafe for habitation in some way.

Many homes are no longer safe for habitation for a variety of reasons. In some cases, an inspection may uncover electrical hazards that should have been dealt with years ago, including out-of-date wiring that could mean a serious hazard for residents of the home. In other cases, your inspector might notice serious signs of water damage, which could lead to mold buildup and, ultimately, to serious problems. 

In other cases, the house may have structural damage that could even cause it to collapse in the near future. Pests and rodents could pose a potent danger, since they can raise the risk of disease and infection for residents of the home. 

If the home is unsafe for habitation for any reason, the FHA inspector will likely list that in his demands. Sometimes, that issue is one that the sellers can fix up quickly, which will get the loan approved more easily. In other cases, however, the FHA inspector may identify a serious underlying problem that could pose a substantial danger to residents of the property, including one that the sellers cannot fix up easily before selling the property. In that case, the buyer might not be able to secure the loan they’re hoping for. 

#2. The home is unsanitary in some way.

Unsanitary living conditions are extremely hazardous for the residents of the home, and FHA inspectors will not approve those loans or allow the home to pass inspection until those things are dealt with.

Rodents–or clear signs of rodent droppings–are a key example of an unsanitary home, as are bug infestations. Other problems could include mold buildup that should have been addressed long before or sewage issues, including sewage backing up into the drains on the property. 

Often, sanitary issues are possible for the home sellers to fix up, which would make it possible for the home to pass inspection. However, these are concerns that buyers will need to deal with prior to purchasing the property.

#3. The home has clear signs of structural damage.

If the home has obvious signs of structural damage, chances are, it’s something the current homeowners won’t be able to fix up quickly. If the home is not sound, it could collapse–and that could mean serious injury to the home’s residents. Any time a home has obvious structural problems, it will not pass FHA inspection. 

What areas are checked in FHA home inspection checklists?

The FHA Home Inspection Checklist covers a variety of areas, including:

  • The roof
  • The property itself, including both potential access points and any possible damage to the property
  • The wiring
  • The hot water heater
  • The plumbing
  • Bathrooms, to ensure that all bathrooms are working and provide adequately for the needs of the home’s residents
  • Heating and cooling
  • Potential pest infestations
  • The structure of the property
  • The bedrooms, including ensuring that all bedrooms have windows to provide additional access to the property

FHA inspectors may need to go through the entire property in order to make sure they have identified any potential hazards. They may check everywhere, including in attics and basements, to make sure that there are no obvious signs of property damage that need to be dealt with before the loan can be approved. 

What are the benefits of going digital with FHA home inspection checklists?

GoCanvas offers a template that can be used by FHA home inspectors to streamline the inspection process using a mobile device or tablet.

Inspection companies have found that by going digital, they are able to save time when performing inspections and creating the report. With all of this done electronically using a mobile app, it cuts down on data entry and manual processes that are common when using just paper forms.

Access the GoCanvas FHA home inspection template here for an easy to use digital checklist for the home inspection process. 

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About GoCanvas

GoCanvas® is on a mission to simplify inspections and maximize compliance. Our intuitive platform takes care of the administrative tasks, freeing our customers to focus on what truly matters – safeguarding their people, protecting their equipment, and delivering exceptional quality to their customers. 

Since 2008, thousands of companies have chosen GoCanvas as their go-to partner for seamless field operations.

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5 Best Construction Inspection Templates

Posted on by GoCanvas Team

5 Best Construction Inspection Templates

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Many jobs in construction require daily, weekly, and monthly inspections for safety compliance and project management tasks. This article covers some of the most common construction inspection types and templates that can be used to simplify the process.

Why use a construction inspection template?

Inspection templates are helpful to use so that you don’t have to start from scratch. Paper forms and Word documents are one way to create a template, but many companies are moving toward inspection software and mobile forms to make it easier to manage. 

A construction inspection template is typically a pre-built form that is available within the inspection software platform that has many of the fields that you would need to collect for that particular inspection type. Templates are generally meant to be customized, so you can input any project or client specific details that are required. Most inspection software templates are very simple to customize, using a drag-and-drop editor to make the template customizations online. 

Once the template is created, it’s available to inspectors or managers in the field who can go through the checklist items using a mobile device and a PDF report is generated once finished.

Using inspection templates helps to ensure that data is collected in a standard way and required fields are never left blank. Inspection software and forms help bring all of the inspection forms into a central, cloud-based system that is easy to access and easy to share the information with all project stakeholders. 

GoCanvas has worked with leading construction companies to digitize their forms and streamline operational tasks. All of our inspection templates are designed to work with other forms you use on the job site, like work orders, safety meetings, contracts, and more. Follow the links below for some of the most common inspection templates and register for a GoCanvas free trial to see how the product works. 

1. Daily Site Inspection Template

Daily site inspections are used on many construction projects to report on the daily progress updates for that job site. This gives management and clients a report to communicate the work being done in the field.

Construction firms are going digital with these daily site inspections, with apps to help make the entire daily reporting process painless for site managers. The daily site inspection app from GoCanvas is used to document weather conditions, monitor who has been on site for the day, collect notes for the project, capture images of any issues, and much more. 

Access the Daily Site Inspection template from our free trial and use our no-code builder to easily customize the form to include other relevant information for your job sites.

2. Building Inspection Template

Building inspections are often required to report on the overall condition and safety of the buildings according to their permits and code. The building inspection app from GoCanvas makes it easy to ensure that buildings are in compliance with permit issuance and do not have code violations.

Building inspectors can use the simple checklists and forms on their mobile devices or tablets, collecting the required information and automatically generating a branded report once they are finished. This app can also be used in conjunction with work orders, making it simple to assign follow up corrective actions after an inspection has been completed.

Access the Building Inspection template from our free trial to see how GoCanvas can help save your business time and money by streamlining how you collect and report on information digitally.

3. Equipment Inspection Template

Construction equipment operators and teams that are responsible for preventative maintenance can use the equipment inspection template from GoCanvas to perform complete equipment safety checklists on a mobile device or tablet. 

The template is useful to ensure that heavy construction equipment is in good condition and to identify any issues that require attention. This template can also be used to ensure that your workplace is in compliance with OSHA standards for heavy equipment safety.

Access the Equipment Inspection template from our template library and use the GoCanvas form builder to modify the template to be used across different types of equipment and job sites.

4. Quality Control Inspection Template

Quality control inspections are designed to check for quality standards and advise where corrective action is needed. This QC template from GoCanvas can be used for many different purposes, including construction projects, building code, work environment, welding processes, environmental monitoring, and more.

Going digital with quality control inspections helps to instantly capture, record, and update quality audits with regards to quality standards in real time during the inspection process. Once the QC inspection template checklist has been completed using a mobile device, a PDF is automatically generated that can be emailed and is stored in the GoCanvas Cloud account for easy access.

Access the Quality Control Inspection from in our template library.

5. Safety Inspection Template

Job site safety inspections are designed to ensure OSHA compliance and best practices are followed in terms of worker safety. This safety inspection template from GoCanvas can be used as a reporting tool for hazard analysis, identifying pertinent safety issues and working conditions for employees.

The safety inspection template can be used on a mobile device so that safety inspectors, safety managers, general contractors, and project managers, any contractor or site inspector can use the app to quickly and easily complete site inspections and send the results directly to the project managers and the safety compliance team. 

Access the Safety Inspection template in our template library for an easy-to-use digital inspection app that can help to keep workers safe and productive on the job site.

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About GoCanvas

GoCanvas® is on a mission to simplify inspections and maximize compliance. Our intuitive platform takes care of the administrative tasks, freeing our customers to focus on what truly matters – safeguarding their people, protecting their equipment, and delivering exceptional quality to their customers. 

Since 2008, thousands of companies have chosen GoCanvas as their go-to partner for seamless field operations.

Check out even more resources

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Your Guide for Rental Inspection Checklists

Posted on by GoCanvas Team

Your Guide for Rental Inspection Checklists

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What is a rental inspection checklist?

A rental inspection checklist is used by property management companies to ensure that rental units are in good condition for tenants. The rental inspection checklist is typically performed by a member of the property management staff and includes all different areas of the home or property to inspection. Once the checklist form is completed, a report is generated that includes a signature from the inspector and a signature to be collected from the tenant. This creates an agreement between parties that the rental inspection was conducted and records any of the pertinent information, in case of a dispute later on.

What does a rental inspection look like?

A rental inspection can look very different depending on the property type. For example, a single family home will need to cover more areas than that of a studio apartment. The rental inspection checklist should have different templates for all of these different use cases. Here are some examples of the types of things included in a rental inspection checklist:

  • Interior of the unit
  • Exterior spaces
  • Building structures
  • Electrical, mechanical, and plumbing
  • Fire protection
  • And more

It’s important that your property management company performs thorough inspections on a routine basis and confirm that properties are maintained according to local regulations. Proactive inspections can identify issues before they become problems, leading to better maintained properties and lowered risk.

What are the most common types of rental inspections?

Two common types of rental inspections used by property management companies are residential property inspections and move-in/move-out inspections. Here is a brief overview on these types of rental inspections and templates you can use to get started.

Residential Property Inspection Checklists

A residential property inspection checklist is used to ensure that the property is livable and meets the required standards in your area. This checklist is used during a housing inspection to assess the overall condition of the property. It will have a thorough checklist for inspectors to review and detailed notes to make recommendations on what needs to be repaired. Similar to a home inspection that is performed for buyers, the rental inspection checklist is designed to give property owners a detailed assessment of the building to prepare it for tenant move-in.

You can access the residential inspection checklist here on the GoCanvas App Store.

Move-in and Move-out Inspection Checklists

Building owners and property managers will perform move-in and move-out inspections for tenants to create a document of how the property is maintained upon move in and any damages that exist upon move out. By performing a thorough inspection upon move-in, it creates a clear record of the condition of the property and an agreement from the tenant. If damages occur, the move-out inspection will document these issues and any applicable fines can be assessed upon move-out. 

You can access the move-in and move-out inspection checklist here on the GoCanvas App Store.

What is GoCanvas and Should You Digitize Inspections?

Still using paper forms to manage inspections? Consider going digital with inspection software built for property management companies, building contractors, real estate transactions, and much more. The GoCanvas platform is trusted by thousands of companies to streamline the inspection process and automate how work gets done. 

Tools for management. Inspection software provides tools to better manage inspections. Easily dispatch work orders to the right teams in the field and get real-time reports once work has been completed. Cloud-based tools ensure information is accessible and never lost. Inspection software makes it easier to collect and report on information from the field, saving your business time and money by cutting out manual processes.

Simplicity in the field. Inspection software and forms provide a simple solution for your workforce on site when performing property inspections on a mobile device or tablet. Inspection checklists can be built for your business needs and ensure that data is consistent every time by requiring fields. Information syncs automatically back to the office, cutting down on the reporting process and saving technicians from data entry.

Seamless digital experience. Software for mobile forms helps to digitize inspections, work orders, and other types of paperwork. If you need to share inspection forms with other stakeholders or clients, all of this can be done electronically and provide a better process for documentation. Provide better reports with photos, allow for digital signatures on documents, and manage everything using cloud-based tools instead of paper forms that are easily lost.

Looking for more examples? See how other companies are benefiting from inspection software and forms in this related article.

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About GoCanvas

GoCanvas® is on a mission to simplify inspections and maximize compliance. Our intuitive platform takes care of the administrative tasks, freeing our customers to focus on what truly matters – safeguarding their people, protecting their equipment, and delivering exceptional quality to their customers. 

Since 2008, thousands of companies have chosen GoCanvas as their go-to partner for seamless field operations.

Check out even more resources

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