Risk Engineering

Self-Inspection Programme

Expert-reviewed Updated: 2026-09-01 Expert-reviewed: 2026-09-04 (Guido Hesse, Hesse Group Holding AG) Version 0.1.0

A self-inspection programme delegates regular, checklist-based monitoring of fire protection, security and maintenance features to trained facility staff, bridging the periods between formal surveys carried out by external risk engineers.

Structure

An internal control function – often a named safety officer – carries out regular walk-throughs using a standardised checklist covering all of the facility’s management programmes: permit systems, housekeeping, escape routes, impairments and maintenance status. Findings are documented and assigned to a responsible person for correction.

Execution

Inspectors are trained in the plant, its protection features and the notification chain; loss and near-miss reports feed into every round. Facilities increasingly use digital checklist apps that support deadlines, photo documentation and escalation.

Insurance relevance

A documented self-inspection programme does not replace an external risk survey, but extends its effectiveness between visits and is credited by property insurers as evidence of an active loss prevention culture; missing records make a fair risk assessment more difficult.