30 CFR 56.18002 requires a competent person to examine each working place at least once per shift, before miners begin work there, checking for conditions that could cause an injury. It's not a walk-through, it's a documented search for ground hazards, unsafe equipment, and anything that's changed since the last shift, and MSHA treats a missing or incomplete exam record as a standalone citation, separate from whatever hazard it failed to catch. Sign up to log every workplace exam with a timestamp and route corrective actions the moment a hazard is found.
Why It Matters
A workplace examination has to happen before miners occupy or work in that area, not after, and it has to be conducted by someone competent to recognize the hazards specific to that task. Conditions that could reasonably be expected to cause injury must be corrected before work begins, or the area restricted until they are.
What A Competent Examiner Checks
Ground Conditions
Highwalls, benches, and loose material checked before anyone works below
Equipment
Guards, safety devices, and visible defects on machinery in the area
Access & Egress
Walkways, ladders, and escape routes clear and structurally sound
Electrical
Exposed wiring, grounding, and lockout points confirmed intact
Housekeeping
Slip, trip, and fall hazards from debris, spills, or loose tooling
Atmosphere
Dust, fumes, or ventilation issues in confined or enclosed work areas
Running The Exam Before The Shift Starts
Walk the area before work begins: examination happens ahead of miners occupying the space, not alongside them
Check ground and highwall stability: look for cracks, overhangs, or loose material that changed since the last shift
Inspect equipment in the work area: guards, alarms, and visible defects on any machinery staged or operating there
Correct hazards before work starts: anything likely to cause injury gets fixed or the area gets restricted, no exceptions
Record the examination immediately: date, location, examiner name, and any hazard found logged before leaving the area
Notify affected miners: anyone working in the examined area informed of hazards found and corrective action taken
Make Every Workplace Exam Provable
OxMaint puts this checklist on the examiner's phone, timestamps every workplace exam, and fires a work order the second a hazard is logged. Sign up for a free trial to run it on your own site, or book a demo to see it configured for your operation.
Hazard Type, Example & Required Response
| Hazard Type |
Example Condition |
Required Response |
| Ground Failure |
Cracked highwall, loose bench material |
Restrict access until scaled or barricaded |
| Equipment Defect |
Missing guard, damaged safety device |
Tag out until repaired and re-inspected |
| Electrical |
Exposed wiring, missing grounding |
De-energize and correct before access resumes |
| Housekeeping |
Spills, debris, blocked egress path |
Clear before work begins in that area |
The Takeaway
The workplace exam is the single most cited standard under Part 56 for a reason, it's easy to skip when a shift is already behind schedule. A record that shows the exam happened, on time, in the right place, with corrective action logged, is what turns a routine walk-through into real protection for the miners working there next.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q
Who is considered a competent person under Part 56?
A competent person is someone with the training and experience to recognize hazards specific to the working place being examined. This isn't a title, it's a functional standard, the examiner has to actually understand the conditions and equipment in that area to be qualified to check them.
Q
Does the exam need to happen before every shift or just once a day?
The examination is required before miners begin work in a place during each shift, so a site running multiple shifts needs a separate documented exam for each one. Conditions change between shifts, and the record needs to reflect that each area was checked before that specific crew started work.
Q
What should the written record of a workplace exam include?
A complete record includes the date, the location examined, the examiner's name, any hazardous conditions found, and the corrective action taken or the fact that miners were notified and the area restricted. Missing any of these elements is a common source of citation even when the hazard itself was addressed.
Turn Every Shift's Exam Into A Clean Record
OxMaint digitizes your Part 56 workplace exam, timestamps every check, and routes corrective action the moment a hazard is logged, keeping your site audit-ready shift after shift. Sign up for a free trial to run it on your own site, or book a demo to see it configured for your operation.
