Anyone can inspect an object. This will tell you something about the object, but be careful, some of these objects may be trapped. Poking at a trapped object might set the trap off. Characters with the appropriate skills can Sense or Disarm traps on these objects. They may also be locked, so someone with a Pick Lock skill may be useful to open them. But, failing that, there will be a few spells that can allow you to open locked objects.

And, for the more brutal folks, it's possible to just bash them apart, though this has a very good chance of setting off any traps that may be hidden in the object.