What is a Safety Audit?
A safety audit is a comprehensive process that evaluates an organization’s compliance with occupational health and safety standards. Safety audits identify potential health and safety hazards, assess the effectiveness of the existing measures to control those hazards, and determine compliance with regulatory requirements. Safety audits are typically carried out by independent audit consultants to ensure an unbiased review of policies, procedures, and safety management systems.
Why is Safety Audit Important?
Safety audits serve two broad purposes. Firstly, they ensure compliance with safety legislation and are routinely conducted internally or externally. Secondly, they identify weaknesses in an organization’s safety program and serve as a guide to optimize a company’s safety management system, and identify corrective actions that should be undertaken.
The Benefits of Safety Audits
Providing an Ongoing Review of Systems
Safety audits provide an ongoing review of the systems and ensure that they continue to be followed. By reviewing the procedures and protocols regularly, any weaknesses or gaps can be identified and rectified to ensure that the organization is compliant with OSHA standards.
Facilitating Planned Improvements
Safety audits facilitate planned improvements to programs, policies, and procedures. Based on the findings of the audit, the organization can plan and implement changes that improve the health and safety of its employees.
Identifying Weaknesses in Human Resource Departments
Safety audits identify weaknesses in human resources departments. This includes identifying issues such as inadequate training, poorly defined job descriptions, and insufficient resources, all of which can compromise employee safety.
Demonstrating Management’s Dedication to Employee Health and Safety
Safety audits demonstrate management’s dedication to employee health and safety. By undertaking safety audits, organizations can signal to their employees and stakeholders that they take the safety of their workforce seriously.
Steps to Conducting an Effective Safety Audit
Planning the Audit
The first step in conducting an effective safety audit is to plan it. The key components of an audit plan are the audit team, the scope of the audit, and the targeted areas in the workplace or job site. The audit team should be made up of individuals with relevant expertise and experience, including safety professionals, managers, and employees.
Executing the Audit
The second step is to execute the audit in accordance with the plan. During this step, the audit team should carry out the audit as per the predetermined scope, and any deviation from established safety procedures should be noted. The audit team should also observe the actual work conditions to ensure that they are compliant with the safety standards.
Compiling the Report
After executing the audit, the team should compile a report outlining their findings. This report should include any regulatory violations, deviations from industry best practices, and safety procedures that are not properly followed.
Corrective Actions
Based on the audit findings, the team should identify corrective actions that should be taken. This step should involve the company’s managers and supervisors since they are the ones who will be required to carry out these corrective actions. To ensure that they are followed, the corrective actions are assigned a completion and review date.
Publishing the Results of the Audit
Finally, the results of the audit should be made available to all employees of the company. By doing this, employees can gain an understanding of the current state of the organization’s safety procedures and any corrective actions that have been taken.
Conclusion
In conclusion, safety audits are an essential part of ensuring the safety of employees, stakeholders, and visitors. Conducting regular safety