What is a Safety Audit? Understanding the Importance of Workplace Safety
A safety audit is a process that evaluates the effectiveness of occupational health and safety programs in the workplace. Its primary goal is to identify hazards, assess the measures in place to control those hazards and ensure compliance with safety standards set by regulatory bodies such as OSHA. Safety audits are conducted by independent consultants to ensure an unbiased review of policies, procedures, and safety management systems.
Safety audits serve two broad purposes – to ensure compliance with safety legislation and to identify weaknesses in a company’s safety program. By maintaining a safe workplace, identifying hazards, and implementing adequate controls, companies can keep their employees safe and protect themselves from legal liabilities.
Steps to Conducting an Effective Safety Audit
Conducting a safety audit is a rigorous process that can be broken down into several steps:
- Planning the Audit – 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.
- Executing the Audit – This step involves carrying out the audit in accordance with the plan. Any variation from established safety procedures is noted, and actual work conditions are observed.
- Compiling the Report – The audit team compiles a report outlining the findings of the audit, including any regulatory violations, deviations from industry best practices, and safety procedures that are not properly followed.
- Corrective Actions – Based on their findings, the audit team identifies 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 – The results of the audit should then be made available to all employees of the company.
Safety Audits Benefits
Conducting regular safety audits provides a range of benefits to companies, including:
- Providing an ongoing review of systems to ensure that they continue to be followed.
- Facilitating planned improvements to programs, policies, and procedures.
- Identifying weaknesses in human resources departments.
- Demonstrating management’s dedication to employee health and safety.
Safety audits are more thorough than technical inspections and spot-checks. Audits look beyond the activity taking place on a typical workday and also evaluate the company’s safety training and onboarding process.
Conclusion
Safety audits are crucial to maintaining a safe workplace and complying with safety legislation. They identify potential hazards and weaknesses in a company’s safety program and provide a roadmap for improvement. Conducting regular safety audits not only protects employees from harm but also demonstrates a company’s commitment to health and