Tips for Occupational Health and Safety Audits

Occupational Health and Safety was first introduced into Australia in 1956 when a magistrate ruled that employers had a responsibility to provide a safe place to work. Employers have a duty of care to their staff, as well as employees being responsible and following the safety systems set in place. An effective Occupational Health and Safety system means a reduction in deaths and workplace injuries. For any system to be effective it needs to be put in writing, and as well as having an Occupational Health and Safety Manual, the next step is to conduct an audit.

An Occupational Health and Safety Audit is a range of assessments that are undertaken to determine the effectiveness of management systems within a business, and it identifies the strengths and weaknesses of a safety system. An audit will then highlight and prioritise the areas where there are opportunities for improvements. An Occupational Health and Safety Audit should be a matter of course within every business, and these can be carried out by a professional who will come in and assess your workplace, or a basic assessment can be carried out internally. Audit standards vary and employers can gain a self insurance licence so they can complete a safety audit themselves.

Basic Audit

If you conduct a basic safety audit within your own workplace you need to look at how each job is performed within your business, and think about the Occupational Health and Safety issues within each job. Things to consider include vehicle traffic, checking pedestrian traffic areas and whether there is appropriate signage. Are areas with hazardous equipment displaying the correct safety signage and do visitors know where to report when they arrive? You also need to consider what your emergency procedures are and where a staff meeting point will be. Other things to consider include whether personal protective equipment is worn by employees, how products and equipment should be stored and handled, whether or not procedures are put into place for processes and equipment usage, if work areas are kept tidy and whether staff receive appropriate training to conduct their job in a safe manner. Workplace inspections should also include fire prevention, lighting, building safety, rubbish removal, machine safety, electrical safety, safe use and disposal of chemicals, ladders, first aid, office hazards and the condition of work vehicles.

Inspections by a Safety Consultant

An audit can be carried out by a Safety Consultant. They will conduct a comprehensive inspection of your workplace and on completion a written report will be issued with notes of what needs to be done to improve safety standards.

Compliance Auditing

Compliance Auditing is a specific audit undertaken to determine if workplace practices are meeting legislative requirements. The hazards looked at are determined by the workplace environment as well as information taken from any relevant injury data and industry input. Results will indicate if compliance is being achieved or if further improvement is required to meet legislative standards.

Hazard Specific Audits

This type of audit has a more narrow focus as it looks at the effectiveness of policies in dealing with specific hazards. These can include such issues as testing workplace methods or working heights. This sort of assessment needs to be conducted every 12 months.

Management System Audit

A much broader Occupational Health and Safety audit, it looks at organisational structures, planning activities, procedures and evaluations issues and review cycles and measurement.

By the way, do you want to learn more about Workplace Safety? If so, I suggest you check Self Insurance and Safety Management Consulting.