The Safety Audit

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Chapter : Safety Management 

Safety Article 

The Safety Audit

A safety audit is a process that evaluates the health and safety of a work setting, It provides a detailed report cards on the success of safety and health programs,environmental programs,and process safety management. During an audit, a group gathers data about a location's operations.Like financial, Internal, compliance  etc.  audits,safety audits are structured evaluations on performance and compliance.

A safety audit is a structured, methodical assessment and evaluation of how workplace activities affect safety and health. They identify hazards and illustrate how to make the area safer for employees.It reveals how an organization is doing in maintaining a safe and healthy environment.Its goal is to ensure a safe and healthy workplace by striving to eliminate unsafe practices and hazards that lead to injuries and accidents.Organizational leaders use audits to develop safety procedures for their team members.

Safety audits serve two main functions:

👉Safety audits are conducted on a regular basis to determine whether or not a company is in compliance with the appropriate safety regulations.

👉Safety audits are used to identify weaknesses in safety programs and processes in order to identify corrective actions that should be taken.

The safety audit evaluates design and performance

This process looks at indicators to more accurately determine if the safety management system is adequately designed and effectively performing to identify and control the hazards found during the safety inspection. Indicators evaluated include:

1. Knowledge, attitudes. Analyze what employees are thinking by conducting a survey. Full knowledge, positive attitudes, high trust and low fear indicate effectiveness.
2. Behaviors, actions. Observe both employee and manager behaviors. Consistent appropriate behavior and adherence to safety and health rules, indicate effectiveness.
3. Standards. Analyze system inputs - policies, plans, programs, budgets, processes, procedures, appraisals, job descriptions, rules. Informative/directive, clear, concise, communicated inputs indicate probable effectiveness.
4. Results. Analyze accident trends, MOD rates, etc. Continually improving results indicate effectiveness.

The audit is an evaluation

An evaluation requires some kind of judgment about quality. Therefore, a simple yes/no response commonly used in the safety inspection procedure is not adequate. The audit requires a rating of some kind. Below is a sample rating system that can be used with an audit.

• 5 = Excellent- Can be recognised as a leader in this particular aspect of the H&S Management System; everyone is involved and high levels of integration and ownership & commitment are demonstrated.; continuous improvement is evident.
• 4 = Very Good- H&S Management System is addressed systematically, documented and updated regularly, reaching the respective targets regularly; good system of Lead Indicator identification, reporting and compliance monitoring; integration with other activities is at high levels; felt and visible ownership and commitment.
• 3 = Good- Safety Management system & process exist and documented; improving trend of system of Lead Indicator identification, reporting and compliance monitoring; system is implemented at the minimum levels; ownership and commitment visible at some extent.
• 2 = Reasonable- Some system & process exist; inconsistent system of Lead Indicator identification, reporting and compliance monitoring; awareness may be present, but implementation of this aspect is haphazard or not evident at all.  
•  1 = Poor- Weak Safety system and process, weak or no system of Lead Indicator identification, reporting and compliance monitoring; little awareness; minimal or no ownership and commitment. 
•  0 = Process not yet started/ No System.

Safety Audit.

1. An annual baseline hazard assessment has been conducted. 
2. Effective management controls are in place, as needed.
3. Safety and health rules are written and clearly communicated. 
4. Employees are adequately trained on all safe work practices. 
5. Personal protective equipment is effectively used as needed. 
6. Effective preventive and corrective maintenance is performed. 
7. Emergency equipment is well maintained.
8. Engineered hazard controls are well maintained.
9. Supervisors, managers and the safety committee conduct inspections. 
10. The organization is prepared for emergency situations.
11. The organization has an effective plan for providing competent emergency medical care to employees and others present on the site.
12. An early-return-to-work program is in place at the facility.

Safety Committee - Hazard assessment and control.

1. Is the safety committee assisting in evaluating the employer's safety and health program?
2. Are established procedures that identify safety and health hazards in place?
3. Are workplace inspections by the safety committee conducted at least quarterly?
4. Does the safety committee use the results of the inspection to make recommendations?
5. Does the inspection team include employer and employee representatives?
6. Does the inspection report locate and identity of the hazards and make recommendations?