When you are the business owner, you need to ensure the safety of your employees, customers and clients. And for this, it is extremely important to have the health and safety audit done regularly apart from the daily security checks. Let us understand the topic – workplace health and safety audit in detail in this article.
What is a health and safety audit?
In general, the health and safety audit is conducted to assess the organization to assures the health and safety policies are incorporated appropriately. The audit protects the well-being of the employees by complying with the rules and regulations. The auditing guarantees that there are a set of systems and procedures for the safety of employees, clients and customers. The health and safety audit guarantees that the procedures and systems followed in the business is correct. And that it is delivered with the expected outcome.
Workplace health and safety audit involves an in-depth process than simply inspecting the technical errors. Hence it cannot be simply completed as a spot-check inspection. Auditing involves detailed inspection and analysis of every safety precaution that should be compulsorily followed for proper business development.
What is done under a health and safety audit?
Safety training and precautionary measures in an organisation are reviewed by the internal or external auditor. This is done through various rigorous processes, including interviewing the employees, reviewing documentation, checking the facility systems, and more.
During the audit process, the information relating to the efficiency, reliability and durability is gathered to confirm that the management systems are set up appropriately to take care of all safety precautions that the workforce in the company should be given.
The routine audit is conducted by the audit representative of the regulatory body or the company. Auditing helps to determine if the company is compliant with all the safety legislation. By conducting the regular health and safety audit, the weakness in the safety procedures can be effectively identified and rectified to avoid any mishaps. The audit helps to design better safety plans and corrective actions promptly.
Another important task carried out during the safety audits is the review of the safety documentation. The audit is done to determine if the record-keeping systems are appropriately in place and adequately done for the safety of the staff and business.
Benefits of health and safety auditing
Conducting regular auditing for the health and safety of the working environment is considered one of the best practices in various organizations. Audits help in ensuring a safe working environment for the employees, which in turn helps in client trust-building as well as increase the productivity of the working staff. It helps in the overall positive benefits to businesses by safeguarding the existence of the company. Any serious safety mishaps will lead to prosecution and reputational damages along with financial penalties, fines, and legal costs. Safety auditing policy helps in safeguarding the company assets.
Auditing also helps in finding ways to improve the setup of safety programs and update the policies and procedures assuring the employees’ workplace health and safety in the organization.