A DEEP DIVE INTO SAFETY AUDITS

Imagine This - A bustling factory floor where workers diligently operate heavy machinery, their focus fixated on meeting production targets. Among them is a seasoned employee, John, who has dedicated years to his craft. Suddenly, an unforeseen accident strikes, endangering John's life and causing severe damage to the facility. As the dust settles, questions arise: Could this incident have been prevented? Was there a systematic evaluation of safety measures in place??

These thought-provoking scenarios lead us to explore a crucial practice that can make all the difference in safeguarding lives and preserving organizational integrity - the Safety Audit.

What is a Safety Audit?

A safety audit is a broad term that refers to a procedure in which a facility collects data on one or more workplace components to assess the risk of health or safety concerns. The purpose of safety audits is accountability. Safety audits are intended to guarantee that a company's physical and human assets are protected by compelling program features for recognizing, reducing, or mitigating hazards. Safety audits are, at their heart, an organized procedure for recording, evaluating, and reporting data on a company's entire health and safety management system.

The Need for Regular Safety Audits

Types of Safety Audits

Finally, there are three major types of Safety Audits. Any enterprise that is keen on ensuring the safety of its employees and visitors at the workplace can benefit from the below-mentioned safety audits.

• Compliance audits

A compliance audit is the simplest and most rudimentary type of safety audit. Compliance audits examine whether your business adheres to the safety standards outlined in its bylaws, processes, rules, regulations, and any associated liabilities. The norms of the country are crucial in establishing these standards.

The compliance audit also examines if the workplace is safe and free of dangers as organizations should make every effort to decrease the number of dangerous acts that could transpire.

A safety auditor will use various programs, rules, training modules, and record-keeping techniques and examine their safety regulations, methods, and practices to see if they comply with OSHA safety requirements and other safety legislation and policies to ensure workplace safety.

Failure to follow the safety rules can result in hefty fines and penalties and a detrimental impact on an organization's reputation and goodwill. Avoiding penalties is one of the key reasons companies stick to compliance auditing criteria and recheck the various steps.

• Program audits

Program audits entail assessing numerous safety measures after thoroughly examining all employee input and each component to identify the program's good safety outcomes.

Safety program audits are the only way to put HSE to the test by systematically analyzing the program design and efficacy by delving into the rules and foundations of practice.

• Management system audits

A management system audit, also known as an overall audit, keeps track of the program and compliance audits. It is the last step in the audit process, and it is used to validate risk control measures and guarantee that safety compliance is sufficient. This audit aims to assess the current performance of the complete safety procedure and determine whether it complies with business policy and regulatory standards. It's a type of integrated audit that verifies whether the safety initiatives align with the company's practices and goals. It depicts the audit program in its entirety.

A management system audit combines traditional auditing procedures with employee interviews, compliance assessments, and workplace inspections. It's a tangled system whose cooperation aids in projecting an overall image of the company's safety program.

Conducting a Safety Audit

Conclusion

Most employers benefit from safety audits and inspections since they have been proven to lower the number of incidents. Rather than waiting for an accident to happen, safety audits encourage being proactive about safety. Although they take time and effort, it is worth the trouble as they can propel an enterprise to the next level in terms of health and safety.

Workplace safety audits aim to determine whether safety management systems function correctly and effectively. In most cases, workplace injuries and accidents are caused by minor faults that could be recognized sooner through workplace safety assessments. As a result, these assessments safeguard individuals and businesses by lowering injuries and operating expenses while also enhancing productivity.

??Webinar Alert??

We are thrilled to invite you to our webinar Maximizing Road Safety - A Look into Infrastructure, Behavior, Speed Management & Safe Systems Approach . Our Guest Speakers include Dr Prerana Arora Singh and Rajni Gandhi .

?? Date: 12th July 2023 (Wednesday)

? Time: 5:00 PM IST

During this engaging session, you will gain insightful knowledge on various topics

? Impact of road crashes in terms of economics and health.

? Who bears the cost?

? Speed vs human body tolerance

? Why safety is important?

? Safe Infrastructure and Road User Behavior

? Safe Mobility for all

? Safe School Zone

Register now to secure your spot and unleash the power of road safety!