SAFETY AUDIT
Folllowing my last post about???Safe???????????????:?????????????????????????????????????????????????????
and thanks to Ben Hutchinson ?to share an additional article about??the link between “accident investigation and a finding about “lack of safety audit” and specially the quality of audits.?
In this article, the four overarching categories have been defined with the main causes :?
-???????Audits involve a failure to understand.
-???????Audits involve a failure to act.
-???????Audits involve a failure to manage.
-???????Audits involve a failure to focus.
In addition to this excellent article, you have also additional causes:
Audits involve a failure to understand.
?? Lack of clarity in objectives: Objectives must be clearly defined and communicated. If not, it may be misunderstandings about what aspects of safety performance are being assessed.?
?? Insufficient training or experience: one of the most important issues.??Many times in many businesses and industries, the topics are technically complex and you need expertise in various subject to identify correctly the hazards and the risks.
?? Complexity of the Organization: safety audits may involve multiple departments, processes, and stakeholders. Understanding the interdependencies and interactions between can difficult and time consuming.
?? Cultural Barriers: Languages, lack of understanding, perceptions may be different from one country to another.
??Limited Resources or times to audit and to analyze.
Audits involve a failure to act.
??Resistance to Change:??it is sometimes difficult to understand the potential benefits of improving safety performance and to implement the recommendations.
??Poor leadership commitment or complacency: Audit findings may not be considered as priority or received the necessary attention. Leaders do not set clear expectations for corrective and preventive actions.
??Limited resources (Human and financial) to implement the actions.
??Misunderstanding of Findings or complexity of Issues : Lack of clarity on how to tackle these issues can lead to delays or indecision in taking action.
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Audits involve a failure to manage.
?? Inadequate planning and preparation: Preparation, objectives and scope are key. “Before anything else, preparation is the key to success. (?Alexander Graham Bell)
?? Inadequate timing for auditing: Time is running fast during audit… According the scope, schedule and timing must be defined precisely.
??Poor Execution:??Skills and competences, data collection, analysis, and reporting, are crucial for the quality of the audits.?
Audits involve a failure to focus.
In addition to the previous causes, you may have :
?? Distractions, interruptions and availably of the key persons to be audited.
?? Lack of prioritization. It may be difficult to measure the impact and it may result to lack of focus on the most critical hazards and risks. Without clear prioritization criteria, auditors may spend disproportionate time and resources on less important matters.
?? Lack of attention to the details: Many times, safety is in the detail. It may be difficult to pay attention to detail and some details cand being overlooked or misunderstood during the audit process.?
Some recommendations:?
-???????Do not only rely on audits.?
-???????Implement different tools to capture issues (Reason model)?
-???????risk assessment, inspections,?job Hazard Analysis (JHA), safety observation visit, communication, REX,…
-???????Establish clear objectives, timelines, and expectations for the audit process.
-???????Define sufficient resources.
-???????Ensure effective communication and collaboration among auditors, stakeholders, and management.
-???????Implement robust follow-up and monitoring process to track progress on corrective actions and ensure compliance with audit recommendations.
Finally, think about your culture:??It is just and fair with transparency or a blame culture with organizational silence where employees choose not to speak up their concerns or feedback within the workplace. It can occur for various reasons, including fear!
It is easy to explain how to avoid an accident after the accident !