Workplace Performance Safety Audits

A Safety performance audit generally covers the activities required when reviewing safety performance in workplaces. An increased focus on safety management systems as opposed to inputs and processes should have a gradual but sustainable effect on the number of accidents occurring on industrial sites.

When conducting safety audits, as is the case with most other activities, one can approach it in a number of different ways. There is however certain basic activities that form a part of any auditing process, which are explained in the following 10 steps.

Different approached are possible, however practical experience indicated that should these steps be followed the chances of achieving the audit objectives are multiplied.

Step 1: Planning

When planning to conduct a safety audit it is important to gather all relevant company information. The preparation should also include defining the audit scope. Once the audit scope is clear the audit team should be assembled based on the required expertise. In preparation the audit team should ensure that they review all relevant legislation, standards, standards, guidelines and codes of practices for the particular workplace.

Step 2: Preparation

In preparation the audit team should obtain all special tools, equipment and safety gear to conduct the audit effectively and safely. This includes ensuring that any specialized tools are operational and can be safely operated by at least one of the audit team members. Any personal protective equipment that would be needed during the audit by the audit team members should be made available. Part of the preparation is ensuring that escort arrangements are in place, company risk profiles are studies and the team familiarize themselves with the site.

Step 3: Pre Audit

It is very useful to conduct a pre audit. This normally ensures that the time of the audit team is optimally used. This step also identifies all the key role players, clarifies the audit objectives and simplifies the approach to be followed during the audit.

Step 4: Incident and Accident Review

The review of all incidents and accidents that occurred during the audit period is a vital part of understanding the uncontrolled risks in the workplace to be audited. It is also important to establish the additional controls that were recommended by the investigation team to establish their width and depth of the implementation when conducting the field audit.

Step 5: Risk Assessment EvaluationAssessing the risk assessment methodology used by the workplace being audited is a critical part of ensuring that the methodology is objective, repeatable and recorded. It also allows the audit team to establish the validity of the risk profile.

Step 6: Systems Audit

Conducting the systems audit comprises of compliance measurement and verification. This includes conducting man-hour verification, disabling injury frequency rate verification and corrective action documentation confirmation. It also includes assessing whether all safety management system elements are correctly implemented by reviewing documents, interviewing staff and conducting physical inspections. The evaluation of the system to manage the identified risks is an integral part of the systems audit. The evaluation includes determining whether the questions relating to who, what, where, why and how are all answered. A testing plan based on the risk profile should be used.

Step 7: Evaluate Findings

Once all the data is assembled and scored according to the rules of the particular audit protocol points should be allocated. Part of the analysis of the results includes preparing for the exit meeting.

Step 8: Feedback

The feedback of the audit is normally done during the exit meeting. If the audit includes a grading of some sort this criteria should be explained during the exit meeting. It is normally advisable to start with identifying the positive trends identified during the audit. If is also important to isolate the negative trends found during the audit. It is also important to focus on the crucial issues before announcing the audit grating allocated by the team.

Step 9: Report

The audit is not finished until the audit report is not done. The report should include an executive summary, a score sheet and graph of the individual element scores, a trend analysis and a finding with recommendations if applicable.

Step 10: Post Audit Activities

Before the audit report is submitted to the site it should be reviewed by peers. The report should be reviewed for quality and conformance to standard reports. The report should be presented to the site by the lead auditor during which presentation all questions about the audit should be answered.

Conclusion

The main objective of safety performance audits is to support better management decision-making leading to improved conditions for the workforce. It also facilitates the improved ability to meet external accountability requirements. Performance safety audits can be used to improve the safety performance of a site, to improve control and accountability mechanisms, to inform the stakeholders and to motivate staff.

© Carl Marx