Discover why safety audits are crucial for maintaining a safe, efficient, and compliant workplace. Learn about the process, frequency, and benefits of conducting safety audits in our comprehensive guide.
Is your workplace safety program functioning as it should? Are your employees safe, healthy, and productive? You can only find out through a safety audit.
Also referred to as health and safety audits or EHS (Environment, Health, and Safety) audits, safety audits are the gold standard for assessing the effectiveness of workplace safety programs. They assist employers in protecting their workers, avoiding legal pitfalls, enhancing efficiency, and ensuring compliance with federal and state regulations.
Consequently, safety audits are a crucial part of any safety program, and with regular implementation, they will prove their worth over time.
Let’s delve into the world of safety audits and understand why your organization should consider conducting them on a regular basis.
Understanding Safety Audits
An audit is a comprehensive review of a system or process. It is an in-depth and sometimes challenging procedure designed to verify whether the expected or claimed operations are indeed taking place.
Audits are generally conducted by independent bodies rather than the individual or organization under review. You can’t audit yourself; you may not know what to check for, and even if you did, you might not be able to maintain objectivity.
A safety audit mirrors this depth and objective analysis. However, unlike tax audits, there’s no immediate penalty for identified errors, provided you act promptly.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recommends employers conduct regular safety audits to correct any violations of the Occupational Safety and Health Act promptly, ensuring safety and health in the workplace. Increasingly, OSHA expects to see regular audits and may impose hefty fines on companies that don’t perform them.
During a safety audit, an auditor scrutinizes your organization’s safety program, identifying gaps, problems, and inefficiencies. The auditor’s goals are to uncover health and safety risks, identify non-compliance with occupational health and safety regulations, and find opportunities for improvement.
Safety Audits vs. Safety Inspections: Know the Difference
Although both safety audits and safety inspections involve reviewing an organization’s EHS program, they are not the same. An audit is more in-depth than an inspection, and they are typically performed by different individuals.
What Does a Safety Audit Look Like?
A safety audit involves the following steps:
- Preparation: An organization selects a safety auditor, plans for the audit, determining scope, timeline, and objectives.
- Conducting the audit: The auditor investigates the organization’s premises, procedures, people, and programs, paying close attention to any potential hazards, safety issues, and regulatory violations.
- Reporting: After the audit, the auditor creates a report detailing their findings and provides recommendations for safety program improvements.
- Corrective and preventive actions: The organization addresses the audit findings, taking corrective and preventive actions to ensure future sources of risk are mitigated.
How Often Should Safety Audits Happen?
As a general rule, an organization should conduct a safety audit at least once per year. However, significant changes in business, technology, laws and regulations, working conditions, and workforce composition can also trigger safety audits.
Benefits of Performing a Safety Audit
Safety audits offer numerous benefits to organizations, including improved workforce safety, fewer accidents, lower workers’ compensation costs, less regulatory uncertainty, and greater productivity. With the right rhythm and the right safety partner, safety audits can quickly pay for themselves.
Regularly conducting safety audits is crucial to maintaining a safe, healthy, and productive work environment. It not only ensures compliance with regulatory bodies but also contributes to the overall efficiency and productivity of the organization. With the right support and approach, you can make safety audits an integral part of your safety program and ensure a safe and healthy workplace for all.
