Safety audits are very necessary to make your organization’s safety regulations and precautions are functioning at peak effectiveness.
It’s also very important to note what a safety audit is not. Safety audits are not routine inspections of equipment and facilities. They are specific audits of whether the systems that have been established for safety in departments are performing as they were intended and are meeting best practices for the industry. They also ensure that your organization is in compliance with all governmental laws, regulations, and requirements.
Who Does a Safety Audit?
Safety audits are done by teams of from 3 to 5 people.
Each department should have a safety audit performed by teams composed of managers from other departments. Team members should be fully aware of your organization’s functions and with all requirements imposed by the Federal government as well as state and local regulations and requirements.
Again, an audit is an examination of whether the systems are performing well, not part of maintaining performance.
What Does a Safety Audit Assess?
A safety audit needs to assess four categories. They are:
- Do your safety procedures meet best practices for the industry and all regulatory requirements?
- Are all applicable safety requirements and regulations being met?
- Is documented proof of compliance with all safety requirements and regulations gathered and kept?
- Is there sufficient employee training? Can they apply specific safe behaviors and do they apply them on a regular basis?
What Happens in a Safety Audit?
Managers and supervisors should obtain past safety audit records in sufficient time for the records to be available to the current safety audit team.
Any corrective action recommendation noted last time needs to be reviewed, to assess whether or not it was taken.
Safety auditors’ questions about the equipment will include:
- Is the condition of the equipment safe?
- Is the equipment adequate to ensure that tasks are done safely?
- If personal protective equipment is required, is it used and stored correctly?
- Is safety equipment designed and used properly? Equipment can be exit lights, emergency lights, fire extinguishers, material storage and handling equipment, and any hazardous protective equipment.
The audit team should also do a general walk-through of the area and facility.
They should also ask questions designed to find out whether employees are trained to work in a safe manner and whether they do so every day.
At the end, the findings of the safety audit should be published and available. If any corrective action is needed, a plan needs to be developed to comply with recommended actions.
A Staffing Agency Can Help Your Business
Busy managers are pulled in multiple directions every day. Productivity, safety, training, and hiring all matter significantly to performance.
A staffing agency can help take the tasks of hiring off your plate so you can devote more time to other areas. We can recruit, screen, and test employees. We can provide information on salaries and benefits in the area. We’re happy to help. Contact us today.
