If you have arranged for a safety audit to be conducted in your workplace, you may be wondering what the process will involve. Below is a guide to the three stages of a safety audit.

Assessment

The safety audit consultant will visit the place of work and will spend some time carrying out an assessment of the working practices. This may take the form of visual inspections of people performing their work and the checking of paperwork. The visual inspections of work being carried out will allow the consultant to establish if safe levels of staff are being used, that procedures are being followed during the course of the job. The paperwork can take longer to check, but it will give the safety consultant a chance to assess how compliant and responsible the company is. A company which doesn't keep up to date with its paperwork is likely also to be slack when it comes to worker safety. Finally, the consultant will assess the condition of the building, the firefighting equipment and the emergency exits. The consultant may also ask to interview some members of your workforce so they can get a sense of how it feels to work for the company and your standard operating procedures. It is important to remember that a safety consultant isn't trying to catch you out, so you should allow your staff to speak honestly and openly without fear of being reprimanded.

Reporting

One the consultant has completed their inspection, they will produce a detailed report which will outline areas of good practice and areas in which you need to make changes in order to increase the safety of your staff. You should also avoid skipping over the parts of the report which are critical, as this could mean that you do not understand the actions you need to take to improve the safety of your workers. It is important to realise that the consultant isn't attacking you or your company. They are simply doing their job and highlighting areas in which you can improve safety.

Follow Up

The report will normally stipulate a period of time in which you must make the recommended changes such as modifying your building or offering safety training to your workforce. Once this period is over, the safety consultant will make a follow-up visit to your workplace so they can see if conditions and working practices have improved. 

If you would like to find out more, you should contact a safety consultant today.