Workplace injuries are often caused by a lack of understanding of safety compliance. Whatever the size or industry of the business, most of these accident are preventable by a well conducted audit, which will not only identify any possible issues but also offer future safety advice and hi-light any training recommendations. To avoid any major legal, financial and administrative problems, an external health and safety audit is imperative to your business.
What is an external health and safety audit?
An external health and safety audit is a comprehensive look at your company’s health and safety policies, processes and systems. The ultimate goal is to make sure that your health and safety measures are performing as intended, and that they’re actually protecting your workforce.
The purpose of conducting an external health and Safety Audit of your premises is, at a minimum, the following:
- Identify hazards – What could cause injury or illness in your organisation
- Assess the risk – Decide the likelihood of someone being harmed and the seriousness of the risk
- Action – Measures or actions to eliminate the hazards, or if this is not possible, control the risk
How to conduct an external health and safety audit
The goal of a health and safety external audit is to assist in the continuous improvement of your company procedures. The audit should:
- Identify the risks and the levels of those risks within the workplace
- Identify strengths and weaknesses in your safety procedures
- Assess whether your safety procedures are legally compliant
- Compare current documentation and practices against best practice and legal obligations
- Recommend improvements in your safety procedures
- Ensure that the resources devoted to health and safety are being utilised effectively
What are the benefits of an external health and safety audit?
Safety Audits provide a wide range of benefits to a business. In addition to identifying the strengths and weaknesses of current policies, they also:-
- Decrease liability
- Demonstrate the company’s commitment to compliance
- Increase employee understanding of environmental and safety regulations
Using an external auditor not only ensures a higher level of experience within the industry, but also offers specialised knowledge that is up-to-date with latest legislation and standards, with objective and unbiased analysis and recommendations being at the forefront of the audit.
As an employer, you have a duty of care to protect the health and safety of your workplace. An external health and safety audit will help you to monitor, maintain, and review your health and safety procedures. Legislation changes constantly and the need to keep up to date can be somewhat daunting and time consuming but with an external health and safety audit you will show a responsive and proactive approach to the well-being of your employees.
For further information on the benefits of an external health and safety audit or any other health and safety advice you may need, please contact us here.