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Site Inspection/Audits

Do I need an audit or an inspection?

Audits

A safety audit involves systematically going through the workplace to evaluate safety practices and programs within your organisation. An audit measures and collects information about the reliability and effectiveness of safety inspections, campaigns, paperwork, training, plans and systems within the workplace.

The relationship between a safety inspection and a safety audit is that a safety audit is used to determine whether the safety inspection is returning accurate, reliable, and complete results. A safety audit verifies that the safety programs are working.

We can assess your current safety system and provide assistance and advice on remedial actions if required. Our systematic audit process is a critical, fully documented, in-depth examination of your company’s current health and safety management system and details recommendations to improve on those standards.

Generally, the audit will look at:

  • Your Health and Safety Policy
  • How health and safety is organised within your company
  • How you plan your health and safety procedures
  • How you control health and safety within the company
  • How your health and safety system is reviewed
  • How health and safety is monitored within your company
  • How you control risks and processes
  • Safe systems of work
  • How products are stored, transported and used
  • Welfare facilities
  • Maintenance tasks

Inspections

A safety inspection involves systematically going through the workplace looking for safety breaches or safety hazards. It identifies physical conditions and work practices, examines equipment to determine whether all safeguards are in place and whether work operations presents any hazards i.e. dust, fumes, noise etc. If necessary air, water, noise and other samples may be obtained to test for hazardous substances. Work practices are observed to identify unsafe actions. The overall goal of a safety inspection is to identify hazards so they can be eliminated, guarded, or protected against.

We can offer practical solutions to problems on site and provide a detailed report with comments to ensure legal compliance is met as well as identifying any non-compliance. Formal independent inspections do not replace the need for continued daily checks by managers and supervisors but they do provide a thorough examination of all aspects of the workplace from an impartial party. Site inspections include and examination of site documents i.e. risk assessments, training certificates, plant maintenance records as well as looking at the whole site.

Here are some of the areas we will cover:

  • Site security
  • Access/egress
  • Tidiness and housekeeping
  • Safe storage, use, transportation and disposal of chemicals
  • Fire prevention techniques
  • Fire precautions
  • Electrical safety
  • First aid provisions
  • Health and safety paperwork
  • Lifting operations
  • Manual handling operations
  • Machinery and equipment
  • Work at height issues
  • Edge protection
  • Environmental issues
  • Personal protective equipment
  • Slip, trip and fall hazards
  • Spill containment
  • Dust/noise/fume elimination
  • Welfare provision
  • General site conditions

Both audits and inspections are essential components of a workplace safety plan.  Independent safety inspections and safety audits represent a recognised method of verifying a company’s standard of health and safety and determining whether they meet their obligations under health and safety legislation. If you need assistance with audits or inspections, please get in touch.

http://www.hscsscotland.com/services/site-inspectionsaudits/

HSCS Scotland Promoting a Healthier Workplace Through Safety
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