Workplace Safety Inspections & Audits

There are different ways to assess your workplace and determine how effective the current safety and health procedures are. Two main methods that address different aspects of workplace safety management are safety inspections and safety audits. Inspections are a systematic and thorough examination of the physical conditions of the workplace, with a formal process of documenting any hazards or unsafe practices. Audits are similar, but have a different focus. There are two major purposes to audits: to identify any weaknesses in the current safety program, and to determine whether the company is in compliance with applicable safety regulations.

The ultimate aim of both these methods is to continuously improve safety in the workplace and overall reduce injuries, illnesses, and fatalities. Although different, they both help businesses establish a strong safety culture. Inspections are conducted internally because they require the input of someone who is familiar with the workplace, while audits are conducted externally because they require an outside perspective and need someone who can make considerations without bias.

What is a Safety Audit?

A safety audit is an activity where the effectiveness of a workplace’s health and safety program is evaluated. Ultimately, an audit determines whether the goals and standards set forth by the facility’s specific safety program are achieved during daily operations. Safety audits aren’t used to identify hazards or unsafe practices; instead, audits gather information about a safety program that should be already in place, and identify areas for improvement.

Safety audits are commonly conducted to:

• Address a recent safety concern and ensure that the current health and safety program is sufficient enough to keep workers from getting injured
• Follow up on a recent incident to determine whether the injury or illness was a one-time accident or if there is a risk it will happen again
• Ensure that the company is meeting legislative requirements concerning safety standards
• Promote the company’s safety culture and encourage constant engagement in safety-related activities

Audits are typically conducted by someone from outside the company who is familiar with applicable safety standards (i.e.: an OSHA safety inspector, or a health and safety professional). This person will review records of incident reports, observe operations, and interview employees either over several hours or several days, then provide the results of their findings. It often takes an external point of view to spot any hidden problem areas within the safety program.

Based on the results of the safety audit, an organization should determine recommendations for improvement. On top of ensuring that a business is in compliance, safety audits can also correct oversights that may eventually cause an incident in the workplace. Many facilities have found that safety audits are an essential tool to uncovering weaknesses, and they conduct audits as the first step to creating a new and improved safety plan.