Health & Safety

Audits and Inspections

Regular safety audits and inspections are used to ensure that your workplace is compliant with both health and safety law, and your company’s internal health and safety policy and procedures, with the aim to reduce injury and ill-health through the development of a positive H&S organisational culture.

Insurance companies, Pre-Qualification Questionnaires, contractual requirements, and Safety Schemes In Procurement will also often require proof that audits have taken place.

Our consultants are able to carry out internal audits to assess your current compliance to health and safety arrangements and to provide feedback on how to improve. We can also provide support during external health and safety audits.

What is an audit?

An audit focuses on the processes within a business – involving risk assessments, training requirements, responsibilities, documentation, and more.

Internal audits conducted by our consultants comprise of a bespoke health and safety assessment of your workplace, followed by a detailed written audit report covering:

• Audit findings
• Consultant recommendations
• Responsibilities and time frames for actions to be completed

These internal audits can be completed at the frequency that suits you, your business, and your clients.

Why have a health and safety audit?

Naturally, the main aim for a health and safety audit is to improve your site’s health and safety – however, there are benefits within this to be gained from an internal audit, such as:

• Breaking down problems into smaller, specific actions
• Ensuring controls to be implemented are cost-effective and practical
• Access to expert advice
• Ensuring your business is prepared for an external audit
• Ensure compliance to Policy and arrangements

What is an inspection?

An inspection differs from an audit in that it assesses what can be seen on the day rather than investigating processes for traceability. A health and safety inspection may involve:

• Looking at relevant documents, such as maintenance records or risk assessments
• Observing working practices to ensure they are being carried out safely and in line with RAMS
• Checking that equipment is in safe condition
• Checking that the control measures are used

The aim of a health and safety inspection is to check that your workplace and work activities are healthy and safe, and to identify any actions needed to improve your workplace health and safety.

However, SSIPs and Pre-Qualification Questionnaires prefer audits over inspections, due to the in-depth nature of health and safety audits.

All of the above is available as part of a monthly bespoke retainer or as a project chargeable at an hourly rate.

We also offer an Online Managing Health and Safety Training Course that you can complete yourself – click the button below to head to our E-training shop!