Ten tips for performing a safety audit

Have you ever performed a safety audit? Recently I performed one in our office as part of our regular checks to ensure that everything is up to scratch, as I hadn’t done one for quite a while I asked Mike Ellerby for some advice. He provided some useful tips and the most important was to not focus on filling out a form, and to look at the site with an open mind, it is easier to spot things if you do not have a form to fill out.

Here is a list of ten things to remember for a safety audit:

1. Why you are doing it?

If you do not focus on the needs of the client, then the report is unlikely to keep the client satisfied and is unlikely to address their issues.

2. Take a notebook

Whichever way you choose to record your findings, some form of notebook is necessary. Something with a hard back is even more useful.

3. Pen

Take at least one pen (or pencil) and one spare.

4. Camera

If a picture paints a thousand words…

Taking photos is very useful for reminding you of the details of a site – take more photos than you intend to use as they can help to jog the memory if your notes are a little vague.

5. Tape measure

Not glamorous: to check door widths, rail heights, etc.

6. Address

It may seem obvious, but without an accurate address (and maybe some access details), a lot of time can be wasted in finding a site. This may mean that you keep the client waiting or even that they leave without meeting you.

7. Access to site records

Without organising and getting access to the site records, it is not possible to give the client an accurate reflection of their level of compliance, it could also provide difficulties in writing the report and may leave the client unsatisfied.

8. Speak with the people

Unless it is a vacant site, it is likely that the people on site will have some useful information, a story, or other information that should form part of the audit visit. Do not neglect to talk to them and solicit their views, they may have noticed something you have not.

9. Provide a summary of key findings before leaving the site

Even though you will not have fully formulated what is going to be in the report, it is important to give the client an insight as to the main points. Discuss the good as well as the bad. If there are any serious concerns, discuss these with the client before leaving the site. This may help to prevent an incident from occurring, which is partly why you are there!

10. Make a positive contribution to Health and Safety

In most cases, the reason that you are at the site is that the client has invited you. Repay this invitation by helping the client with a positive contribution to health and safety on their site.