Introduction to Health and Safety at Work

Introduction to Health and Safety at Work
110
➤
adequate risk control systems exist, are imple-
mented, and consistent with the hazard profi le of the 
organization 
➤
appropriate workplace precautions are in place. 
Where the organization is spread over a number of sites, 
the management arrangements linking the centre with the 
business units and sites should be covered by the audit.
There are a number of ways in which this can be 
achieved and some parts of the system do not need 
auditing as often as others. For example, an audit to verify 
the implementation of risk control systems would be made 
more frequently than a more overall audit of the capability 
of the organization or of the management arrangements 
for health and safety. Critical risk control systems, which 
control the principal hazards of the business, would need 
to be audited more frequently. Where there are complex 
workplace precautions, it may be necessary to undertake 
technical audits. An example would be chemical process 
plant integrity and control systems.
A well-structured auditing programme will give 
a comprehensive picture of the effectiveness of the 
health and safety management system in controlling 
risks. Such a programme will indicate when and how 
each component part will be audited. Managers, safety 
representatives and employees, working as a team, will 
effectively widen involvement and cooperation needed 
to put together the programme and implement it.
The process of auditing involves:
➤
gathering information from all levels of an organiza-
tion about the health and safety management system
➤
making informed judgements about its adequacy 
and performance.
7.10.2 Gathering 
information
Decisions will need to be made about the level and detail 
of the audit before starting to gather information about 
the health and safety management of an organization. 
Auditing involves sampling, so initially it is necessary to 
decide how much sampling is needed for the assess-
ment to be reliable. The type of audit and its complex-
ity will relate to its objectives and scope, to the size and 
complexity of the organization and to the length of time 
that the existing health and safety management system 
has been in operation.
Information sources of interviewing people, looking 
at documents and checking physical conditions are 
usually approached in the following order: