4 Keys to a Solid Safety Audit and Inspection Program
When was the last time you took a long, honest look at your environment, health, and safety program? If it’s been a while, or you can’t remember—or if you’ve never conducted a safety inspection or audit before—it’s time to get to work. By evaluating your facilities, people, and processes, you’ll make your workplace a whole lot safer and more efficient.
You’ll also minimize your regulatory and legal risks. Audits and inspections ensure you stay 10 steps ahead of the Occupational Health and Safety Administration, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the other federal and state authorities just waiting to hit you with citations and penalties.
If you find the prospect of audits and inspections overwhelming, you’re not alone. After all, there’s a reason organizations don’t conduct them as often as they should. So let’s make this as simple and painless as possible by breaking audits and inspections down into manageable pieces. These are the 4 basic components that, when combined, form a comprehensive assessment of your EHS program.
Four Keys to an
Audit and Inspection Program
Regulatory Audit
Initial checks for issues that would likely result in injuries and penalties if not addressed.
Facility Inspection
Assessments of the organization’s physical premises, teams, and workforce behaviors.
Accident Investigation
Everything the organization does following a workforce health or safety incident.
Safety Committee Meeting
The group of decision-makers who meet regularly to discuss audit and inspection findings and make necessary safety program changes.
The First Piece: The Regulatory Audit
What it is:
Initial checks for issues that would likely result in injuries and penalties if not addressed.
Read the article: Regulatory Audit Best Practices
The Second Piece: Facility Inspection
What it is:
Assessments of the organization’s physical premises, teams, and workforce behaviors.
Read the article: Facility Inspection Best Practices
The Third Piece: Accident Investigation
What it is:
Everything the organization does following a workforce health or safety incident.
Read the article: Accident Investigation Best Practices
The Fourth Piece: Safety Committee Meetings
What it is:
Everything the organization does following a workforce health or safety incident.
Read the article: Safety Committee Best Practices
We’ll level with you—audits and inspections can be a lot of work.
But they’re easier, cheaper, and a whole lot less stressful than dealing with accidents, losses, penalties, legal claims, workforce turnover, and the myriad other adverse consequences of a poor EHS program.
Effective audits and inspections not only save lives, but also tend to…
Fortunately, you don’t have to do any of this alone.
Novara’s workplace safety experts are available on-demand—on-site or remotely—to conduct audits and inspections, or guide you through the process.
Use Novara digital audit and inspection tools to uncover issues and address them with corrective and preventive actions before an incident occurs. Tailor your EHS inspections to address the areas of risk specific to your facilities.
