Benefits of Conducting a Health & Safety Audit in the Workplace

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by Luke Hayes on 8th December 2022

What is a health and safety audit?

A health and safety audit is a review of a company’s procedures and policies in relation to employee health and safety to ensure they comply with current regulations. The process should highlight if there are any areas for improvement.

How should I complete a health and safety audit?

One of the most effective ways to accomplish a health and safety audit is to carry out a compliance audit. This examines the current approach to health and safety management, identifying areas for improvement. This does not necessarily have to be a formal affair; an audit can be as formal or informal to suit the company. An audit can either be carried out internally or by an outside, independent auditor, such as First Intervention Team.

What are the benefits of doing a health and safety audit?

Health and safety audits are not a legal requirement, however, they are considered a best-practice approach. There are many benefits to conducting a health and safety audit, such as:

To measure the current performance of your company compared with national standards
To make sure that the business is compliant with up-to-date health and safety training, regulations and other applicable codes of practice
To ensure there are robust systems in place to manage risks, protect the workforce and prevent accidents from happening
To confirm that adequate systems are in place to monitor compliance and review the management techniques regularly
To ensure that the risk profile of the business is up to date, reflected in the risk management strategy and that a procedure is in place for it to be updated regularly
To give the business unbiased information about how effective and efficient its current health and safety training techniques are
To assess whether policies, procedures and duties are clearly set out and obtainable to employees, and to confirm whether the business provides appropriate training
To understand whether there is a positive culture surrounding health and safety within the business and whether policies are being consistently complied with
To identify areas of strength and areas where the current process could be improved, and to assist in the development of an action plan to implement those improvements according to best industry practice
To make sure that the business is in a powerful position to be able to successfully defend itself in the event of a serious incident leading to a legal claim
To evaluate the current investment in health and safety training and identify feasible opportunities for the business to accomplish better value for money in this area of its operating budget
To improve the health and safety performance and well-being amongst employees
To enhance productivity and reduce rates of worker absenteeism, injuries, accidents and the potential cost of litigation

What are the benefits of using an independent auditor for a health and safety audit?

Using an independent auditor, such as FIT, takes the pain out of compliance. Businesses can rest assured that auditors are fully trained and up-to-date on all the current health and safety legislation. Businesses are legally bound to do everything that is “reasonably practical” to mitigate health and safety risks, so it’s really useful to have experts on hand to assist with identifying ways to do this. You can therefore have peace of mind that your business is safe and compliant.

At FIT we can offer compliance audits for all types of businesses and all of our audits are fully trained and are up to date with all the current health and safety legislation.

Take a look at our health and safety compliance audits as well as individual health and safety training courses.