Description

Importance of workplace safety

A workplace is considered as a safe place when it has some rules or regulations governing the working environment. These rules and regulations are designed to make the employees and the organization safe. A workplace safety measures and practices ensure that no harm comes to the employees or to the organization itself.

In the last decade, many accidents have happened in workplaces due to poor safety precautions and systems. Safety audits and evaluations of organizations are done with the aim of improving them. An organization that does not conduct any audit will have a better chance of causing an accident or injuring its employees. It is important for employers to know the health and safety standards that are applicable to them. 

A safety audit is a process conducted by an internal or external party to identify weaknesses within a company’s safety programs.

Most businesses are required to perform a safety audit once a year. It is recommended that companies performing major renovations or other significant construction projects have their annual safety audit completed prior to beginning work. The process may vary from one business to another depending upon the number and type of employees and the complexity of the project.

The objective of a safety audit is to identify weaknesses within the organization’s safety programs. It usually involves conducting a walkthrough of the facility, reviewing job sites and conducting site inspections. During the safety audit, the auditor may request information from workers about job hazards. A safety manager is responsible for preparing the safety audit and ensuring that all parties involved understand the purpose, requirements and limitations of the audit. 

During the safety audit, the auditor reviews the company’s safety programs. For example, an auditor may ask questions regarding safety training, injury reporting procedures, first aid policies, personal protective equipment use and other relevant issues. The auditor may also request access to safety records and reports.

The auditor’s findings from the safety audit provide valuable insight to management and the project team.

About this course

• Training Provider: OHS.com.au with AlertForce (RTO Code 91826)
• Location: Online
• Course length: Approx. 4 hours
• Time: Self-paced
• Certification / Accreditation: Certificate of Completion*
• CPD Points: Yes. 4 points as certificate of completion

Background – How to conduct a safety audit?

Conducting a safety audit is a critical part of ensuring that your workplace is safe. By assessing the workplace regularly, companies can identify potential hazards and address them before they cause any harm. Here are the steps involved while conducting a Safety Audit:

1 – Audit scope and objectives - In order to determine the audit's scope and objectives, it is necessary to set goals and develop new skills. This step is vital in ensuring that the audit is able to meet its intended purpose.

2. Outlining report - Once the goals have been set, the next step is to make a report outlining the steps that will be taken in order to achieve those goals. This report should include all of the information that has been gathered during the audit, as well as a list of suggested actions based on the findings.
3. Prioritize action - Once the report has been completed, it is important to prioritize the actions that need to be taken in order to improve the health and safety of the workplace. This can be done by collaborating with managers and supervisors to establish priorities for issues with the highest hazards over lower hazards.

4 – Proposed health measures – Now, the audit team may provide proposals based on the data gathered. These proposals will include all corrective actions and their corresponding completion and review dates. This information will be used to help the company improve its overall operations and compliance with regulations.

5 – Results - Publishing the results of a safety audit is an important way to communicate the changes that have been made to improve workplace safety. By doing so, you can help your employees, stakeholders, business partners and clients understand the modifications and how they will enhance their safety. This will ultimately help to improve the safety of your workplace and the people who work in it.

Course Outline

Alertforce’s Safety auditing training course will provide you with all the necessary skills and talents required to successfully audit and inspect an organisation's health and safety performances.

An effective safety management system (SMS) requires systematic and thorough assessments of how well the various parts are working. This course will develop your ability to examine an SMS critically, identify strengths and weaknesses and suggest measures for improvement.

This course covers the following topics:

• The components of effective company and contractor safety audits
• The legal aspects of audits
• The importance of pre-audit questionnaires & validation and control of contractors
• How to carry out meaningful and effective audits and inspections?
• The real business benefits

Learning form

Safety auditing course participants are encouraged to watch the videos and engage in group discussions after each video is finished. Facilitators and participants can review the key points from each video and module using the provided support material.

There are many ways to view and participate in discussions.

• E-learning Format
• Face-to face safety meetings
• Forum
• Email

Participants can upload the training videos to e-learning and view them online. Participants can review the support material online and answer any questions.

Face-to-face safety meetings allow participants to watch videos and participate in discussions. Face-to-face meetings allow for greater interaction and engagement, but can be logistically challenging.

You can also upload the videos to a forum. Participants can access the videos and other support materials via a private forum, company website, or by uploading them to a forum. Each module contains the answers to your questions.

You can also complete the course via email. Participants can email their answers to the discussion questions once they have watched the videos.

No matter how the material is delivered, all participants should have access to it. The support material includes discussion questions as well as the video script. Participants can use the questions to explore the effects of safety practices on their organization.

The modules also include scripts and reference materials. These materials allow participants to review and research the key points of the lesson.

Facilitators and participants can use the video scripts and questions to help them create an action plan. Participants can take specific steps and make suggestions to use the plan in their work environment.