edp Safety Systems
total Management of Health and Safety
for every organisation
health, safety and environment consultants
Service Overview
Health and Safety Audit
Call us on: 01744 766000
or fax on: 01744 766025
or email on:
enquiries@edp-uk.com.
Essential Services
H+S Services:
- Health and Safety Audit
- General Risk Assessment
- Specific Risk Assessment
- Fire Risk Assessment
- Manual Handling Risk Assessment
- COSHH Risk Assessment
- Display Screen Equipment Assessment
- Noise Risk Assessment
- Asbestos Survey (Type II)
- Competent Contractors Audit
- Access Consultancy
- Portable Appliance Testing
Overview
The Health and Safety Audit is a systematic and critical examination of the health and safety management system throughout the range of a company’s activities.
The audit examines management policies and procedures and determines how well they are disseminated through the layers of management to the "shop floor".
An audit should be the first step in determining the current status of health and safety management within the organisation and provides a quantifiable framework for improvement.
Objectives
The aim of a Health and Safety Audit is to inform senior management about their current health and safety performance by providing:
- An indication of the levels of compliance against legal requirements and industry accepted standards that relate to the organisation.
- A statement on the improvements required to achieve an acceptable minimum level of compliance
- Information about the nature of each issue, along with its severity and recommended priority.
- Proposals for how you might choose to implement the recommendations and the level of support you may need in this respect.
Methodology
The Health and Safety Audit follows a structured approach that covers:
- Safety organisation
- Management control systems
- Fire and emergency control systems
- Measurement and control
- Workplace implementation
This approach indicates practical options to improve operational performance, minimise environmental impact and realise reduced overall costs.
The full Audit normally comprises four stages:
- Project Planning and Initiation
This ensures a common understanding of requirements. Agreement is needed for project development and scheduling delivery. - Desktop Review
This is the initial stage of the Audit. The task is to benchmark the essential health and safety documentation against legal requirements, to establish what is currently available, that it is up to date and adequately represents the circumstances of the organisation. - Audit
This establishes levels of compliance and typically involves people from across the organisation, including representatives of senior and general management, employees and those who have specific health and safety responsibilities (e.g. fire wardens). - Reporting
All findings and recommendations are thoroughly documented. If preferred, findings can also be submitted as a presentation, which provides an opportunity for more open discussion.
Duration
In most cases, a Health and Safety Audit for a single site can be completed in a day, with additional time to prepare the report and possibly present the findings to senior management.
However, this time may be extended where the business processes and or the workplace is particularly complex.