4 Steps To A Better Safety Audit | Advanced Consulting and Training

Completing workplace inspections on an ongoing basis is an opportunity to assess risks and identify hazards in your workplace. They reveal the current state of your workplace and is part of a proactive injury-prevention process. By doing this on an ongoing basis you can identify hazards and prevent unsafe working conditions from developing. Daily inspections of equipment, initial startup inspections, walkarounds of mobile equipment, supervisor inspections, and weekly or monthly departmental inspections should be part of your comprehensive workplace inspection program. You should always inspect your workplace after an incident or if you have recently added a new equipment or process. There are 4 steps that the Government of Canada recommends to ensure a better workplace safety audit.

Step 1: Planning the action to be taken

An employee with good knowledge of the various processes and procedures, workplace manager, floor supervisor, and an employee who is a member of the workplace committee or the workplace representative should work together to complete routine inspections. The team should also be able to rely on an expert, such as an engineer, an electrician, a mechanic or a material handler. They should have good knowledge and understanding of:

Previous accidents and work areas that are problematic for workplace health and safety.
Industrial tasks, operations, and processes.
Hazards associated with machines, equipment, processes and the workspace.
Safety standards and requirements identified in the regulations made under Part II of the Canada Labour Code.

Step 2: Physical Workplace Inspection

No workplace can be considered 100% safe and as a result, all workplaces including offices, maintenance areas, storage areas, parking facilities, locker rooms, and cafeterias need to be inspected. According to the Government of Canada, the following should be considered when determining how often an area should be inspected:

The number and scale of the processes, operations or tasks to be inspected.
The number of shifts, because work activities may vary from one shift to another.
Introduction of a new process or a new machine in the workplace, requiring a special inspection.
Hazardous equipment requiring inspections at fixed intervals.
Processes that pose a significant hazard, requiring separate and more frequent inspections.

Step 3: Writing reports

Well made reports made in a factual and concise manner can help management take immediate action on risk observations made in the inspection. It is important to identify who should receive these reports to ensure that the corrective actions are taken immediately. Members who you may want to pass the reports to include:

Supervisors
Maintenance managers
Workplace managers
Department managers
Health & Safety representatives
Members of the workplace committee

Step 4: Follow up on recommendations

The information obtained from the reports must be used to implement corrective actions if there are any issues found in the reporting process. No matter how well the report is conducted, it is only worthwhile if management takes action. Here are some areas you should prioritize to help ensure a safe workplace.