A WHS audit is a simple way to make sure your systems are working properly, an audit will find system deficiencies, areas for improvement and confirm that the system is being implemented in the correct way. Without auditing your systems you can only guess if things are working, or inevitably find out they are not following a serious injury to one of your workers.

When an audit process is outsourced to a third party to an external WHS auditor it provides an outsiders perspective, an honest truth on the performance of your systems and can provide guidance to fixing any areas that may not be working. An external audit when completed by an experienced WHS Auditor will identify any gaps in WHS compliance under the WHS Act. This ensures that you comply with your duty as an employer in Australia and avoid fines and penalties for the failure to meet those obligations.

The goals of a WHS audit is to ensure the continuous improvement of your Safety Management System, policies and procedures. It provides the due diligence required to assist in verifying that your systems have been implemented and are effective in protecting your workers.

Be Compliant

An employers duty is to have Safety Management Systems in place AND to ensure these systems are relevant. An employer must demonstrate they complete regular due diligence on their WHS systems and ensure they are up-to-date with industry standards and changes in your workplace environment.

Find Problems before they are a Problem

The key to an audit is to identify gaps in your system that may be or become a problem. By finding these issues early means you are able to make the required changes to avoid downtime and your workers being injured.

Boost Morale

By conducting a WHS audit you are showing employees that you care about their welfare and want them to be safe at work. This can act as a boost of morale, company culture and ultimately productivity.

Outsiders Perspective

An external audit provides that outsider perspective on your systems, reviewing and reporting objectively without any internal conflicts of interest. The auditor can also provide advice from their vast experience working across multiple worksites and range of industries.

Saves You Money

By conducting an audit, particularly if conducted by an external WHS auditor, can save you money in many ways. An audit will identify productivity improvements means you will can save time by implementing better systems, avoid fines and penalties for non-compliance, an external auditor will be efficient in their process too which means you will not need to use your valuable internal resources to complete the audit.

A WHS Audit will involve a particular process to ensure it is conducted thoroughly. An audit does not need to be a wholistic audit of your entire WHS systems, it can focus on a particular process or activity in your system.

Throughout an audit the following tasks that will be completed:

• Review and report upon alignment of current management systems to AS/NZS4801-2001.
  
• Review the application of current legislative requirements.
  
• Random review of completed documentation i.e: incident reports, testing and inspection registers and hazard reports etc.
  
• Conduct interviews and discussions with workers covering a cross section of tasks and responsibilities, to gauge the level of awareness of current systems.
  
• Conduct work area inspections of your sites to gauge the effectiveness of reported management
  systems. One on one interview will be conducted with workers “On the Job”.

And following a review the audit should uncover recommendations and corrective actions to control safety risks and provide a working document developed from the audit to monitor ongoing improvement of WHS performance.

By documenting the audits thoroughly this will assist your business in being able to demonstrate your due diligence.

At Marshall & Byrne we have developed a three step Discovery, Review and Report audit process that helps us successfully complete WHS audits for our clients.

DISCOVER

We learn about your workplace and your existing Work, Health & Safety Management Systems and verify the implementation and effectiveness of these systems within your business.

REVIEW

Following our learnings we conduct extensive research into the relevant industry codes and ascertain the current status of compliance with your statutory obligations. We consider the AS/NZS4801:2001 standard during this review.

REPORT

We compile a report with our findings and present that to you with details of any short falls in compliance, along with a scope of works (if required) to make the necessary improvements to ensure your statutory obligations are being met.

The goal of our health and safety audit is to assist you in the continuous improvement of safety in your workplace and ensure you are compliant with your WHS obligations.