Example A Typical Safety Audit

Notice that this audit does not include the operator, worker, team member, or the person actually performing the physical work. The operators and other team members may be asked for assistance in the completion of certain pieces of the audit, but they would not be considered part of the audit team. The persons actually performing the physical work should be doing inspections, but not audits. 

The audits are usually performed routinely. A typical basis for the audit is annually. They can certainly be done more or less than annually, but once per year is a good starting point, especially if you do not currently have an audit program. You will probably find that the type of deficiencies revealed during an audit are different from those noted in a typical inspection. An inspection may find an item like a tripping hazard or a repair that is necessary. An audit may find a deficiency such as the lack of training or certification. Although not always the case, the fix for an inspection item is usually quicker than the fix for an audit item. 

Audit results will typically carry with them a numerical score. This score may be related like a grade in school. For instance, above 90 is commendable, between 80 and 89 needs adjustment, 70 to 79 needs substantial adjustment, and below 70 is a failure. 

Let s look at another example. If the audit finds that a tripping hazard needs to be rectified or a quick repair is necessary, this can often be resolved quickly, usually by the person who normally performs an inspection and not an audit. But if we look at the lack of training or certification, this cannot be rectified as quickly or by the person noting the deficiency. Audits will typically cover some items contained in the inspection. One of the deficiencies that can be determined from the audit results is that the inspection program may be lacking. We will talk about how to handle audit findings in the next chapter. 

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