On Safety, Health, And Environmental Audits

In an article published in the October 1998 issue of Professional Safety and titled What Measures Should We Use, and Why , Dan Petersen questions the value of packaged audits, giving examples of studies that show that audit results did not always correlate to a firm s accident experience. There is a history of that sort of thing with respect to packaged audits in which an audit guide is used that may not be sufficiently relative to the actual safety practices and needs in the entity being audited. Petersen concluded that the self built audit—one that accurately measures performance of a firm s own safety system—was viewed as the answer. To constmct such an audit, Petersen says, a firm must define  

This is meaty stuff. All elements in a safety management system, while necessary, do not equally impact on those hazards that present the greatest potential for harm, whether measured by incident frequency or severity of injury. Obviously, the safety management elements included, and those emphasized, in an audit system should relate to the hazards that an entity 

To determine what is really happening, an auditor must explore the safety management systems in place, what is expected of them, and which systems are effective or ineffective in controlhng an entity s risks. That, in effect, results in culture appraisal. 

There are some considerations that are supra to the individual elements in safety management systems. 1 have concluded that most safety, health, and environmental management system audits, intended to measure the quahty of hazards management in place, are deficient in purpose and content. 1 include in that observation the guidehnes used for the audits 1 drafted for individual client needs, the many audit reports 1 reviewed, and a study of several audit systems. 

To begin with, the principal purposes of an audit and what it is to achieve are seldom understood. More specifically, shortcomings exist in our assessments of 

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A management that wants to achieve a culture change is best served if the deficiencies noted and the proposals for improvement made in audit reports principally effect safety management systems. Successes of safety audits are determined by how they affect the organization s culture. (See Chapter 22, On Safety, Health, and Environmental Audits. )... 

To begin with, I suggest that safety professionals agree on a definition of a safety, health, and environmental management system audit. Several writers have provided definitions and addressed what information the audit should provide. Their views differ. 

Managers need to demonstrate their commitment to safety, health and environmental issues to interested parties such as stakeholders, customers, the community, voluntary organisations and the authorities. One way of doing so is to implement voluntary standards on SHE management and to receive proof of compliance from an independent certifying body. In order to receive such a certificate, the company s SHE management system has to be audited by the body to demonstrate that it is operating effectively in conformance with the standard. 

Guidance on Safety, Occupational Health and Environmental Protection Auditing (1991)... 

Sexton, K., Visser, K., Health, safety, and environmental auditing in EP industry. Proceedings of the 1st International Conference on Health, Safety, and Environment in Oil and Gas Exploration and Production, 1991, pp. 731-734. 

An important aspect of environmental, health, and safety laws and regulations is enforcement. Eederal, state, and local regulatory authorities usually have large enforcement sections. In the environmental area, compliance audits are usually conducted aimually. OSHA, both federal and state, usually audits based on a faciHty s accident/incident rate. 

An example of an audit guide that focuses on environmental, health, and safety inspections during the toll-processing phase is included as Appendix B, Sample Toller HS E Assessment. This example should be customized to meet specific needs by adding quality concerns or other processing related items. 

Management must institute procedures to assess levels of compliance with agreed standards for safety. Techniques include environmental and/or biological monitoring, health surveillance, safety audits, safety inspections, and procedures for accident reporting, investigation and analysis. Communication is essential, e.g. by provision of information (on specific chemicals, processes, etc.), safety meetings, notices, safety bulletins etc. 

This label is especially for textiles made from cotton. Certain criteria have to be fulfilled by the product throughout the entire life cycle, like environmental fulfilment, and also decrease the negative effects on human health. This label provides some benefits like promoting conformity for the requirements such as pollutants and quality. Also consumers will be certain about the environmental safety of their products. Tests and analysis include chemical tests, testing for harmful substances (forbidden azo dyes, formaldehyde, nickel, allergenic disperse dyes, etc.), textile physical exams and quality audits extract, and certification (Url-21). 

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