Safety audit limitations

Identification can be as simple as asking what-iP questions at design reviews. It can also involve the use of a checklist outlining the normal process hazards associated with a specific piece of equipment. The major weakness of the latter approach is that items not on the checklist can easily be overlooked. The more formalized hazard-assessment techniques include, but are not limited to, hazard and operability study (HAZOP), fault-tree analysis (FTA), failure mode-and-effect analysis (FMEA), safety indexes, and safety audits. 

The first task, hazard identification, is crucial in process system safety analysis, because the effectiveness of the other two tasks depends on it. The traditional methods for identifying hazards during the 1960 s (including process reviews , codes of practice , checklists , and safety audit ) were no longer considered adequate in the 1970 s. There was a need for a technique which could anticipate hazardous problems, particularly in areas of novelty and new technology where past experience was limited. 

In Safety Audits, A Guide for the Chemical Industry, issued by the Chemical Industries Association Limited, it is implied that the major objective of a safety audit is to determine the effectiveness of a company s safety and loss prevention measures. It is also proposed that whatever the objectives, it is important that they be clearly defined. 

Safety Audits, A Guide for the Chemical Industry. Chemical Industries Association Limited, London, 1977. 

SAFETY AUDITS OF BRITISH NUCLEAR FUELS LIMITED AND THE UNITED KINGDOM ATOMIC ENERGY AUTHORITY... 

The Road Safety Audit Team, together with advisors, visits the site during daylight. The site visit should extend beyond the limits of the scheme to cover any issues with tie-ins. 

The safety audits required are not to be merely compliance oriented, meaning that they are not limited to determining compliance with laws, standards, or regulations. Although compliance may be considered during the audit process, the intent is for the audit to be system oriented so as to evaluate the effectiveness of the standard s management processes. 

The safety audit will consist of a review of the new entrant s safety management systems and a sample of required records to assess compliance with the FMCSRs, applicable HMRs and related record-keeping requirements as specified in Appendix A of this part. The areas for review include, but are not limited to, the following ... 

It is important that a local highway authority recognises its limitations in terms of resources to undertake Road Safety Audits. If it cannot audit aU schemes, as recommended by the HA, it would be wise to write its own procedure and to have it endorsed by elected members of the council. 

When I raise these issues, it is heresy to our health and safety establishment at the university. Are we going to have American scientists tied up, dealing with the audit trails that show that they are safe and limiting their ability to innovate Sooner or later there will be a rule that prohibits chemicals in the laboratory. 

The proval is product specific - to best value for the price. The assurance of product quality and safety are of key importance. The more sensitive materials are, the more in details the whole auditing procedure has to go. For instance, producers of raw materials for baby food have to ensure traceability up to the farm and to the field where a raw material is produced. They also have to prove their capacity to instruct farmers to produce raw materials allowing European Nestis companies to comply with the newly implemented limits for pesticides in baby food, i.e. residues below 10 ppb. 

Safety Constraints Operating Requirements Operating Assumptions Operationai Limitations Audit Requirements Training Manuais User Manuais... 

Overcoming these limitations requires changes in organizational culture and in the use of the audit results. Safety controllers (managers) must feel personal... 

The RCSC conducts appraisals of the HCF at least annually, and the RCSC Charter identifies criticality-safety items to be included in the audit. HCF criticality-safety issues are documented and followed up in accordance with SNL ES H requirements of GN470072, which are reflected in nuclear facility operations procedures. HCF operational procedures require a record of HCF fissile inventory at ail times. These records shall be used and maintained to document compliance with criticality mass limits. 

Another option is to have the organization s environmental health and safety staff conduct inspections. In a smaller organization, these types of inspections may adequately address the ILCI frequency recommendations. In larger institutions, the safety staff may be limited to semiannual or even annual walk-throughs. A more practical use of safety staff for inspections may be to target certain operations or experiments. Or the safety staff could focus on a particular type of inspection, such as safety equipment and systems. Finally, they could perform "audits" to check the work of other inspectors or look specifically at previous problem areas. It is important for the safety staff to address noted deficiencies with appropriate reminders and/ or additional training. Punitive measures should be employed, but only for chronic offenders or deliberate problems that pose a serious potential hazard. 

U.K. Health and Safety Executive (2000), Safety Management Audit of British Energy Generation Limited and British Energy Generation (UK) Limited, Balliol, United Kingdom, Nuclear Safety Directorate. 

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