Safety Audit Protocols

An important part of helping to ensure on-the-job safety for workers is completing a monthly or quarterly safety audit. These audits are designed to help employers determine which of their safety procedures or programs are effective and which are not. They also help to identify potential safety hazards that may have been created since the last audit, which need to be corrected.

Active Programs

• Identify what your active safety programs are. Calculate the number of related injuries sustained by employees while on the job since the implementation of the program to determine if it is effective. This will help you to continue effective safety programs or make necessary adjustments to them, while eliminating or replacing those that are not improving on-the-job safety for your employees. Some employers may wish to consult their on-site safety committee to help determine functionality of programs.

Head of Safety

• While each company should have an on-site safety committee comprising both laymen and management team members, there also should be a head of general safety for the company. This person should be the leader for the safety committee, and should be responsible for maintaining safety records, keeping track of all safety programs, and overseeing the general maintenance of all safety equipment. He also should schedule and conduct regular safety audits.

In-House Employee Response

• The reporting or identification of many potential safety hazards may come from general employees rather than from the safety committee or members of management. Every company should have a system in place that encourages employees to provide complaints about or observations of work-related safety hazards. This can be as simple as a box placed in an employee lounge or cafeteria to collect written complaints. Employee concerns should be documented along with what was done to investigate and correct the reported safety hazard.