NEBOSH

WEEK 1 – ELEMENT 7
Monitoring, Review & Audit

© TWI Gulf WLL 2008

 Reasons for Monitoring
Identify substandard H & S Practices
Identify Trends
Compare actual performance against targets
To Benchmark
Identify use and effectiveness of control
measures
Make decisions on suitable remedial measures
Set priorities and establish realistic timescales
Assess compliance with legal requirements
Provide information to Board, Committees etc.
 Monitoring Health and Safety
Reactive Monitoring
Examining accident figures
Claims records
Number of defects reported
Prosecutions
Legal mandates
 Health and Safety Monitoring
Pro-active Monitoring
Safety Audit
Safety Inspections
Safety Surveys
Safety Tour
Safety Sampling
Benchmarking
HAZOPS
Health Survillance
 a) Safety Audit
A safety audit is a thorough, critical examination of
an organisations safety managements systems and
procedures.
It is normally a lengthy process carried out by a
trained auditor often someone from outside the
organisation looking at the strengths and
weaknesses of the organisation.
It is a structured way of assessing the health and
safety performance of an organisation by supplying
answers to a series of questions and often involves a
scoring system so that such improvements can be
made
 Pre - Audit Preparation and procedure
1) Setting audit objectives
2) Selecting the audit team
3) Requirements from auditees
4) Information gathering and Interviews
5) Draw conclusions
6) Report and presentation
7) Action by the organisation
 a) Safety Audit Documents
Documents looked at during audits include:-
Safety policy
Safety procedures
Risk assessments
Training records
Inspection records
Previous audit reports
Safety committee minutes
Accident reports and procedure
 Internal Audits
Advantages
Easier to arrange
Lower cost as the Organisation
Employees they may not feel so threatened

Disadvantages
Could be influenced by internal relationships
Conclusions may not be taken seriously.
The auditor may make assumptions
 External Audits
Disadvantages
Require more time to organise
Be more expensive
Employees may feel more threatened

Advantages
Auditor will be completely independent
Auditor will ask questions and not make
assumptions.
Auditor in independent and unbiased
More weight may be given to their conclusions
 Safety Inspections
A safety inspection involves the straightforward
observation of a workplace &/or the activities or
equipment within it. A safety inspection, usually
carried out by a manager, employee
representative and Safety Advisor & often aided
by the use of a checklist, may be carried out
routinely & has the aim of identifying hazards &
assessing the use & effectiveness of control
measures
Workplace Inspections Limitations
It is only a snapshot in time
Some hazards are not visible
Some hazards may not be present during the
inspection and may occur later in the process
Unsafe practices may not happen during the
inspection if the employees know the
inspection is taking place
 Workplace Inspections
Types of inspection
Frequency of inspections

Competence of Inspectors
Knowledge of workplace inspections and of the
hazards associated with the process etc.
Knowledge of hazards and controls in place
Experience of the process etc.
Training in inspection techniques
Good communication and writing skills
 Safety Inspection Checklist
• Housekeeping
• Electrical Safety
• Provision and use of PPE
• Use and Storage of Hazardous Substances
• Manual Handling
• Traffic Routes
• Machinery
• Internal Transport
• Emergency Equipment
• Welfare Facilities
• Systems of Work
• Working Environment
 Strengths of Checklists
1. Preparation & planning
2. Structured & systematic
3. Prevents issues being overlooked
4. Consistent approach
5. Immediate record
6. Easy method for comparison & audit
 Weaknesses of Checklists
1. Blinkered approach
2. Not reviewed or updated
3. Inspections become routine
4. No scope
5. Untrained person
6. Human error or abuse
In Summary Inspection Reports can
Identify workplace hazards
Introduce control measures
Involve consultation with the workforce
Benchmark improvements
Cover all aspects of the workplace
 Other Proactive Methods
Safety Surveys (focusing on particular activities)
may be carried out by specialists
Safety Tours (where unscheduled, less formal
workplace inspections are carried out to check on
issues such as housekeeping or the use of
personal protective equipment)
Safety Sampling (involving the targeting of
specific areas)
Benchmarking (where an organisation’s
performance I certain areas is compared with that
of similar organisations)
Hazard and operability studies:- (Formal critical
examination of the process at the design stage)
 Performance Review
Does the organisation?
Achieve its H&S objectives
Implement effective risk controls
Ensure the effectiveness of training,
communication and consultation programmes
Learn from management system failures
Implement lessons learnt across the whole
organisation?
Meet legal standards
Reduce the risk of accidents and ill-health
 Tools available to Monitor
• Reactive • Proactive
• Rates of accidents • Inspection results
• Accidents • Audit results
• Work related ill health • Tours, Surveys, Sampling
• Actions by enforcement • Benchmarking
authorities • Compliance
• Number of civil claims • Number of staff trained
• Health surveillance