SIX CRITICAL AREAS DURING OSH AUDITS

Safety audits should cover the following six areas:

1. Employee knowledge – to determine their understanding of critical risks and control measures when
at work completing their tasks.

2. Written program review – to compare the company’s safety programs to DOLE requirements for
hazard identification, hazard control, record keeping, and employee training.

3. Program administration – to check the implementation and management of specific program

requirements.

4. Record and document review – to check for missing or incomplete documents or records to confirm
compliance and ongoing competencies.

5. Equipment, plant and material – to determine their applicability in controlling hazards for the specific
program.

6. General area walkthrough – to spot hazards and areas that need additional protections put in place.

Questions You Should Ask

We’ve identified six areas that you need to cover in your safety audit, and we suggest that you assign
them to specific audit team members. For each of the six areas outlined above, there are several
questions the audit team members should ask:

1. Do we have a current workplace health and safety policy? When was it last reviewed? Do we
have in place a schedule to conduct an annual review?
2. Do we have an up-to-date incident register? Are our employees regularly and effectively using
the incident register?
3. Do we have a process in place for communicating WHS issues to our employees?
4. Do we have an appointed Health and Safety Representative in each location?
5. Is our training up to date for all employees and Health and Safety Representatives?
6. Are we effectively recording in the meeting minutes all WHS issues and are they stored in an
easy to find and manageable location?
7. Is our First Aid kit fully stocked and everyone is aware of how to access it and what to do if they
use some of the materials?
8. Is all of our signage up to date and appropriately displayed for any hazards?
9. Do we have all of the required PPE, is it in good repair and within the use-by date and is it easily
accessible by employees?
10. If previous incidents have occurred, have we investigated and documented the solutions to
ensure we don’t have a repeat?
11. Do we regularly review the WHS conduct of our staff in performance reviews?
12. Do we regularly consult with industry regarding the WHS requirements of our business?
13. Do our inductions of new employees, including work health and safety procedures, include
guidance on mental health?

The above list will get you started; however, there are likely to be additional questions that you need to
ask that are pertinent to your business, particularly when you carry out high-risk work.

Good luck!