Occupational health and safety auditor criteria businesses in Potchefstroom need to know about

One of the best ways through which organisations can ensure they are compliant is through an OHS audit. Many organisations are familiar with the process and conduct internal audits frequently, and although they are a valuable management tool, the golden standard to examine compliance is by having an independent external audit conducted.

SafetyWallet, in partnership with MAKROSAFE and OHS Online, offer organisations who become subscribers a dedicated audit team to help them navigate safety, health and environmental principles and daily business operations.

The audit team provided is highly qualified, experienced and professional. They will help identify strengths and weaknesses in the health and safety programme and highlight opportunities for the organisation to effectively improve everyday safety and health.

It is imperative that organisations only make use of auditors who possess the necessary qualification and certification, making it imperative to cover the specific requirements and audit criteria to which auditors must comply.

What criteria must SafetyWallet auditors fulfil?

Various certification criteria designed specifically for occupational health and safety management systems exist. The purpose that such criteria serve is to ensure that independent auditors tasked with conducting internal or external audits are certified.

Furthermore, it also ensures that these auditors are professional and have the necessary skill and experience to perform their duties. Once an auditor is certified, the certification serves as proof that the auditor has both the necessary and required skills to perform occupational health and safety audits effectively.

The criteria for certification and training are aligned with the specific requirements as indicated by the Internal Auditor and Training Certification Association, more commonly known as the IPC, and the requirements indicated in:

• ISO 19011
• ISO 17021
• OHSAS 18001

What are the specific objectives of the training programme?

The training programme that must be attended by all auditors who wish to be certified, was specifically developed to address the following aspects:

• Increase the level of professional recognition of occupational health and safety auditors.
• Add more value to occupational health and safety audits by ensuring that OHS auditors who conduct them are competent to do so.
• Provide international recognition of OHS auditors who are trained and certified within South Africa.
• Assist organisations in South Africa to select auditors who are qualified, skilled, trained, certified and recognised as professionals.
• Provide credible and accountable occupational health and safety certification programmes.

OHSAS 18001

The requirements to which an occupational health and safety system must comply is contained in OHSAS 18001. This allows organisations to control occupational health and safety hazards and risks more effectively and to provide organisations with the ability to improve OHS system performance.

However, specific criteria for OHS performance is not specified by OHSAS 18001 and it does not provide a detailed specification with regards to the OHS management system design. Organisations can still use OHSAS 18001 to achieve the following:

• Establishing an occupational health and safety management system to minimise and eliminate risks that pose a threat to employees and others.
• Implementing, maintaining and consistently improving the occupational health management system.
• For the organisation to be able to assure itself of its compliance with the stated occupational health and safety policies.
• Demonstrating its level of compliance to others.
• Pursuing certification and registration of the occupational health and safety management system through external organisations.
• Making a self-determination and declaration of compliance with the OHSAS 18001 standard.

What other criteria must a SafetyWallet auditor fulfil?

• The desired personal behaviour in that they are ethical, open-minded, diplomatic, observant, perceptive, versatile, tenacious, decisive, self-reliant, acting with fortitude, open to improvement, culturally sensitive, collaborative, professional, possess moral courage and organised.
• Tertiary education – which can either be N3 or equivalent to NQF 4 as well as tertiary education such as a degree, artisan status or diploma or, in the absence of such, have matric, N3 or equivalent to NQF4 along with four years of work experience in a relevant field.
• The relevant work experience and a relevant tertiary degree, or in the absence of such, a specified amount of years’ work experience of which five years must be in an OHS based role.
• At least two years’ relevant management system work experience.
• The relevant knowledge and skills involved with auditing, management systems, organisational context, legal and contractual requirements, risk management principles and methods.
• Auditor training, management system training, OHS specific training/knowledge and skills.
• A certain amount of auditor experience.
• A certain amount of time as a witness during audits.