Why is a health and safety compliance audit important for businesses in Pretoria?

The main objective that a SafetyWallet health and safety compliance audit seeks to achieve for Pretoria-based businesses, is that it identifies any health, safety and environmental (SHE) deviations or non-compliances in the occupational health and safety management system of the organisation. It also helps to manage these better and to determine the level of compliance of the employer according to the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA) requirements. In addition, the health and safety compliance grading audit rewards subscribers according to their level of compliance. This aims to encourage employers to make a concerted effort in improving their level of compliance.

What duties and responsibilities do employers have?

Employers may not be legally bound to conducting a health and safety audit; however, they are required to comply with the Occupational Health and Safety Act in ensuring that they provide a healthy and safe working environment. A health and safety compliance audit is something that comes highly recommended for all organisations. This is due to the in-depth level of examination of the health and safety programme associated with such an audit, allowing for determining the level of compliance that can subsequently be improved. Where best practice is concerned, frequent health and safety audits must be conducted, regardless of the industry, sector, type or size of the organisation. However, the audit must be more than an exercise where boxes are ticked and when done correctly, it can offer a wide variety of benefits to both the employer and employees. One of the prime objectives of a health and safety audit is to ensure that employees and other visitors to the premises are protected and safeguarded from harm. When an audit is conducted effectively and there is compliance, it can even safeguard the very existence of the company. This is because serious health and safety incidents often lead to prosecution, with the consequences being substantial reputational damage to the organisation in addition to considerable financial penalties.

The difference between internal and external audits

One of the elements of a health and safety compliance audit is that it can either be done internally by the organisation, or externally by appointing an auditor.

Internal audits

Internal audits are done by an audit team appointed within the organisation. However, it is imperative that the team is led by a staff member who possesses the correct training and qualifications. One of the main advantages of an internal audit is that these tend to be more cost-effective and that there is more control over the process flow and thus fewer disruptions in operations. However, internal audits have a stigma surrounding them that unsuitable internal audits often represent a classic false economy. Despite this, when a health and safety audit is conducted effectively, it can be an especially useful management tool, helping to enhance every employee’s understanding of how the organisation performs.

External audits

Even though internal audits have advantages, external audits remain the gold standard as they are an independent, objective and a true reflection of the current compliance of an organisation. Apart from this, external audits also offer the benefit of handing the task over to a team of independent experts such as SafetyWallet. This creates an opportunity for the organisation to be benchmarked against peers using recognised standards.

SafetyWallet’s health and safety audit

As an extension of its current offering to its subscribers, SafetyWallet’s health and safety compliance audit involves an in-depth examination of the subscriber’s overall health and management system. Subscribers are offered the chance to focus on key elements to manage occupational health and safety in the workplace as well as a structured path for consistent improvement. The SafetyWallet audit is hosted with the aim of driving health and safety cloud-based management systems, or OHS Online, by using extensive global industry experience.

Steps followed in the SafetyWallet health and safety compliance audit

• The SafetyWallet auditor and the subscriber’s audit team will review the various elements of the health and safety programmes. This is done against OHSA requirements, regulations and all other relevant laws and by-laws.
• These arrangements and its effectiveness will be assessed and an inspection of the workplace will be conducted where the auditor will sample operational activities.
• The SafetyWallet auditor will then interview relevant key management, staff and involved SafetyWallet partners, and their roles and responsibilities in occupational health and safety will be discussed confidentially.
• Once the audit has been concluded, the subscriber and their team will be provided with the audit report and subsequent feedback.
• This report will contain the SafetyWallet auditor’s observations and recommendations. In addition, a comprehensive action plan will be included for consideration.
• If the subscriber is declared competent, they will be provided with a compliance certificate proving this.