{"id":3516,"date":"2022-04-21T06:55:34","date_gmt":"2022-04-20T20:55:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/anitechgroup.com\/au\/?p=3516"},"modified":"2023-05-23T11:50:36","modified_gmt":"2023-05-23T01:50:36","slug":"how-an-ohs-audit-helps-companies-understand-and-address-risks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/anitechgroup.com\/au\/blog\/how-an-ohs-audit-helps-companies-understand-and-address-risks\/","title":{"rendered":"How An OH&S Audit Helps Companies Understand And Address Risks"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Developing and implementing compliant\u00a0Occupational Health and Safety<\/a>\u00a0practices can often be a challenging process for companies. Many businesses address this through the implementation of the internationally recognised ISO 45001 OH&S Management System, which helps them understand the scope of WHS risks they may be exposed to, and develop compliant practices for managing them. However, some companies may find implementing the ISO 45001 Standards to be cost prohibitive, and look for alternative measures they can take to ensure onsite WHS risks are identified and mitigated. The good news is that there are clear actions organisations in this situation can take, by commissioning an\u00a0Occupational Health and Safety site audit\u00a0<\/strong>of their operations. This article will discuss this process, and what benefits it can bring to businesses.<\/p>\n

An OH&S site audit reviews existing safety procedures<\/h2>\n

An OH&S site audit has specialists conduct an initial review of a worksite, its processes, the safety system, and\u00a0ensures\u00a0that all staff are trained\u00a0on health and safety policies and procedures within the organisation. This includes handling emergency scenarios and dealing with incidents.<\/p>\n

This process\u00a0requires\u00a0OH&S specialists\u00a0to\u00a0visit a worksite,\u00a0understand the day to day operations of the business\u00a0and conduct a walkthrough assessment to identity existing and potential OH&S risks. The specialists will\u00a0identify\u00a0<\/strong>and\u00a0document<\/strong>\u00a0all existing risks, and provide the business with a clear\u00a0Action Plan\u00a0<\/strong>about what they should be doing to mitigate them, bringing them to compliant levels. Further, companies can discuss the outcomes of the OH&S audit with the specialists to understand the recommendations made, and what actions they should be taking in both the short and long term.<\/p>\n

Better understand risks in companies<\/h3>\n

By commissioning this process, your business will better understand the scope of OH&S risks it is exposed to, and what actions it needs to take to achieve compliance and protect staff. Specifically, an OH&S audit can help organisations\u00a0comply\u00a0<\/strong>with the internationally certified\u00a0ISO 45001:2018 OH&S Standards<\/strong>. ISO 45001 is a recognised international standard for Occupational Health and Safety, and it helps companies manage their compliance to OH&S processes and practices.<\/p>\n

By commissioning an OH&S audit on worksites, businesses can effectively meet the requirements outlined in ISO 45001. Another benefit is that through this, the ISO 45001 certification process will be significantly easier if they choose to implement it later, as several key preliminary stages, such as the gap analysis, will have already been conducted, thus minimising the actions businesses must take to achieve certification.<\/p>\n

Show your staff that you are committed to a safe operations<\/h3>\n

Organisations can minimise costs by not working towards achieving ISO 45001 certification until they are ready. An OH&S audit of their existing WHS practices will assess whether the practices are safe, meet legislative requirements and assist in reaching its compliance goals.<\/p>\n

Specifically, an OH&S audit helps businesses to:<\/p>\n