OHS Audit

What is a health and safety audit and why is it so important?

A health and safety audit is a documented and independent process of obtaining an objective opinion and assessment of the compliance of working conditions with applicable health and safety regulations. The basic criteria for such an assessment are Polish legal requirements in the field of labour law, as stipulated in the Act of 26 June 1974 and the Labour Code (Journal of Laws of 1998, No. 21, item 94, as amended).

Furthermore, applicable health and safety regulations impose a number of obligations and recommendations on employers, failure to comply with which may result in a number of irregularities and financial penalties. In the event of any incident occurring on the premises of the business which results in injury to an employee, the employer may incur material losses, criminal liability and accident claims.

That is why it is so important to conduct a health and safety audit in your company. If your company is looking for specialists who are passionate about their work in this field, EHS Consulting will conduct a professional health and safety audit in Warsaw or another city so that your company can operate in accordance with the applicable regulations and meet all safety standards.

Why is a health and safety audit described as systematic, independent and documented?

In order to achieve the desired results, the verification of occupational safety should be carried out regularly and in accordance with the adopted audit plan. Another important issue is objectivity; through their advisory and verification activities, each auditor should bring value to the organisation in a way that legally complies with the correct working conditions and personal protection of employees. The final condition for a well-conducted health and safety audit in the workplace is a structured assessment of processes, which, in order to reliably present audit evidence, are presented in the form of templates, checklists or internal regulations of the organisation, including procedures and work policies in the company.

A health and safety audit in a company is not the same as a health and safety inspection!

Internal audits concerning risk assessment and health and safety conditions should not be confused with health and safety inspections!

The purpose of such an activity is to broadly define any non-compliance and the causes of adverse phenomena or problems, and to report any irregularities that could lead to undesirable situations, such as accidents at work. In addition, it can act preventively by identifying risks associated with the working environment and fire protection, but also with the operation of machinery and equipment that must comply with many personal protective measures.

On the other hand, health and safety inspections are carried out by the state labour inspectorate, often resulting in responses to symptoms of undesirable phenomena occurring in the company. During such an inspection, poor health and safety conditions are identified, the person responsible for the undesirable phenomenon is found and criminal sanctions are imposed on them.

The role of a health and safety audit is to determine the state of health and safety at work and then strive for its continuous improvement and the implementation of all legal regulations in a given company.

What is the scope of the health and safety and fire protection audit?

All control measures in the field of occupational safety and fire protection are aimed at complying with all legal provisions contained in the Labour Code, as well as regulations related to occupational safety, including the Regulation of the Minister of Labour and Social Policy of 26 September 1997 on general occupational health and safety regulations.

The scope of the health and safety and fire safety documentation review includes, among other things:

• work regulations;
• health and safety training;
• occupational risk assessment;
• working environment conditions;
• first aid system;
• adaptation of workstations in the workplace;
• adaptation of work processes;
• employee examinations;
• fire protection;
• adaptation of sanitary facilities;
• records of accidents at work and occupational diseases;
• rules for the management of personal protective equipment;
• list of particularly dangerous work;
• results of environmental tests;
• efficiency of machinery and equipment – inspection reports and instructions;
• presence of harmful, dangerous and nuisance factors;
• building and facility inspection reports;
• fire safety instructions;
• reports on trial evacuations;
• reports on inspections of portable fire-fighting equipment and hydrants.

During the health and safety audit, attention is paid to the working conditions in the company, the employees’ knowledge of the applicable procedures (health and safety training and thematic training), the appearance of the workplace and the assessment of working conditions in terms of safety in the company. A reliable occupational risk assessment, health and safety audit, and updating of applicable procedures, including those relating to the use of machinery and equipment, also play an important role.

How to conduct a health and safety audit in Warsaw

In order to achieve the intended objectives and results, every audit, including those in the area of occupational safety, should be conducted by a person with appropriate knowledge and experience.

At EHS Consulting, we work with a large group of health and safety and fire safety specialists who approach their tasks with passion and complete professionalism. We will conduct a professional health and safety audit for you in Warsaw and the surrounding area, and then provide you with a detailed internal report and an assessment of health and safety at work. At EHS Consulting, we provide consulting services to organisations that strive to achieve ever better results. Choose professional health and safety services in Warsaw.