Articles
Time to fire up your safety program...5 Keys To A Successful Safety Audit
Where do dangers lurk on your plant floor? Uncovering hazards and deficiencies before they become a problem is the first step in reducing risk to people and property.
Steve Dukich and Mike Duta, P.E. Machine Safety Services, Rockwell Automation
Awell-executed safety audit program can make
a substantial difference in helping companies
prevent accidents and injuries. Your
company must understand and incorporate
key characteristics of a successful audit program.
Properly addressing these core areas will help the
program deliver maximum impact with minimal
risk, while adding value over time.
Key #1: Plan and prepare
To give your audit focus and purpose, identify your goals
early by asking these questions:
- What departments or operations will be covered in the inspection?
- What items or activities will be checked?
- How often will inspections be carried out?
- How will the inspections be conducted?
- What follow-up activity will there be so corrections are made?
As with any well-functioning management system, an audit program must have written guidelines and procedures to describe how the audit should be conducted and what corrective action should be taken. These procedures should define all audit activities, including planning the audit, onsite activities and follow-up.
Key #2: Define the scope
Determine whether to conduct a general inspection or
targeted inspection. General inspections are comprehensive
reviews of all safety and industrial health exposures
in a given area or complete factory. Targeted (or special)
inspections deal with specific exposures or hazards in
a given unit, section or plant. Good audit programs can
include both types of inspections.
Key #3: Involve the right people
The success of an audit relies heavily on involving the right
people. Variables in the size and type of business, number
and expertise of employees, and special hazards and characteristics
of each business will dictate which staff members
are assigned to the audit program. In many cases, a team
approach is used, mixing facility and line managers, supervisors,
engineers, operators and staff from other departments.
Safety program managers should critically review
the audit team makeup for a balance between objectivity
and familiarity.
Key #4: Follow through for corrective action
Identified deficiencies must be assigned to a responsible
person and corrected in a reasonable timeframe. In some
cases, the deficiency represents a more endemic problem,
requiring a more extensive corrective action plan. Followup
audits must confirm that the corrective action was
satisfactorily completed.
Key #5: Train and educate
Reducing potential risk requires appropriate instruction
and training on safety procedures. All employees who may
be exposed to the hazards of a machine or process should
participate in these training programs, and these programs
should be audited. The training agenda and programs must
be customized to meet the specific needs of the facility.
Make a lasting impact
Effective safety audits can be an important component of a
successful safety program. To realize the full benefits of an
audit program, it’s critical for a company to have the right
focus, involve the right people, allocate adequate resources
and follow through on corrective actions. If your company
has a well-planned and well-executed audit strategy, you
will forge a sustainable competitive advantage.
Steve Dukich is a senior application engineer and Mike Duta is manager of Machine Safety Services for Rockwell Automation. For information on Rockwell’s Integrated Safety Systems, visit http://www.ab.com/safety/; for information on the company’s Risk Assessment Services, visit www.rockwellautomation.com/services/assessment
