What is the Purpose of a Health & Safety Audit?

  • Health & Safety
person writing on note pad
Peninsula Logo

Peninsula Team, Peninsula Team

(Last updated )

In this guide, we'll discuss what a Health & Safety audit is, the benefits of conducting one, and the process to follow.

As an employer, you have a legal duty to ensure the health, safety, and welfare of all your employees. One way to do this is to carry out a Health & Safety audit.

This analysis can provide you with valuable insights and identify improvements, keeping your employees and other visitors on-site safe from injury at all times. Failure to do so may lead to serious injury and legal damage.

In this guide, we'll discuss what a Health & Safety audit is, the benefits of conducting one, and the process to follow.

What is a Health & Safety audit?

A Health & Safety audit is something a business conducts to identify any areas of improvement needed to enhance the safety of a business, as well as ensuring its legal compliance. Put simply, it is an evaluation and assessment of an organisation's Health & Safety:

These audits are conducted by a Health & Safety professional who is qualified in the field. They gather evidence using the following methods:

Following this, they will produce a report identifying areas in which the business can improve its Health & Safety management system.

What areas does a Health & Safety audit cover?

A Health & Safety audit will cover a range of areas related to your Health & Safety management. 

This includes:

Different types of Health & Safety audits

There are two different types of Health & Safety audits that your company can perform. Although they both help to ensure compliance for your business - it's important to know the differences between them, so you know what your company needs.

Let's discuss each of them in more detail:

Internal audit

An internal audit is an audit which is carried out within a company, by an employee. It must be carried out by a competent person; someone who has the sufficient training, experience, and knowledge to identify Health & Safety issues.

The competent person you choose should hold the relevant Health & Safety training qualifications. An example of this is having either a National Examination Board in Occupational Safety (NEBOSH) Diploma or NEBOSH Certificate.

Conducting an internal Health & Safety means you have greater control over the process as a whole. For example, you might wish to conduct it in stages so disruption to production is minimised.

External audit

An external Health & Safety audit is carried out by an external auditor who must be experienced, trained, and fully qualified, such as a Health & Safety consultant.

The auditor will follow an audit process as detailed in the HSE's authoritative Health & Safety audit template (HSE Best Practice Document HSG65). They'll visit your site and request:

An advantage of employing an external audit is that it tends to be more comprehensive than an internal audit. However, it's also likely to be more disruptive to your company. For example, you might need to shut down your production line for a significant amount of time whilst it is assessed. 

Is carrying out a Health & Safety audit a legal requirement?

No, under the Health & Safety at Work Act 1974 there's no legal requirement for a Health & Safety audit to be carried out. However, employers do have a legal duty to protect the health, safety, and welfare of their employees as far as reasonably practicable. And, a Health & Safety audit is a useful tool to do so.

The Health and Safety Executive states that large public and private sector organisations should have formal procedures in place regarding Health & Safety audits - as well as being required to report on their Health & Safety performance.

What are the benefits of carrying out Health & Safety audits?

There are several benefits your company can experience from carrying out regular Health & Safety audits of your company.

For example, an audit: 

How often should Health & Safety audits be carried out?

No legislation states how often a Health & Safety audit should be carried out. It depends on the size and risk factors of a particular business. For example, a chemical company should conduct them more regularly due to the dangerous materials they use.

But, it's good practice for all companies to carry out regular audits annually.

How to conduct an internal Health & Safety audit

There are several steps a safety audit includes. By following them, you create a thorough safety audit system.

The steps include:

Stage 1: Documentation

The first stage of a Health & Safety audit is for senior management to gather any required documentation that the auditors may need when carrying it out.

This documentation can include:

Stage 2: Evidence gathering

The second step of the audit process is arguably the most important - evidence gathering. This part can involve several stages, such as:

Stage 3: Review results

The third stage of the process is reviewing and recording the results of the audit. The auditor will issue a report based on important areas, with comments and recommendations.

They will also make the company aware of any missing records or policies related to staff training and other safety issues.

Stage 4: Results and published

The last stage of the audit process is to publish the above report to all employees. All employees within a business have a right to know how their employer is looking after their health, safety, and wellbeing.

The report should include the following:

Preparing for a Health & Safety audit

No matter whether you're looking to use an external or internal auditor, you should prepare for your audit properly.

An external auditor will have their own questions they’ll be looking to answer during the audit. But if you are conducting your own audit, you might want to create a checklist with questions that help evaluate your business’s Health & Safety. Examples of these are:

How Peninsula can help with your Health & Safety audit

With Peninsula's SafeCheck, a Health & Safety auditor will assess your workplace and uncover those critical hazards which put you and your staff at risk.

So, you don't need to plunge your own time, training, and money into carrying out your own audit. The UK's leading Health & Safety specialists will sort it for you.

After your audit, you’ll receive a detailed, user-friendly report that guides you through your next steps. Meaning you’ll know exactly how to protect your workforce and pass a Health & Safety inspection.

Plus, Peninsula can help with every aspect of your Health & Safety management. Including:

Our team offers expert advice on Health & Safety. We provide 24/7 Health & Safety advice which is available 365 days a year. 

FAQs

Got a question? Check whether we’ve already answered it for you…

Related guides

  • Road haulage

    Guide

    What is Road Haulage?

    In this guide, we’ll look at what road haulage is, what common risks are involved, and how to promote safe working standards for your haulage staff.

    Peninsula Logo
    Peninsula GroupHR and Health & Safety Experts
    • Health & Safety
  • A doctor.

    Guide

    What is Decontamination in Healthcare?

    Let’s look at the importance of decontamination in healthcare, as well as which levels of cleaning, disinfection, or sanitisation works best for specific medical businesses.

    Peninsula Logo
    Peninsula Team Peninsula Team
    • Health & Safety
  • a woman swimming

    Guide

    What is Legionella?

    Now, let’s take a look at what legionella is, where it’s found, and what the laws are around protecting vulnerable people from such dangerous pathogens.

    Peninsula Logo
    Peninsula Team Peninsula Team
    • Health & Safety
Back to resource hub

Try Brainbox for free today

When AI meets 40 years of Peninsula expertise... you get instant, expert answers to your HR and health & safety questions

Sign up to our newsletter

Get the latest news & tips that matter most to your business in our monthly newsletter.