Health & Safety

Audit and inspection

Not confident in your compliance? Want to know that risk is being appropriately managed at every level across your organisation? Then you need a health and safety audit.

As part of our fixed-fee service, our Health & Safety specialists can take a systematic look at your workplace and current arrangements, identify any areas where you currently fall short, and help you to take corrective action.

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How we help

Get peace of mind with an expert appraisal of your safety management policies

When it comes to workplace health and safety, a preventative, proactive approach is essential.

From a policy that isn’t being executed properly to a procedure or risk assessment that’s out of date, we can conduct a thorough examination of your premises, practices and procedures to identify and remedy any areas where you’re exposed.

  • Initial fact-finding visit to get to know your business and devise the relevant question set
  • A second visit to conduct the audit with you and make sure any issues are detected
  • A prioritised action plan with tailored recommendations – no generic ‘corrective action required’ responses
  • Ongoing support from your dedicated Health & Safety Consultant to answer queries and concerns and keep you compliant
  • Award-winning Health & Safety Software where you can monitor progress and assign responsibilities

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A dedicated consultant, with you every step of the way

Health and safety audits are an integral part of our fixed-fee support. Not only does the audit provide a starting point for compliance and enable us to put a plan in place to get you where you need to be, but by conducting a thorough examination of your workplace, your dedicated consultant can get a first-hand look into your environment and how you operate. That way, whenever you call us for health and safety advice, you’re speaking to someone who genuinely understands your organisation, arrangements and specific hazards.

Consistent, informed support from a trusted professional.

Popular FAQs

Common queries about our health and safety audit support, answered by our Health & Safety specialists.

What’s the difference between an audit and an inspection?

Over time, even the best safety management systems may become less effective at reducing risk, hence it is important to put it to the test. A safety audit will examine the effectiveness of your arrangements and procedures and can help to identify any underlying failings that may result in harm further downstream. They are normally carried out by someone external to the organisation who will provide an independent and expert appraisal of your safety management system.
A safety inspection involves a more regular check of the workplace to identify hazards in order to eliminate, guard, or protect against them. Safety inspections are carried out by someone who is familiar with the workplace and involves ‘walking the floor’ and observing hazards and unsafe practices.

What is a health and safety gap analysis?

A health and safety gap analysis, also known as a safety compliance audit, is a tested and proven method to ensure that organisations have the right management systems and programs in place to reduce incidents and risk to their workers. Our Health & Safety Consultants have experience of delivering gap analyses, calling upon different templates and question sets that examine key areas.

What form does the audit take?

There are a number of different models and templates for conducting health and safety audits. Most commonly, and the approach we adopt at WorkNest, is what’s known as a General Risk Assessment (GRA). This is a systematic examination of your workplace to identify possible causes of harm, the likelihood and severity of that harm occurring given the safeguards already in place, and any further control measures needed to reduce risk to as low a level as is “reasonably practicable”.

What will happen at the initial visit?

We typically operate a 2-1-2 service: two visits in your first year, one in your second and two in your third. The first of these is an initial fact-finding visit; we’ll get to know your business and activities, find out more about your current arrangements, and start to pull together your policy and handbook. The first visit is also an opportunity to devise the audit question set which will allow your consultant, when they return for the second visit, to ask the right questions as part of the GRA. They’ll go through a list of common workplace hazards and find out which apply to you, then when equipped with that information, will build an audit that incorporates relevant questions.

Will the audit cover all areas?

Yes, provided we’re able to get all the information we need during the initial visit, we will be able to conduct a systematic, thorough examination of your workplace. If, when they arrive to conduct the audit, your consultant realises there’s a topic that wasn’t identified at the first visit, we also have a method to include those questions as well so that we can cover all bases.

Will the audit cover fire safety?

The audit includes general questions regarding your fire safety arrangements on site but does not constitute a fire risk assessment which is required under separate legislation.

Can you do audits on particular activities or areas of concern?

Yes, if you require. We can create bespoke in-depth audits on items such as workplace transport, equipment and machinery, work at height, accident and investigation procedures, etc.

Will we get a copy of the General Risk Assessment?

Yes. Once completed, you will be notified that the GRA is available to view via our Health & Safety Software and can print it off as a record of compliance.

Will you just provide a report of the issues identified?

No, we report on both compliant and non-compliant areas, and the report will provide clear solutions and recommendations to address particular areas of concern. Unlike some providers, we won’t insert default ‘corrective action required’ responses unless it is absolutely clear what you need to do; we edit to provide clarity. Plus, if you have any questions or concerns, your dedicated Health & Safety Consultant will be more than happy to assist.

How will we know what actions to address first?

Your consultant will specify how urgent each item is (critical, high, medium, low) and this will be supported by a sensible timeframe. You can then use our Health & Safety Software to assign responsibilities for different tasks and view outstanding actions and progress made.

What if I only want an audit, not a full service?

The information on this page relates to the initial audit provided as part of our fixed-fee Health & Safety service; however, we may be able to conduct a one-off audit for you also, and if this is what you require, we would be happy to discuss your particular needs.

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Why choose us?

Experts in Health & Safety

We have the expertise to help you simplify complex health and safety legislation, find workable solutions to health and safety challenges, and protect your organisation from the rising cost of non-compliance. 

  • Approved by a Primary Authority
  • Dedicated specialists with recognised qualifications
  • Genuine hands-on experience of managing risk
  • Cost certainty with our unlimited, fixed-fee model
  • The confidence to act as one of your competent persons

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