Self Audits

Legal Requirements for Self Audits

Because health and safety has a compliance aspect, there is a need for a periodic independent and impartial assessment, to make a realistic judgement about the effectiveness of the safety management system and provide constructive advice about corrective actions

Procedure for Self Audits

A Self Audit must be completed at frequencies and sites appropriate for the risks, number of employees and diversity of activities, but at least one location, annually. A recognised audit standard should be used, according to the aims, objectives and statutory compliance requirements applying to the organisation. The audit should be led by a competent person who is independent from being influenced by the personnel or practices being audited. Employee representatives must be consulted

How to create a Self Audit

Open a Self Audit file under the Safety Plans heading. Complete data entry fields for locations as appropriate. You will be asked for information about the auditor, the methodology, the rationale and the main recommendations of the audit

If you have advanced versions of SafetyBase, they prompt a broader range of audit requirements

Using Tasks while creating Self Audits

Tasks can be notifications, instructions, alerts or corrective actions associated with a particular file. You can add Tasks as you go during data entry, using the inline New Task button in your screen. You can also use the Toolbar at the bottom of your screen during data input, or the Tasks tab after you submit the file

As you create a file, SafetyBase may automatically set suggested Tasks, depending on some of your droplist selections. Watch for inline informational messages, which are there to alert you if a droplist might create an automatic Task

Please note that although these automatic Tasks may be created as helpful prompts, they do have generic wording, so you have the choice of creating Tasks yourself. This is advisable if you prefer the wording to be specific or personal. If appropriate, you can select the "Recurring" button, which lets you create a repeating schedule, (say, an inspection, review or check-up interval)

When any Task is set in the system, it will display in the form you created, a summary tab in the file and in the Task List of the person it is allocated to (Recurring Tasks don't show until they are due). Tasks are also e-mailed to the allocated person on the required number of days prior to the Due Date

A small number of tasks have been set as mandatory (example, reporting serious injuries to the statutory authority). These cannot be deleted

SafetyBase Tips and Tricks while creating Self Audits

• If the Self Audit's status is left as "Under Action", it will show on the Dashboard Open Files list. This is important, as a means of ensuring visibility to all affected parties

• It is recommended the Self Audit is part of a series of annual reviews, which also includes the Safety Review and the setting of Safety Objectives. This is more likely to result in a process of continuous improvement

• Consider associating an electronic document (example, an existing image, pdf, spreadsheet, document, video etc), using the "Attach Documents" tab, or inline toolbar at the bottom of your screen while entering data. Record the document's details by completing the appropriate data fields, then click Attach Document. The document will upload and be available for viewing. Many file types will display as a thumbnail

• You can associate a SafetyBase file using the "Link Files" inline button on the toolbar at the bottom of the screen while entering data, or afterwards, using the Tasks tab (example, Hazard, Fault Report, Accident Investigation or similar file that has direct relevance): Record the file's details by completing the appropriate data fields, then click ADD. Use the progressive filtering of the drop lists and ADD the file you want. The file will be linked. If you follow the link, the linked file will automatically have a link back to the file you came from

• Remember to link People with this file type, using the "Associate People" inline button on the toolbar at the bottom of the screen while entering data, or afterwards, using the Associate People tab. Doing this will build an automatic safety history for each person, which you can view by clicking on the person's name anywhere in the account

• Check file history in the "Status Log" tab. This automatically records status changes to the file. If you would like to monitor the file, click the "Watch" button at the top of the file summary. This will place the file on your Watchlist and e-mail you whenever the file status changes