So you've accepted the idea that safety auditing can be a valuable metric for your organization. Now you need to ensure that the audit will be effective. It's essential that you strive for a direct 'cause and effect' relationship between your audit and the performance of your OH&S management system. For the audit to be an effective metric, there has to be some relationship between the audit, priorities and findings, and improvements in your safety results.

Let's discuss these concepts and how to apply them to an OH&S management system using an example based on the new Canadian standard CSA Z1000-6.

Critical Success Factors for Safety Auditing

There are four critical steps to a successful safety audit process:

Step One: Plan the audit. Determine what you want to audit based on a risk analysis or gap analysis; define objectives; develop audit scope; and prepare an audit plan or protocol.

Step Two: Conduct the audit. Communicate with management; test systems and processes; interview personnel; review documentation; and observe practices.

Step Three: Report and document. Communicate results and conclusions in a final report.

Step Four: Report findings and take corrective action. This should include: management response; commitment to corrective action; and follow-up verification by the auditee to ensure that corrective action has taken place.

Auditing an OH&S System

Audits required by "any mandated internal or external standard are designed to determine conformance with the requirements of" the standard in question, and measure the effectiveness of the OH&S management system. This includes assessments of the organization's implementation of a policy, set objectives and targets, and its promotion of the OH&S management system.

While the audit may not determine compliance with specific legal requirements, it should note whether compliance audits are conducted, and whether there is a process in place to check on the level of compliance by the organization. Audits should be planned and scheduled to cover all the elements of the OH&S system that are covered by the particular standard.

An Example - CSA Z1000-06

By way of example, the new Canadian standard CSA Z1000-06 makes specific references to auditing the OH&S systems. Section 4.5.4 on internal audits states:

4.5.4.1

The organization shall:

(a) Establish and maintain an internal audit program that includes the criteria for auditor competency, the audit scope, the frequency of audits, the audit methodology, and reporting; and

(b) Conduct audits at planned intervals to determine whether the OHSMS

(i) conforms to the requirements of this Standard and to the health and safety management system requirements established by the organization; and

(ii) is effectively implemented and maintained.

4.5.4.2

The audit results, audit conclusions and any corrective action plans shall be documented and communicated to affected workplace parties, including workers and worker representatives, and those responsible for corrective action. The organization should consult with workers and their representatives on auditor selection, the audit process, and the analysis of results. The management responsible for the activity being audited shall ensure that corrective actions are taken to eliminate any nonconformance with the organization's OHSMS or this Standard identified during the audit.

Audit Elements

The following are audit elements required of the CSA Z1000 Standards. See how many of these requirements match or come close to matching your current safety management system:

• Management commitment and leadership
• Worker participation
• OHS policy
• Review
• Legal and other requirements
• Hazard and risk identification and assessment
• OHS objectives and targets
• Implementation
• Preventive and protective measures
• Emergency prevention, preparedness and response
• Competence and training
• Communication and awareness
• Procurement and contracting
• Management of change
• Documentation
• Monitoring and measurement
• Incident investigation and analysis
• Internal audit
• Preventive and corrective action
• Management review
• Continual improvement
• Review input
• Review output

Conclusion

How often should the organization audit its OH&S management system? In general, all elements of the organization's system should be audited annually. You can audit the entire system at once or rotate concentrating on individual elements on a continual basis. In addition to the regularly scheduled audits, audits should be conducted in response to certain triggering events including:

• Significant changes in the organization or its processes;
• Identification of irregularities or nonconformities that suggest the existence of a potential problem area in the organization;
• Unusually high employee turnover in a department where health and safety can be jeopardized due to nonconformities; and
• The taking of corrective or preventive action to verify that the problem has been adequately addressed.

BY THE NUMBERS

The Costs of Underage Drinking

By Glenn Demby

Underage drinking is a national problem and a major cause of deaths, injuries, property damage and related economic and productivity losses. A new study from the International Institute for Alcohol Awareness (IIAA) documents the scope of the problem. Consider the following figures:

$62.6 Billion: How much underage drinking costs the U.S. economy each year.

3,212: The number of people killed in the U.S. as a result of underage drinking each year.

2.4 million: The number of nonfatal accidents and other "harmful events" caused by underage drinking each year.

16: The percentage of all alcohol that is consumed by underage drinkers in the U.S. each year.

The IIAA study breaks down these losses state by state. The 10 states with the highest cost per youth attributable to underage drinking:

1. Alaska
2. New Mexico
3. Rhode Island
4. Nevada
5. Delaware
6. Ohio
7. Maryland
8. Florida
9. Montana
10. Colorado

The state with the lowest per youth costs: Utah. See Tools for the entire list of state rankings.

Source: http://www.iiaaonline.org/profiles.php

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