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Discussion on: Importance of Health and Safety Audit in an Organization

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DIPA_DHUNGANA

Health and safety in workplace is concerned with protecting employees and other people affected by what the company produces and does - against the hazards arising from their employment or their links with the company. Ensuring health and safety in the organization is the responsibility of everyone, however it is considered as the moral and legal obligation of the employers in most cases. It is important to pay attention to health and safety issues because if not properly addressed, the ill-health and injuries caused by the system of work or work conditions may cause suffering and loss to individuals and their dependents along with the loss and damage for organization (Armstrong, 2012). For example, an employee may just trip and fall because of wires the carelessly scattered over the workplace. Though this seems a small incident, it sometimes can lead to larger economic loss for the employee and the organization. The employee may seem careless in this particular situation but the organization is also equally accountable.

Workplace health and safety procedures are necessary for the well-being of both employers and employees (Chron, n.d.). The health and safety program at workplace is a process for managing the prevention of work-related injuries and diseases in the workplace. The scope of such programs depends on the size of business and hazards of workplace. The office location, layout, lighting, noise everything should be given due consideration for maintaining workplace health and safety. In order to create plan for promoting workplace health and safety, we need to inspect workplace, train employees, talk regularly with employees, investigate incidents, maintain records and make safety a key part of business (Small Business BC, 2011).

Health and safety audit provides comprehensive review of all aspects of health and safety policies, procedures and practices. It is concerned with the protection of the organization’s employees from hazards at work (Armstrong, 2012). It can be defined as methodical, independent and documented assessment of a business’s systems and processes, in which it is measured against regulated criteria to make sure health and safety standards are met (Workplace Depot, 2013). The health and safety audit follows the model of planning, checking, acting and doing to assure that safety and environmental management systems are fit for the organizational purpose and are implemented effectively. The audit aims on continuous improvement of company’s working conditions. It identifies whether the safety systems are operating effectively or they need to be more efficient. It is necessary to conduct health and safety audit because of the following reasons:

  • Prevent the possible accidents by ensuring that the organization maintain the standard for health and safety.
  • Reduce the risk of personal traumas or injury by addressing health and safety need of the individuals.
  • Prevent material loss and save money from a business by preparing from emergency situations.
  • Identify the need of safety training and education by accessing the current situation of the organization.
  • Promote employees’ morale by ensuring that the organization they work for is following the basic health and safety standards.
  • Improve standard by finding the areas the company needs to improve on.
  • Ensure customer confidence by showcasing that health and safety is incorporated in the organizational procedure.
  • Identify health and safety problems within the organization and look for possible solutions.
  • Follow the rules and regulations set by law.

References

Armstrong, M. (2012). Armstrong’s Handbook of Human Resource Management. London: Kogan Page.

Chron. (n.d.). Chron . Retrieved from Importance of Workplace Health and Safety: smallbusiness.chron.com/importance-workplace-health-safety-4973.html

Small Business BC. (2011, 11 22). Small Business BC . Retrieved from 7 Steps to Improving Workplace Health and Safety: smallbusinessbc.ca/article/seven-s...

Workplace Depot. (2013, October 8). Workplace Depot . Retrieved from Importance of Health and Safety Audit: theworkplacedepot.co.uk/news/2013/...