Published 6 Apr in
When Was Your Last Workplace Safety Audit?
Even when you recognise how important health and safety measures are in the workplace – as the vast majority of businesses do across the board – it can be easy to let some things fall by the wayside, and a health and safety audit can be one of them – after all, the thinking goes, you had one done a while ago and nothing’s changed in your workplace.
But, before we get to the other questions, is that even true?
What’s Changed in your Workplace?
To begin with the obvious: have any new employees joined or left? Did you lose a first-aid-trained colleague to the lure of a new job? Do new arrivals understand office health and safety procedure?
If the employee roster has grown, does that affect procedure or legal requirements?
If there are measures you have to take regularly, have people grown complacent and started skipping them?
And some easily-overlooked questions: Are there any electronics that are overdue for another safety check in your premises, or any new ones (replacements, perhaps) that need their first? If you have a fire extinguisher, when was the last time it was checked, and is it full?
What’s Changed in the Bigger Picture?
Even if you’re confident in all of these, the world outside your office affects your situation. Legal requirements may change and new developments in health and safety can open up new opportunities to improve safety – or to prevent previously unknown risks.
A perfect example of this in the past was the recognition of the health risks of asbestos; an audit predating that would be immediately out of date! As time moves on, we realise new dangers – rarely on the same level as asbestos, but every risk that can be prevented is worthwhile.
Keeping Your Audit Up to Date
Having an up to date audit can give you peace of mind in your health and safety procedures.
If you’re worried that your workplace might need updated procedures, or even that you’ve missed new requirements or protocols, we encourage you to fill out our form, email admin@rbhealthandsafety.co.uk or call 0845 257 1489 and get in touch – we’ll be happy to hear from you.