Safety audits assess the effectiveness of a safety program, look to find out if safety measures are still current and determine if established guidelines are being followed.

Since they can be time-consuming, companies don’t carry out audits very often. However, they are extremely necessary to prevent injuries and even deaths. Because safety hazards can change from season to season, it is a good idea to conduct a summer safety audit.

It is also a good idea to avoid a single annual audit because it can cause a “ramp up” effect when managers and staff step up their safety measures and practices ahead of audit time.

For these reasons and more, your warehouse should conduct a summer safety audit. Below are a few considerations for carrying out that audit.

4 Questions To Ask Before A Safety Audit

1. Who Will Conduct It?

Prior to starting, it is essential to figure out who will be doing the audit and what the audit team will be trying to achieve. Many companies use an internal audit team, while others hire outside consultants.

An internal auditing team should include everyone from forklift drivers to managers to department leaders. It should also include people from outside the warehouse.

The more varied the team, the points of view you bring into the process. For instance, a forklift driver will know the various intricacies of the warehouse, while a person from outside the warehouse, who has a fresh set of eyes, is suited to spotting overlooked issues.

Regardless of who is on the audit team, everybody ought to be trained on how to conduct an audit.

2. What are the Objectives?

It is essential to establish the range of the audit and set objectives before starting. Going over various rules and codes that pertain to a warehouse can establish audit objectives. The outcomes of earlier audits can also be helpful, particularly to see if the findings of earlier audit have been addressed effectively.

3. What Should the Audit Involve?

As a part of any audit, incident reports, processes and other safety-related papers ought to be assessed. Written procedures can be assessed to establish a baseline metric, as well as identify strengths and risks.

Speaking with staff members who operate various machines inside the warehouse can provide significant insight. Since they work with the same equipment regularly, they ought to be capable of completely explaining not just how it operates, but also what might be done differently.

4. Should We Share the Results?

Staff members want to know what’s going on with respect to safety and where any changes might be made. Posting the results of an audit can encourage transparency and lets employees see the status of safety in their workplace. Posting results also helps everybody understand any adjustments that are being made and how those alterations will make the warehouse safer.

We Support the Safe Work of Our Employees

At Cornerstone, we work with our clients to ensure that our contract employees are working as safely as possible. Please contact us today to find out how we can work for you and your organization.