Identification of vulnerable areas and specific potential hazards are the prime functions of loss prevention in any industry. Safety audit is an important tool in undertaking this function. The objective of this audit is to establish the level of compliance with Indian standards and other statutory norms and regulations.
Factories Act, 1948 (Section 7A) makes the occupier responsible for providing a safe working environment for the employees. Safety audit is one method of evaluating the safe environment provided in the plant. Safety auditing should be an integral part of any organization’s safety management system. Auditing helps the organization to check the appropriateness of its safety policies, organization and arrangements, and to check that these are being applied in practice.
Code of practice on Occupational Safety and Health Audit (OSHA) (As per IS 14489: 1998), Audits are conducted to achieve one or more of the following goals:
- To provide the auditee with an opportunity to assess its own OS&H system against a OS&H system standard and identify areas for improvement;
- To determine the conformity of the implemented OS&H system with specified requirements and identify areas for improvement; and
- To meet regulatory requirements.
These audits may be periodic, or may be prompted by significant changes in the organization’s OS&H system, process, product or service or by a need to follow up on corrective action.
The main objective of this Audit was to carry out a systematic, critical appraisal of all potential hazards involving personnel, plant, services and operation method, so as to ensure that OS&H system fully satisfy the legal requirements and those of the company’s safety policies, objectives and progress.