The Importance of Health & Safety Audits

Published: December 2023

Reading time: 6 minutes

Suitable for: Business Owners, Directors, Managers and Supervisors

Topics: Health & Safety Management | Audits | Legal Compliance | Continuous Improvement

Why this matters

Health and safety isn’t something you can set up once and forget about. As your business grows, new equipment is introduced, or working practices change, new risks can appear. A health and safety audit helps you step back and ask an important question:

“Is our health and safety management system actually working?”

Regular audits help identify gaps before they become accidents, improve legal compliance and demonstrate your commitment to protecting your employees, visitors and customers.

At a glance

Main benefit: Confirms your health and safety management system is working effectively.

Who should complete one? Business owners, managers or anyone responsible for health and safety.

How often? At least annually, and whenever significant changes occur.

Time to complete: Varies depending on the size and complexity of your business.

What is a health & safety audit?

A health and safety audit is a structured review of how well your business is managing health and safety.

Unlike a risk assessment, which identifies hazards and decides how to control them, an audit looks at your overall safety management system to check whether your policies, procedures and controls are working as intended.

Think of it as a health check for your business’s approach to safety.

Who should carry out an audit?

Health and safety audits can be carried out by:

Business owners
Managers or supervisors
Competent health and safety personnel
External health and safety consultants

Whoever carries out the audit should have enough knowledge of your business to recognise where improvements may be needed.

What should a health & safety audit cover?

A good audit looks at all aspects of your health and safety management system, including:

Safety Management

Health and Safety Policy
Responsibilities
Training records
Risk assessments
Safe systems of work

Fire Safety

Fire risk assessment
Emergency procedures
Fire extinguishers
Emergency lighting
Fire drills

First Aid

First aid kits
Trained first aiders
Accident reporting procedures
Incident investigations

Workplace Safety

Housekeeping
Slips, trips and falls
Welfare facilities
Lighting
Ventilation

Vehicles and Transport

If your workplace uses vehicles, your audit should consider:

Vehicle maintenance
Driver competence
Site traffic routes
Pedestrian segregation
Reversing arrangements

Hazardous Substances and Equipment

Where relevant, review:

COSHH assessments
Chemical storage
Machinery maintenance
Equipment inspections
Guarding and safety devices

Environmental Management

Your audit can also include environmental topics such as:

Waste management
Pollution prevention
Spill control
Recycling
Environmental responsibilities

Why should you review your business regularly?

Businesses are constantly changing.

You may:

Recruit new employees
Purchase new equipment
Introduce different processes
Move premises
Expand your services

An audit helps ensure your health and safety arrangements continue to meet the needs of your business as these changes occur. Many businesses choose to complete an audit every year, as well as after significant changes or following a serious incident.

What does the law say?

Under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, employers have a legal duty to protect the health, safety and welfare of their employees and anyone affected by their work.

Employers with five or more employees are generally required to record significant findings from their health and safety arrangements, including having a written Health and Safety Policy where required by law.

Although regular health and safety audits are not specifically required by legislation, they are recognised as good practice and are an effective way to demonstrate that your safety management system is being monitored and improved.

Related resources

Need more help?

Our Safety Audit Checklist is designed to help small businesses review their health and safety arrangements in a simple, structured way. It guides you through the key areas to assess and helps identify opportunities to improve your safety management system.

You can download the Safety Audit Checklist from the H&S Documents section of the portal and start reviewing your workplace today.