HSG65 and ISO 45001, UK wide
Health and Safety Audit
Know exactly how well your health and safety management is working. AL23 Safety carries out thorough, independent health and safety audits across the UK, checking your policies, processes and day to day practice against the law and recognised standards, then giving you a clear, prioritised plan to put things right.
What is a health and safety audit?
A structured look at how safely work is really done
A health and safety audit is a structured examination of all the health and safety processes and policies in your business. It looks at how well your arrangements work in practice, whether they meet your legal duties and where they could be stronger.
An audit is not the same as an inspection. An audit goes deeper, examining the whole management system behind your conditions, the policies, the records, the training and the culture that decide how safely work is actually done.
Inspection
A snapshot in time
A snapshot of physical conditions on a given day. It tells you what you can see in front of you, here and now.
Audit
The system behind it
The whole management system behind those conditions, the policies, records, training and culture that decide how safely work is done over time.
Is an audit a legal requirement?
No single law, several duties that make one necessary
There is no law that says you must carry out a formal audit. Several duties, however, make one necessary in practice.
Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, Regulation 5
You must make arrangements for the effective planning, organisation, control, monitoring and review of your health and safety measures. Auditing is how you carry out that monitoring and review.
Five or more employees
You must have a written health and safety policy and record the significant findings of your risk assessments. An audit checks that these are in place, up to date and actually being followed.
Fee for Intervention
Where things go wrong the HSE can recover its costs through Fee for Intervention and serious breaches can lead to substantial fines and reputational damage. A good audit finds the gaps before an inspector or an incident does.
What an audit covers
A full picture, drawn from every angle
Depending on the scope you choose, an audit can cover the areas below. The auditor draws on interviews, observation and document review to build a full picture, then sets out where you are strong and where you need to improve.
- Your health and safety policy and arrangements
- Risk assessments and method statements
- Legal compliance across the regulations relevant to your work
- Training, competence and communication
- Accident and incident reporting and investigation
- Specific areas such as fire safety, COSHH and PPE
- Records, monitoring and review
Types of audit we offer
Shaped around your business
No two businesses are the same so we shape the audit around yours.
Management system audit
A full review of your health and safety management system against HSE good practice, HSG65 and its Plan, Do, Check, Act approach. It ends in a prioritised action plan you can build your improvements around.
Compliance audit
A focused check against a specific piece of legislation, such as the Work at Height Regulations 2005, the COSHH Regulations 2002 or the Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005. This is especially useful for larger organisations that want to confirm how well a particular area is controlled.
ISO 45001 gap analysis
A pre-certification audit that measures you against ISO 45001:2018 and maps out exactly what you need to do to close the gap.
Bespoke audit
Built around a particular site, risk or concern when an off the shelf scope will not do.
Our process
From scope to follow up
A clear path from agreeing the scope to confirming the improvements have landed.
- 1
Scope
We agree what the audit will cover, why and how deep it needs to go.
- 2
Prepare
We review your existing policies, procedures and records before the visit.
- 3
Audit
On site we interview staff, observe work and examine your documents and evidence.
- 4
Report
We set out what is working, where the gaps are and how compliant you are in each area, with clear recommendations.
- 5
Follow up
We help you put the action plan into practice and can return to confirm improvements.
The benefits
What a good audit gives you back
The findings translate into practical advice that is proportionate to the size and risk of your business so the effort you put in shows up where it matters.
- Stronger safety performance, fewer accidents and lower costs
- Clear evidence of compliance for insurers, clients and accreditation bodies
- Reduced risk of enforcement action and litigation
- Greater confidence among staff that their safety is taken seriously
- A practical roadmap for continuous improvement
Why AL23 Safety
An honest, independent view, not a box ticking exercise
Our auditors are experienced health and safety professionals who give you an honest, independent view, not a box ticking exercise. We benchmark you against the law and recognised standards, then translate the findings into advice that is proportionate to the size and risk of your business.
The recommendations you get will be practical and prioritised so you can focus on what matters most first. We audit businesses of every size right across the UK.
Book a health and safety audit
Not sure which audit is right for you?
Get in touch and we will talk it through, then recommend the scope that fits your business.
Common questions
Answers, up front
Cannot see your question? Get in touch and we will answer it directly.
Contact usAn audit is a thorough review of your health and safety systems and practices against current standards. We identify the gaps and set out clear actions and priorities. Where you want it, we also help you work towards standards like ISO 45001.
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