Occupational Health and Safety Auditing Training Course

Participants can apply ISO 19011 principles to impartial, ethical and evidence-based audit work.

• ISO 19011 principles: integrity, fair presentation and due professional care
• Confidentiality requirements when handling health records and incident evidence
• Independence threats identified for internal auditors reviewing familiar operations
• Risk-based thinking applied to audit planning and evidence evaluation
• Auditor competence, technical knowledge and behavioural skills requirements
• Conflicts of interest declared and managed before fieldwork begins

Participants can define clear audit objectives, criteria, scope and boundaries for an audit assignment.

• Audit objectives framed around conformance, effectiveness and legal compliance
• Criteria selected from standards, procedures, permits and contractual requirements
• Scope boundaries set by locations, activities, shifts and organisational units
• Process interfaces mapped between operations, maintenance, contractors and leadership
• Audit questions aligned with stated objectives and risk priorities
• Exclusions tested for justification, authority and unintended control gaps

Participants can audit processes for identifying, applying and evaluating occupational health and safety obligations.

• Legal register structure linked to activities, hazards and responsible owners
• Applicable legislation verified against site operations and workforce arrangements
• Permits, licences and statutory inspections sampled for current status
• Other requirements include client rules, insurer standards and collective agreements
• Compliance evaluation evidence tested against defined frequency and methodology
• Noncompliance escalated using documented reporting and remediation routes

Participants can build an annual audit programme based on risk, performance and organisational change.

• Annual audit programmes prioritised using hazard severity, exposure and performance
• Risk matrices calibrated to distinguish audit priority from operational risk
• Incident trends, complaints and near misses used for targeting
• Organisational change triggers additional audits after process or workforce changes
• Audit frequency justified for high-risk activities and critical controls
• Programme resources assigned by auditor competence, independence and availability

Participants can prepare an audit plan, agenda, document request and working-paper structure.

• Audit plans specify objectives, criteria, scope, methods and timetable
• Opening meeting agendas establish access, communication and safety arrangements
• Pre-audit document requests target relevant procedures, records and performance data
• Working papers organise questions, samples, evidence references and findings
• Audit team roles allocated for interviews, inspection and evidence review
• Contingency arrangements address access restrictions, emergencies and schedule changes

Participants can map operational processes and identify the controls that an audit must test.

• SIPOC diagrams define suppliers, inputs, processes, outputs and customers
• Process maps identify handoffs, decisions, records and control owners
• Critical controls distinguished from supporting administrative control activities
• Bow-tie analysis links threats, preventive barriers and recovery controls
• Field verification tests whether documented controls match actual work
• Control failures traced through people, equipment, procedures and supervision

Participants can select defensible samples for documents, locations, workers and operational activities.

• Judgemental sampling targets high-risk tasks, changes and recurring failures
• Random sampling reduces selection bias within defined audit populations
• Sample sizes adjusted for risk, population size and evidence consistency
• Shift patterns included when sampling supervision and permit controls
• Triangulation compares records, interviews, observations and physical conditions
• Sampling limitations recorded to prevent unsupported audit conclusions

Participants can test documented information for adequacy, implementation and control.

• Document control tested through approvals, revision status and point-of-use access
• Risk assessments checked for task specificity, review triggers and controls
• Training records sampled against role competence and refresher requirements
• Permit-to-work records examined for authorisation, isolation and close-out
• Inspection and maintenance records traced to identified equipment risks
• Incident records compared with corrective actions and trend analysis

Participants can obtain reliable audit evidence through structured and respectful interviews.

• Open questions elicit task knowledge, control use and concerns
• Funnel questioning moves from broad descriptions to specific evidence
• Interview plans separate worker, supervisor and management evidence needs
• Active listening identifies inconsistencies, assumptions and untested control claims
• Psychological safety protected when discussing incidents, hazards and reporting
• Interview notes capture facts, quotations, records and follow-up questions

Participants can conduct safe, systematic site inspections that test work as performed.

• Observation protocols focus on task conditions, behaviours and control barriers
• Safe access arrangements agreed before entering operational and restricted areas
• Photographic evidence managed under site rules and confidentiality controls
• Work-as-imagined compared with work-as-done during live observations
• Housekeeping, access, guarding and signage assessed against stated requirements
• Stop-work escalation applied where imminent danger is observed

Participants can audit whether hazard controls are selected, implemented and maintained effectively.

• Hierarchy of controls tested before reliance on administrative measures
• Operational planning audited for routine, non-routine and emergency work
• Job safety analysis reviewed for sequencing, hazards and control ownership
• Critical control verification examines barriers protecting against major hazards
• Personal protective equipment controls tested for selection, issue and use
• Change management records checked for new hazards and revised controls

Participants can assess contractor and supplier occupational health and safety arrangements using proportionate criteria.

• Prequalification criteria assess competence, incident history and legal compliance
• Contractor induction records sampled against site-specific hazard information
• Interface risks examined where contractor and host activities overlap
• Permit coordination tested for simultaneous operations and shared isolations
• Supplier controls reviewed for hazardous materials, equipment and services
• Contract performance meetings checked for safety indicators and actions

Participants can audit incident investigation processes for evidence quality, learning and action completion.

• Incident classifications tested against reporting thresholds and legal duties
• Five Whys analysis assessed for superficial causes and unsupported conclusions
• ICAM and causal-factor methods compared for investigation depth
• Corrective actions reviewed for control strength, ownership and due dates
• Lessons learned communications tested for relevance to affected workgroups
• Repeat incidents analysed for failed learning and ineffective verification

Participants can audit occupational health arrangements while handling sensitive information appropriately.

• Health surveillance programmes tested against exposure assessments and medical confidentiality
• Ergonomic risk controls reviewed for assessment, adjustment and follow-up
• Psychosocial risk arrangements examined through workload, reporting and support evidence
• Exposure monitoring records sampled for frequency, results and action
• Fitness-for-work processes checked for privacy, restrictions and management actions
• Occupational health data aggregated without disclosing personal medical details

Participants can audit occupational health and safety interfaces with emergency and environmental controls.

• Emergency plans tested for alarms, evacuation, rescue and communication
• Drill records reviewed for participation, observations and improvement actions
• Fire safety controls sampled for inspections, maintenance and access
• Chemical spill arrangements assessed alongside exposure and environmental controls
• Business continuity links examined after serious incidents and site shutdowns
• Emergency contractor roles verified through callout arrangements and competence

Participants can reach defensible audit conclusions and classify findings consistently.

• Objective evidence assessed for relevance, reliability, sufficiency and traceability
• Conformance conclusions linked directly to criteria and verified facts
• Nonconformities distinguished from observations and improvement opportunities
• Major and minor findings graded using defined consequence and system criteria
• Evidence chains connect requirement, condition, proof and risk implication
• Contradictory evidence resolved through further sampling and corroboration

Participants can write concise findings and reports that support accountable management decisions.

• Finding statements separate requirement, evidence, gap and risk consequence
• Report summaries communicate significant issues without overstating certainty
• Audit reports structure scope, criteria, methods, findings and conclusions
• Positive practices recorded where controls demonstrate repeatable effectiveness
• Evidence references enable management review and independent follow-up
• Plain language reduces ambiguity in corrective-action expectations

Participants can lead closing meetings that communicate findings fairly and obtain clear next steps.

• Closing meeting agendas confirm scope, findings, caveats and next actions
• Findings presented with factual language and supporting evidence references
• Management challenges handled through criteria, evidence and respectful discussion
• Disputed findings documented without compromising auditor independence or accuracy
• Action owners agree responsibilities, target dates and escalation routes
• Senior leadership messages focus on risk exposure and control performance

Participants can evaluate corrective-action plans and verify whether actions have removed or reduced the identified problem.

• Corrective-action plans specify containment, correction, cause and preventive measures
• Root cause methods selected according to complexity and available evidence
• Fishbone diagrams structure people, process, equipment and environment causes
• SMART actions tested for ownership, resources, deadlines and measurable outcomes
• Effectiveness verification confirms changed conditions rather than completed paperwork
• Overdue actions escalated using risk-based governance and management review

Participants can use audit results to support management review, performance decisions and continual improvement.

• Audit dashboards track completion, finding trends, overdue actions and recurrence
• Leading and lagging indicators interpreted without misleading performance conclusions
• Management review inputs aligned with ISO 45001 performance requirements
• Systemic themes analysed across sites, functions, contractors and activities
• Audit programme effectiveness evaluated through closure quality and repeat findings
• Annual plans revised using performance results, change and emerging risk

Participants can build, review and present a complete risk-based occupational health and safety audit package for a defined operation.

• Audit scenario analysed to establish objectives, scope, criteria and priorities
• Risk-based audit programme and detailed audit plan prepared
• Checklists, sampling plan and interview questions assembled from evidence needs
• Simulated evidence evaluated against ISO 45001 and operational requirements
• Findings, corrective actions and verification arrangements documented clearly
• Closing presentation delivers conclusions, risk priorities and management recommendations