Monitoring and Review Flashcards

What is the main purpose of a health and safety audit?

Answer: To systematically evaluate the adequacy and effectiveness of the overall health and safety management system against defined standards or criteria

A health and safety audit is a structured, systematic evaluation of the entire safety management system — its policies, organisation, planning, implementation, monitoring, and review processes. It assesses whether the system is adequate, effective, and compliant with relevant standards, unlike inspections which focus on physical conditions.

What is the key difference between an internal and external health and safety audit?

Answer: Internal audits are conducted by the organisation's own trained personnel, while external audits are conducted by independent third parties with no connection to the organisation

Internal audits are performed by trained auditors from within the organisation (but independent of the area being audited). External audits use independent third-party auditors with no organisational connection. External audits bring greater objectivity and are required for certification to standards like ISO 45001, while internal audits provide ongoing self-assessment.

What is benchmarking in the context of health and safety performance?

Answer: Comparing an organisation's health and safety performance against similar organisations, industry standards, or its own previous performance to identify areas for improvement

Benchmarking compares an organisation's safety performance with that of peers, industry averages, recognised good practice, or its own historical performance. It helps identify where performance falls below expected standards and highlights areas where improvement efforts should be focused.

Which reactive monitoring measure involves recording events where something happened but no injury or damage resulted?

Answer: Near-miss reporting

Near-miss reporting captures events where an incident occurred but, by chance, no injury or damage resulted. Near-misses represent the much larger base of the safety triangle — for every serious injury, there are many near-misses. Reporting them provides valuable data for preventing future incidents that might not be so fortunate.

What does ISO 45001 require regarding internal audits of the occupational health and safety management system?

Answer: The organisation must conduct internal audits at planned intervals to determine whether the OH&S management system conforms to requirements and is effectively implemented and maintained

ISO 45001 Clause 9.2 requires organisations to conduct internal audits at planned intervals. The audits must assess conformity with the organisation's own requirements and with ISO 45001, effective implementation and maintenance of the system, and the audit programme must consider the importance of processes and results of previous audits.

Why is it important to analyse trends in accident and ill-health data as part of reactive monitoring?

Answer: To identify patterns, recurring causes, and high-risk areas so that targeted preventive actions can be taken before more serious incidents occur

Trend analysis of accident and ill-health data reveals patterns that individual incident investigations might miss — recurring locations, activities, times, or causes. Identifying these patterns enables the organisation to target preventive actions at the root causes and highest-risk areas, rather than only reacting to individual events.