Comprehensive inspections and audits for health and safety compliance
At ABH Safety Services, we ensure your business remains fully compliant with health and safety regulations through our comprehensive inspection and audit services. Our trained operators are skilled in enforcing health and safety standards, ensuring your workplace is safe for all employees.
Why Health and Safety compliance matters
Regular inspections and audits are essential to maintaining a safe workplace, preventing accidents, and ensuring compliance with legal requirements. They help identify risks and hazards before they become incidents, protecting both your employees and your business.
What we offer
- Comprehensive Safety Inspections – In-depth workplace evaluations to identify risks and hazards and ensure compliance.
- Regulatory Compliance Audits – Thorough reviews to confirm adherence to health and safety regulations.
- Risk Assessments – Identifying potential risks and hazards and providing specific controls.
- Customised Safety Plans – Tailored safety strategies to meet your business’s specific needs.
- Training and Support – Expert guidance and training to maintain high safety standards.
Inspections and Audits FAQs
Many businesses conduct internal inspections regularly (e.g., weekly/monthly for specific areas) and have a more formal, thorough inspection or audit perhaps annually or bi-annually as part of their safety management system review. Your risk assessment should help determine appropriate frequencies.
- The consequences depend on the type of audit (internal, third-party certification, or regulatory like an HSE inspection) and the severity of the failings.
- Typically: You will receive a report detailing the non-conformities or areas where you are failing to meet standards or legal requirements.
- Action Required: You will usually be required to develop and implement a corrective action plan to address the identified issues within a specific timeframe.
- Follow-up: There might be a follow-up audit or inspection to verify that the necessary corrections have been made.
- Regulatory Action (HSE): If an HSE inspection finds significant breaches of health and safety law, they can take enforcement action, which might include verbal or written advice, improvement notices (requiring action within a set time), prohibition notices (stopping dangerous activities immediately), or prosecution in severe cases.
- Certification Audits: Failing a certification audit (e.g., for ISO 45001) would mean you don’t achieve or maintain the certification until the non-conformities are resolved.
Yes, effective health and safety inspections and audits must be tailored to the specific industry and the unique risks associated with it. Different sectors (e.g., construction, manufacturing, healthcare, retail, office work) have very different hazards and applicable regulations.
Penalties and Benefits
-
Penalties for non-compliance
Failing to comply with health and safety regulations can result in significant penalties, including:
- Fines and Prosecutions: Businesses can face hefty fines or even criminal charges if found in violation of safety laws.
- Work Stoppage: Non-compliance may lead to enforced shutdowns or work stoppages until safety issues are resolved.
- Increased Insurance Costs: Insurers may increase premiums or refuse to cover businesses that fail to meet safety standards.
- Legal Liability: You could be held liable for accidents or injuries that occur due to non-compliance, leading to costly legal battles and settlements.
-
Benefits of compliance
Ensuring your business adheres to health and safety regulations brings numerous benefits:
- Safety and Well-being: A safer workplace reduces the risk of accidents and injuries, protecting your employees' health and well-being.
- Cost Savings: Compliance helps avoid fines and legal fees, and can lower insurance premiums.
- Reputation: Maintaining a strong safety record enhances your reputation, making your business more attractive to potential clients and partners.
- Operational Efficiency: Compliance promotes smoother operations by minimising disruptions caused by workplace incidents and investigations.
ONLINE TRAINING MODULE
Working Safely
This training course emphasises the importance of workplace safety and legal responsibilities for employers and employees. It covers key topics such as fire safety, asbestos awareness, working at height, COSHH, PPE, electrical safety, and ways to improve safety performance and environmental protection.