ABSTRACT
The paramount objective of any health and safety audit program is to ensure the health and safety of all employees, contractors, and visitors. This is done by: identifying hazards; assessing the hazards; developing controls to either eliminate or mitigate the hazards; implementing the appropriate controls; and supervising and evaluating the controls to determine whether they are effective or not. There are a wide variety of audit techniques in assessing the effectiveness of any health and safety program, but they all boil down to three basic methods according to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). They are, document review and verification, employee interviews, and site condition reviews. The major elements of an effective health and safety program include: management commitment, employee involvement, worksite analysis, hazard prevention and control, and health and safety training. Employee involvement provides the means through which workers develop and express their own commitment to safety and health, for both themselves and their fellow workers.
