ABSTRACT
This chapter outlines how to design an audit programme and suggests an audit model that organisations can pick up and use quite quickly. All too often, people get confused between inspections and audits. An audit is a technique used to test how robustly an issue is managed when compared to a given standard. That standard could be legal requirements, organisational policy or industry best practice. Most audit programmes have three basic components: an audit protocol; a selection of sampling techniques; high validity and reliability. Audits are carried out according to set protocol. Inspections are used to make physical checks and observe working practices. A major factor in achieving good validity is developing audit protocol correctly. The tripwire collects data about individual site management of obvious high-risk health and safety issues, allowing them to be detected and corrected quickly. Grab sample can be carried out by anybody after a small amount of training to explain to them what they're looking for.
