QHSE Audit.

                                               QHSE Audit Complete Process 

Introduction

QHSE, which stands for Quality, Health, Safety, and Environment, is an integral part of any organization. It involves the management of quality, health and safety, and environmental risks in the workplace. One of the ways organizations ensure compliance with QHSE standards is through regular QHSE audits. In this article, we will explore what QHSE audits are, their importance, and how they are conducted.

What is a QHSE Audit?

A QHSE audit is a systematic process of assessing an organization's compliance with QHSE policies and standards. It involves reviewing an organization's policies, procedures, and practices to identify any non-compliances and gaps in the QHSE management system. The audit also identifies areas of strength and opportunities for improvement.

Importance of QHSE Audits

QHSE audits are essential for several reasons, including:

Compliance with regulatory requirements: QHSE audits help organizations comply with regulatory requirements related to quality, health, safety, and environmental standards.

Identification of risks: QHSE audits identify potential risks in the workplace, such as hazardous materials or unsafe working conditions. This helps organizations take corrective action to prevent accidents and injuries.

Improvement of QHSE management system: QHSE audits identify areas of weakness in the QHSE management system, enabling organizations to implement improvements to ensure compliance with QHSE standards.

Enhance stakeholder confidence: QHSE audits help enhance stakeholder confidence in the organization's commitment to quality, health, safety, and environmental standards.

Conducting a QHSE Audit

The QHSE audit process involves the following steps:

Planning: The auditor plans the audit, including the scope, objectives, and schedule of the audit.

Document review: The auditor reviews the organization's QHSE policies, procedures, and practices.

Site visit: The auditor visits the workplace to observe and assess QHSE practices.

Interviews: The auditor conducts interviews with employees to understand their knowledge of QHSE policies and their implementation.

Report: The auditor prepares a report that includes findings, non-compliances, areas of strength, and recommendations for improvement.

Follow-up: The auditor follows up to ensure that corrective actions have been taken to address non-compliances identified during the audit.

Types of audit:

There are two type of audits i.e. Internal and external. Internal audit mostly conducted by internal auditors. On the other hand external audit conducted by the external auditor means auditors are from outside of the company.

How it was conducted?

First you will receive a notification from the management about the audit few days earlier. Forward that notification to the key personal of your organisation and ensure that they attend the audit.

Audit will start with a quick small meeting. Then it is auditors choice he will start reviewing the documentation or site tour of your workplace.  

Be ready for the questions from the auditors. Keep calm and respond properly.

Details of the items which are inspect during the audit:

They will review and inspect all fields but I am writing about HSE only here.

HSE Plan & Manual is available and approved by the concern authorities.

First aid room with logs (First-aid material log and first aid register).  First aid stock will also be checked. First aider training certificate.

Site hygiene specially welfare facilities.  

Project Environmental Management plan.

Aspect / Impact Register.

Permit to work system.

Induction and other trainings.

Legal register.

I write a few for reference but they will review the whole HSE documentation system.

A detail Site inspection.

How can we improve our performance relevant to audit?

Identifies weakness in the management system which allows corrective actions to be implemented.

Identifies if the health and safety objectives are being achieved.

Prioritizes the implementation of corrective action.

It recommends effective risk controls to be implemented.

Identifies effectiveness of training, communication and consultation programs.

It identifies if legal standards are met.

It recommends improvements to the management systems and procedures.

 

How to close audit report?

After a couple of days you will receive he audit report from your auditor. In the report you will have the following:

Number of Improvements.

Number of Observations.

Number of Non-conformances.

Total Number of Audit Findings you will have to close within the given time frame.

Conclusion

In conclusion, QHSE audits are an essential part of any organization's QHSE management system. They help to ensure compliance with regulatory requirements, identify potential risks in the workplace, improve the QHSE management system, and enhance stakeholder confidence. Conducting a QHSE audit involves planning, document review, site visits, interviews, report preparation, and follow-up to ensure corrective action is taken. Organizations should prioritize QHSE audits as part of their commitment to quality, health, safety, and environmental standards.

Categories: Audit, Complete audit process, HSE