Site safety inspections and audits are primarily used to help ensure the controls in place are working as they should. An additional benefit is that often the inspector or auditor will identify hazards you might not have considered. Or even suggest other ways of managing health and safety risks. 

So what’s the difference between an audit and an inspection?

An audit is defined as a structured process whereby information is collected relating to the efficiency, effectiveness, and reliability of a company’s total health and safety management system. This usually relates to a whole management system being audited. However, it can often be a part of that system being audited. For example, only auditing the temporary works procedures, or the supply chain management procedures.

An inspection is defined as a formalised and properly documented process of identifying hazardous situations in the workplace.

Safety inspections cover all different sections, for example they could be for lifting equipment to comply with LOLER, temporary works such as excavations to comply with the CDM regulations, fire safety, or any number of other issues in order to comply with the legislative requirement to carry out inspections. Inspections generally compare results against acceptable standards to ensure that a given process falls within acceptable safety limits. 

However, the terms are often used interchangeably, so it’s important to not get too caught up with the terminology!  

Who carries out inspections?

The Health and Safety Executive are the primary regulator, and they cover most businesses and risks, in particular construction, manufacturing and engineering businesses. However, the local authority is responsible for some lower-risk workplaces such as offices, shops, warehouses and consumer services. You can also receive inspections relating to fire safety from your local fire safety officer.

In construction, it is quite common for the client or principal designer to carry out health and safety inspections on site. Also, you would expect specialists to carry out inspections such as scaffold inspections, or lifting equipment inspections across any industry that is using them.

The most pro-active thing is to have someone in your corner, who is able to inspect or audit your premises, your processes or your site. To help you identify any issues and work through them, before someone who is not on your side does it for you. 

Managing health and safety can be difficult, there are many ways to control hazards, and it can be confusing and overwhelming, that’s why so many companies turn to expert help from Saxon Safety. 

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Not only do you need to identify hazards, decide on control measures and implement them, you also need to make sure they continue to be implemented. Getting an external company to do this is beneficial as it gives you peace of mind it is being done properly. It also demonstrates a commitment to your employee’s health and safety and your reputation.

Saxon Safety assists many companies, large and small, across a range of industries, with inspections and audits. We enable them to be proud of their commitment to health and safety, and prove to your employees and your clients, that you are taking your responsibilities seriously.  

Our construction site inspections cover the following areas

Access on site. This covers how tidy the site is, can everyone get to their workplace safely, and the general site setup. 

Welfare facilities, are they in accordance with Schedule 2 of the CDM regulations and well maintained. We have also added COVID-19 checks to make sure there are enough facilities, and that they are regularly cleaned.

There is a section on work at height which includes all different access equipment, edge protection and netting checks and then a separate section on scaffolding as this is more common.

A section on health hazards – manual handling, dust, noise, vibration asbestos and COVID-19.

Plant tools and machinery checks, covering the maintenance, pre use checks and statutory inspections.

Emergency arrangements e.g. fire, first aid and escape routes

Electricity 0 safety of temporary supplies and whether or not low voltage equipment is used

Excavations, – have they been inspected? Are they safe?

Cranes + Hoists – are they being used by competent people, is the equipment and all accessories tested and inspected? Is there a lift plan?

Protecting the public and site security. For example, fencing is in good condition, items cant be dropped into roadways or paths, and that the site is secure.

The site file. This section looks at the paperwork side of things, including site induction records and proof of the above points. Then finally a check of the risk assessments and that the subcontractors have issued their documents. 

Saxon Safety are able to offer the following services to both existing and new clients –  ​​

  • Construction Site Inspections
  • Workshop Inspections
  • Supply Chain Audits
  • Fire Safety Inspections
  • Inspection programmes, targeting different areas as part of an annual programme
  • COSHH Audits
  • LOLER Audits
  • Sub-Contractor Site Inspections
  • COVID-19 Audits