SafetyMAP:Auditing Health & Safety ... - WorkSafe Victoria

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PART 1: SafetyMAP EXPLAINEDTHE SafetyMAPAPPROACHSafetyMAP provides a set of audit criteria, whichcan be used to measure current performance andidentify those areas where an organization canimprove, its health and safety management system.The audit process also helps to determine prioritiesand to allocate resources in the way that best suitsthe organization's needs. SafetyMAP is not intendedto prescribe how to manage health and safety - itprovides a systematic way of measuring how wellhealth and safety is being managed. The design andflexibility of SafetyMAP enables it to be used to auditany health and safety management system.The use of SafetyMAP is voluntary, and organizationsare encouraged to adapt it to their own environment.Integrating with other systemsSafetyMAP is based on the belief that health andsafety management should be included in the wayevery organization conducts its day to day activities.It is expected, although not mandatory, that thehealth and safety system is compatible, andpreferably integrated, with other managementfunctions such as quality and environmentalmanagement systems.FlexibilityA basic consideration for any organization, large orsmall, should be the degree of risk associated withits operations. Where the risks to health and safetyare greater, there is obviously a requirement formore elaborate and extensive procedures. Smallerorganizations often operate under simplerstructures, and generally do not need the samedegree of complexity as larger organizations,however it is the risk factors that ultimatelydetermine the system requirements. SafetyMAPwas designed to be flexible in its application toorganizations of differing sizes, managementstructures and business activities.SafetyMAP is intended to assist organizations tobe more productive and is not intended to burdenthem with additional paperwork. The type ofsystem, and the level of documentation required,is determined by the exposure of people to healthand safety risks, not the size of the organization.Recognition, but not a legislative substituteThe SafetyMAP audit criteria are not tied to anyspecific health and safety legislation or jurisdiction,and can therefore be used throughout Australiaand New Zealand, as well as other countries.Various SafetyMAP criteria refer to therequirements of the relevant health and safetylegislation, and conformance to these criteriawould indicate that the organization has adoptedthe management practices needed to fulfil its legalresponsibilities. However conformance toSafetyMAP criteria, whether recognised by formalcertification or other means, does not assurecompliance with statutory obligations nor doesit preclude any action by a statutory body.THE SafetyMAPPROCESSStarting out - conducting a self-assessmentAlthough all organizations will have introducedsome level of health and safety management, it islikely that some matters are better handled thanothers. Before deciding what needs to change, itis necessary to assess the standard of the systemcurrently in place. This is best achieved byundertaking a critical self-assessment.One method for conducting this self-assessmentis to follow the SafetyMAP Initial Level User Guide.The User Guide provides an explanation of allInitial Level criteria and examples of the types ofverification that may be appropriate to demonstrateconformance with those criteria. Organizationsmoving towards best practice should refer tothe SafetyMAP Advanced Level User Guide.Self-assessment uses internal resources toinvestigate what procedures are in place, confirmwhether they are functioning as planned, andidentify areas for improvement. Alternatively, anexternal consultant could be engaged to provide anassessment of the health and safety managementsystem and recommendations for improvement.4PART 1: SafetyMAP EXPLAINED
Following the self-assessment, the organizationwill have a better understanding of the strengthsand weaknesses of its health and safetymanagement system and be better prepared forthe next step.There are a range of resources available to assistthose organizations starting out on the SafetyMAPjourney. Publications and advice can be obtainedfrom organizations listed on the back of thispublication.Continual improvement and self-auditOnce an organization’s baseline health and safetyperformance has been determined using theSafetyMAP User Guide, the process forimprovement can begin.The recommended improvement cycle is shownin Figure 1. The start of the process is thedevelopment of a health and safety policy whichclearly sets out top management's commitmentto health and safety. From this, a plan is developedto ensure that hazards arising from work activitiesare identified so that risks can be assessed andthen controlled. Implementation of the plan is thenext component of the process, followed by waysto measure and evaluate the risk controls todetermine their effectiveness. Finally performanceof the entire health and safety managementsystem is monitored and reviewed to determineif it is achieving the desired results. However thisis not the end of the process, because the policy,planning and implementation have to be reviewedand improved in light of the results frommeasurement, evaluation and reviews. Thisstructured approach to the management of healthand safety leads to a continual improvement cyclethat ensures risks are fully assessed andcontrolled.SafetyMAP is based on this continual improvementcycle where an organization clearly sets out itsoverall health and safety policy, and a plan forimprovement that includes realistic, achievablegoals and timeframes. When it identifies a healthand safety problem, it makes the necessarychanges and then reviews progress. As newprocedures are added, they are incorporated intothe evaluation and review cycle. Organizations areable to move through this process at their ownpace and there are no set timeframes.The self-audit process should focus onimprovement. For those organizations that wish tointroduce an internal audit process, some hints foreffective internal auditing are included on page 8.To receive formal acknowledgment and recognitionfor its health and safety management system, anorganization may choose to apply for SafetyMAPCertification.Fig 1. Typical health and safetymanagement modelManagment ReviewMeasurement and EvaluationHealth & Safety PolicyContinualimprovementImplementationPlanningPART 1: SafetyMAP EXPLAINED 5
Page 1 and 2: Auditing Health and SafetyManagemen
Page 3 and 4: CONTENTSPreface. . . . . . . . . .
Page 5: INTRODUCING SafetyMAPSafetyMAP (Saf
Page 9 and 10: Documentation requiredComplex docum
Page 11 and 12: audit standard that suits their man
Page 13 and 14: DEFINITIONSAuditA systematic and in
Page 15 and 16: PART 2: AUDIT CRITERIAThe following
Page 17 and 18: Element 2: Planning2.1 Legal requir
Page 19 and 20: 2.3 Health and safety management pl
Page 21 and 22: 3.3 Structure and responsibility- T
Page 23 and 24: 3.5 Consultation, communication and
Page 25 and 26: 3.9 Hazard identification, risk ass
Page 27 and 28: ACCESS CONTROL3.10.1 The organizati
Page 29 and 30: 3.11 Emergency preparedness andresp
Page 31 and 32: 4.2 Monitoring and measurement- Hea
Page 33 and 34: 4.4 Records and records managementI
Page 35 and 36: Element 5: Management ReviewTo ensu
Page 37 and 38: INDEXAccountability for health and
Page 39: HELP US TO IMPROVE SafetyMAPThe org

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