Layered Safety Audits

Not all safety audits need to be done every month by the same people or take an entire day. A layered audit involves more people working at different intervals. This is a suggested method for creating a layered safety audit.

Shift Team: more frequent – one area

Frequency: Daily

Participants: Safety team member, shift leader, employee representative

Activity: Look for obvious hazards (housekeeping, guards in place, clear egress, etc.). Speak with someone in each area to inquire if the person has any safety concerns or knows of any hazards that should be corrected.

Pick a different area each day and spend 10 minutes on a quick tour to look for and discuss any significant concerns.

Leadership Team: less frequent – the entire work area

Frequency: Weekly

Participants: Plant manager, safety team member, supervisor

Activity: Look for physical hazards (housekeeping, guards in place, clear egress, etc.). Approach someone in each area to inquire if the person has any safety concerns or knows of any hazards that should be corrected.

Walk the entire plant. This is more of a “big picture” walk through the plant with more management participation.

Compliance Team: less frequent with high focus

Frequency: Monthly

Participants: Safety team

Activity: Conduct a more detailed audit of specific areas, which can involve the entire plant or selected areas depending on facility size. This is a focused audit of specific hazards and controls. It is more likely to use a checklist or formal audit format so the team is reviewing key issues on each tour. This activity is more in line with traditional safety team surveys that are probably already being conducted. It is more thorough and more structured.

Track the findings of each audit and communicate results to everyone. This demonstrates accomplishments and promotes participation. One idea is to post a board in a prominent location where issues are posted so everyone can review and provide feedback.