Answer to Question 1:

Dear Stephen, 

As the Safety Statement is defined as “your safety management system in writing”, when you are auditing your safety statement, you are in fact auditing your entire Safety Management System.  With regard to the document itself, you should ensure that it is updated so that you have referenced the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005 throughout the document rather than the 1989 Act.  

When auditing you should ask the following questions?  

• Do you review your risk assessments when there are changes in your workplace?
• Are your risk assessments in writing and do you upgrade them when changes occur?
• Are your key managers aware of their legal responsibilities in relation to health and safety and are these listed in your Safety Statement?
• Do you carry out ongoing inspections and audits of all your work activities?
• Do you regularly bring the Safety Statement and Risk Assessment to the attention of all your employees?
• Does your training schedule cover all the areas identified in your Risk Assessment?
• Have you a contractor control policy and, if yes, do you evaluate their documentation (Safety Statement or Method Statement) prior to starting work on your site?
• Do you have an induction programme to bring your rules, procedures and systems of work to the attention of contractors who are going to work on your site?
• Do you have a competent person to advise on matters of health and safety either in-house or external?
• Have you a method of consultation with staff on health and safety matters in place in the form of a Safety Representative or a Safety Committee.  Does your Safety Statement identify frequency of meetings and action follow up?
• Do you have policies in place covering stress, bullying, sexual harassment, violence and aggression in the workplace, and have they been brought to the attention of all your staff?
• Are your management and staff aware of the legal requirements in relation to attending work under the influence of an intoxicant and the actions required by management?