In partnership with both MAKROSAFE and OHS Online, SafetyWallet helps employers realise their current compliance and provides them with the tools, assistance and support they need to improve it.
This ensures that employers can work towards health and safety compliance while they take advantage of the numerous rewards and cost savings made available through the subscription.
In collaboration with its partners, SafetyWallet works to cover the following four components comprised of health and safety in industry and commerce:
- Health and safety training
- Health and safety programmes
- Health and safety compliance grading audits, and
- Member advertising.
Each one of these is a crucial element to improve and achieve full occupational health and safety compliance. The health and safety audit offered by SafetyWallet is a process that involves an in-depth examination of the subscriber’s overall health and safety management system.
The key focus of the audit is therefore to provide subscribers with a structured path of consistent improvement to OHS compliance and the status of best practice. Furthermore, the SafetyWallet Health and Safety Audit also ensures that employers acknowledge crucial elements that surround occupational health and safety management and standards. 
What does the SafetyWallet health and safety audit entail?
Purpose of a health and safety audit
A health and safety audit may not be a legal requirement; however, it is highly recommended that employers have one conducted. It ensures that the work environment provided by the employer is safe to all employees and any person who enters the premises.
Health and safety audits are widely recognised as a best practice for all organisation regardless of their nature of business, industry or size. It is therefore imperative that employers realise it is more than just a box-ticking exercise and it is more than just a defensive measure.
When a health and safety audit is conducted effectively, it allows employers to protect their employees and customers from harm. In the long term, when audits are conducted effectively, it even safeguards the existence of the organisation.
To ensure that a health and safety audit is conducted effectively, the following five steps must be considered:
Audit planning
Audits can be thought of as a type of test and is therefore crucial that a test plan is established before being executed. An audit plan consists of basic documentation that refers to “who, what and where”. The “who” refers to the audit team and the “what” refers to the scope, which includes document tasks, checklists and any other guidelines for evaluation. The “where” refers to the designation or the areas for observation in the workplace.
Execution
Once the audit team, the scope of the audit and the baseline documents have been identified, the audit can proceed as planned. Execution must go beyond document review; it can include physical inspections of the workplace and the interviewing of key personnel. This provides valuable insight, information and recommendations from the employees in the physical work environment.
Audit reports
This step involves the integration of test results with information into a concise report. The report must be well-documented to provide details on variances to the audit baseline, findings and descriptions of things that are in order, as well as areas where focus is needed.
Corrective measures, action plans and processing improvements
The audit findings must contribute to the continuous process improvement to ensure that the workplace is healthy and safe. The audit report must consist of findings that identify corrective actions to be put in place to ensure the health and safety of employees and visitors to the premises.
Communication
It is crucial for a health and safety audit to be conducted for employees to be safeguarded as it contributes directly to their morale and the business’ continuity. Employees must have a clear and transparent understanding of the audit and the status of their safety. Communicating audit results further creates understanding and awareness of the safety efforts by the employer. In addition, it shows collaborative safety results that have been achieved by supervisors and other line employees.
What process does the SafetyWallet health and safety audit involve?
- The SafetyWallet auditor will review all the elements of the subscriber’s health and safety programme. It will be measured against the requirements of the Occupational Health and Safety Act, regulations, other applicable legislation and SafetyWallet audit protocols.
- The auditor will assess the implementation of these arrangements and their effectiveness.
- The workplace will be inspected by the auditor and its operations measured against implemented policies, procedures, standards and regulations.
- Operational activities will also be sampled and key management interviewed regarding their roles and duties in occupational health and safety.
- Once the audit is concluded, the SafetyWallet auditor will compile an audit report that will be presented to the subscriber and their management team.
The audit report will feature the findings of the auditor, along with observations, recommendations and an action plan for consideration. 
