The Pros and Cons of Safety Audits from a Dallas Human Resources Service Firm

What is a Safety Audit?
A safety audit is a process by which a company’s health and safety management control systems are analyzed for strengths and weaknesses. Through the audit, a Dallas human resources company or an internal auditor can provide quantifiable measure the effectiveness of a business’ safety processes as well as monitor any changes from year to year. This allows those responsible for the safety of a company’s employees to more easily observe the areas that are functioning well and those which require improvement to meet standards.

Unfortunately, most human resources personnel working in small to mid-size businesses don’t have the specialization to develop a company’s compliance policies. The best solution to their dilemma is to hire a Dallas human resources service firm to perform a safety audit that can highlight all the core components of a company’s safety program.

Why do a Safety Audit?
Performing a safety audit will ensure that a company meets organizational compliance standards – protecting it from additional liability in the case of any workplace accidents. Regular assessments and updates to the health and safety program guarantee that a company is always up-to-date with ever-changing legal requirements. Some additional reasons a safety audit should be conducted are:

• Adherence to safety processes weaken over time and should be reviewed regularly.
  
• Consistent planned improvements to safety systems can help reduce emergencies and losses.
  
• Human resources personnel can benefit by identifying weaknesses and training skills.
  
• Implementation of safety audits demonstrates a commitment to the health and safety needs of employees.
  

How to conduct a safety audit?
A safety audit can be performed by two methods – internally or externally. A company could either train a member of its HR personnel to become an internal safety auditor or instead it could assign a Dallas human resources service firm to conduct and manage its safety audit. Each method has its own pros and cons.

Internal Auditor
Pros

• The company has immediate access to the auditor as a tool for developing safety standards and workplace procedures.
  
• An internal auditor has a better understanding of how the business operates.
  
• Since the auditor is an internal employee, the audit procedure can be flexible to minimize disruptions within the company.
  
• For larger companies planning on maintaining a more active, long-term safety program, having an internal auditor is more cost effective.
  

Cons

• An internal HR employee trained to function as a safety auditor won’t have as much experience conducting an audit and developing safety standards.
  
• Internal audit reports are not as widely accepted by shareholders and regulatory officials.
  
• Audits produced internally may not be as objective as those done externally.
  
• HR personnel functioning as internal auditors may have to balance multiple demands, reducing the focus on the audit.
  
• Unfavorable reports might cause internal conflicts.
  

 External Auditor
Pros

• External auditors will be able to benchmark a company’s performance against industry data.
  
• An external auditor will likely be a chartered member of professional occupational safety groups.
  
• The company will have access to specialized safety audit experience and expertise.
  
• External service providers will have lots of experience conducting audits within multiple industries.
  
• An external audit will always be unbiased and objective and will be accepted by most groups.
  

Cons

• Some coordination might be necessary to manage an external auditor.
  
• Employees might not be as willing to assist during an external audit.
  
• An external auditor will have to be trained on any peculiarities regarding the client company.
  

As a rule of thumb, an internal auditor can be beneficial for larger firms which require a more long-term audit and implementation process. Conversely, small to mid-size firms can benefit from the lower cost and high specialization available through a Dallas human resources service provider.

 About HumCap
HumCap is a Dallas human resources service firm which offers a wide variety of assistance to growing small to mid-size businesses. By engaging our team of experienced HR professionals, companies have immediate access to up-to-date information regarding regulatory and compliance standards. Our HR personnel will work hard to make sure your business is within compliance and safe from liability claims in the case of an accident.

For more information regarding our services, contact us today!