A Workplace Safety and Health (WSH) audit is one of the main steps in implementing WSH management system and evaluating its performance. It is a key tool that helps to identify the strengths and weaknesses in an organisation’s WSH management system, and to highlight opportunities for improvement.
An integrated audit is an ideal approach, for organisations that require a detailed and objective evaluation of their WSH systems and policies. During the audit, it is important for the risk assessment to include factors that contribute to risk levels such as:
There are no straightforward answers to determine risk levels. A risk assessment requires detailed knowledge of the workplace activities, urgency of situations, and lastly, an objective judgment during the review. It is important to know if your risk assessment was complete and accurate. It is also essential to be sure those changes in the workplace have not introduced new hazards or changed hazards of lower priority to a higher priority.
It is good to conduct risk assessments regularly, to ensure that control methods are adequate, achievable, effective, and that findings from risk assessments are communicated to everyone who is involved.
As of 1st January 2021, organisations seeking to apply for bizSAFE Level 3, 4 and STAR certification would be required to conduct Risk Management (RM) audits with a new Risk Management (RM) Audit Report checklist. The checklist has been revised to:
Improve auditees and auditors experience
Improve the audit quality
Include concise questions
Provide more clarity with rephrasing
Provide specific guidance, and
Align to RMCP: Focus on RM 2.0
With effect from 1st April 2021, applicants who are certified to any of the below management systems would need to submit the RM audit report along with the certification(s):
SS 506 part 1
SS 506 part 3/SS651
ISO 45001 (SAC accredited)
ISO 45001 accreditation body recognised under Mutual Recognition Arrangement
Note: OHSAS 18001 and non-accredited ISO 45001 certification that are approved after 31st March 2021 will not be accepted by the Workplace Safety and Health (WSH) Council.
As an accredited AO, TÜV SÜD PSB also provides mandatory audits for Safety & Health Management System (SHMS) for Bulk storage terminal, Chemical manufacturing plant, Construction worksite, Metalworking industries, Oil refinery, Petrochemical plant & Pharmaceutical plant, Risk Management (bizSAFE), Semiconductor wafer fabrication plant and Shipyard.
The WSHPA award recognises companies that have good safety and health management systems in place and make effort to protect their employees and contractors across all their worksites. There are 3 categories:
|
Types of Awards |
Description |
|
Excellence Award |
• No workplace incident in the qualifying period. |
|
Gold Award |
• No workplace incident in the qualifying period. |
|
Silver Award |
• Good safety and health performance and systems. |
As a SAC accredited WSH AO / auditor, TÜV SÜD PSB can audit your worksite for a company for up to 2 consecutive years.
Note: Applicants may apply for WSHPA for all their projects and SHARP for a particular project.
As of 1st January 2022, organisations seeking to apply for WSHPA would be required to meet the requirements of the revised application criteria:
a) No workplace accident across all worksites that led to fatality and major injury. For applicants with minor workplace injuries (excluding light duties), the following additional criteria applies:
b) No Dangerous Occurrence (DO) across all worksites
c) No breach in workplace safety and health, and labour matters
d) Completed the following checklist or attained the valid certifications:
|
Industry |
Types of checklists or certifications |
|
Construction |
• Achieved total element score of at least 70% for Band III in ConSASS 2020 checklist |
|
Marine, Manufacturing |
• Achieved total element score of at least 70% for Band III in WSHMS 2020 checklist |
|
Other Industries |
• Attained Singapore Accreditation Council (SAC) accredited ISO 45001 certification/ bizSAFE STAR Note: Certification must be valid or renewed in 2021 |
Organisations seeking to apply for WSHPA would also need to implement the following:
Strengthen WSH Ownership
a) Encouraged contractors and sub-contractors working at all sites to be minimally bizSAFE Level 3-certified
b) Publishes WSH performance annually as an integral part of the business performance report
c) Considered contractors’ WSH performance in awarding contracts and giving incentives
d) Participated/ contributed to WSH Council programmes/ events/ campaigns (till 22 April 2022)
Enhance Focus on Workplace Health
e) Implemented holistic WSH Management System(s) that integrates work, safety and health
f) Implemented upstream controls or programmes to prevent occupational diseases (OD)
Promote Technology-enabled WSH
k) Transformed WSH practices or solved WSH problems through the use of technology
In order to minimise injuries, damages or financial loss, organisations have to be proactive in identifying and understanding common risks to workplace safety, who are exposed to them, and other questions such as why, when, as well as frequency, severity and probability of the consequences. With this information, an organization can establish their priorities during risk assessment.
Workplace Safety and Health (WSH) systems and policies are therefore seen as a signal of how much importance an organisation places in promoting a safe and healthy working environment. As changes to industrial environment and government regulations occur quite frequently, organisations need to manage their workplace safety by developing an integrated audit to stay compliant, and improve continuously in the area of workplace safety and health.
An integrated audit also provides more assurance and cost effectiveness, since it is a more detailed and objective evaluation, while reducing risks across safety, environmental, quality issues.
Organisations and individuals who achieve the WSHPA / SHARP award presented by the WSH Council and supported by the MOM:
