Auditing health and safety management systems: a regulator's view

HSE's publication 'Successful Health and Safety Management' (HSGB5) describes key elements of successful health and safety management systems. A three level model is explained and one of the elements, auditing, is explored in detail by the regulator. The term auditing in the health and safety context is defined and the use of proprietary and in-house systems compared. The process of auditing is described and the regulator concludes by encouraging organizations to use auditing schemes, without endorsing any particular one, as they can be a powerful tool for checking the adequacy of health and safety management systems.