Increased company audits on occupational health and safetyWhat to do to prepare?

The offices for occupational health and safety, district governments and employers’ liability insurance associations are currently carrying out more company audits on occupational health and safety. These tests often have the following things in common:

They come unexpectedly
The preparation time is too short
Occupational health and safety documents are not stored centrally, are incomplete or outdated
The audit costs time, money and nerves

With the right preparation, you can look forward to a tax audit with peace of mind and do not have to worry about extensive follow-up measures.

Forward-looking occupational health and safety management

Modern occupational health and safety management is digital and interdisciplinary. Although the implementation of such a system requires initial effort, the benefits quickly outweigh the costs:

Digital analyses of company inspections and occupational health and safety audits with recommendations for action

Support with risk assessments through customised modules

Regular occupational health and safety training through e-learning

Digital list of hazardous substances with stored safety data sheets

Deadline management for personal deadlines (first aiders, fire safety assistants) and inspection deadlines for systems and devices

Interfaces to data protection

Management of accident reports

Legal support if required, for example with the transfer of entrepreneurial obligations or industrial accidents

Once implemented, the effort required for ongoing auditing is significantly reduced.

Best practice recommendations

Centralised documentation

It is advisable to store all documents that may be the subject of a tax audit centrally in a secure digital system. This eliminates the tedious task of collecting folders and documents.

Employee portal with all relevant information

A digital employee portal can provide important documents for employees, such as operating instructions, emergency numbers, safety data sheets or evacuation concepts. This solution is particularly useful for companies with several locations.

Practice-orientated training courses

Health and safety training and instruction can be well structured and managed using intelligent solutions. E-learning programmes are suitable for recurring training courses, while webinars are useful for special topics that require an exchange of information and the answering of queries.

Pragmatic exercise concepts

Practical exercises, such as unannounced evacuation and fire drills, are important in order to uncover deficits in the occupational safety organisation. A stringent concept for carrying out, evaluating and debriefing the exercises ensures a lasting learning effect.

Working across divisions and utilising synergies

Digital occupational health and safety management systems offer interfaces to data protection, information security, compliance and quality management. These links create considerable added value and avoid duplication of work.

‘First aid’ for upcoming tax audits

What to do if a tax audit is imminent? As always in occupational safety: ‘Keep calm!’ External service providers can also help with short-term issues. Our interdisciplinary team will support you in word and deed. Our occupational safety specialist uses a digital inventory to identify existing gaps and prioritise the necessary measures. We create missing documents via our document generator, and training courses can be organised at short notice via our e-learning platform. In the meantime, our lawyers take care of communication with the employers’ liability insurance associations and trade supervisory authorities.

Please contact us for further information.