Environmental Audit and Inspection – What’s the Difference?

Audits ensure that your organization remains Cal OSHA-compliant and, more importantly, that your workers and workplace are safe. The Division of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH), better known as Cal OSHA, is in charge of enforcing regulations to keep employees free from injury in the jurisdiction of California. 

The success of these regulations lies in how specific they are. There’s no scope for ambiguous instructions leading to injury. Violating CAL OSHA regulations will lead to your organization possibly facing hefty legal fees and troublesome legal challenges.

Audits enable your organization to determine if your workplace or premises are compliant with CAL OSHA standards. An audit should not be mistaken for an inspection — although many people seem to think that the two are the same. In this article, we explain what an audit is and when your organization should get one.

What Is An Environmental Audit and Their Types?

CAL OSHA has provided a clear definition of what an audit is. It’s a comprehensive and systematic evaluation of an organization’s safety management system. The goal is to assess how effective the safety systems put in place by the organization are and whether it complies with CAL OSHA policies. There are three key audit types.

1. Compliance Audits: Review the actual safety programs, regulations, recordkeeping, and employee training programs in place.
2. Program Audits: Checks for the effectiveness of a safety program and if any unidentified gaps exist.
3. Management System Audits: Evaluates if the overall safety management system aligns with CAL OSHA regulations.

If you’re looking to enhance your safety protocols and ensure compliance, we provide comprehensive EHS audit services designed as per your organization’s needs. So, let us help you create a safer workplace while meeting regulatory requirements.

What Is An Inspection?

CAL OSHA inspection is a review designed to identify potential hazards and to ensure compliance with regulations. The goal here is to identify unknown potential risk factors so that they may be mitigated accordingly. CAL OSHA conducts the following types of inspections:

1. Imminent Danger Inspections: Checking for high-priority conditions that will cause death or serious physical harm.
2. Investigative Inspections: A sort of forensic investigation after a serious accident. It verifies if CAL OSHA regulations are in place or not. 
3. Employee Complaint Inspections: This inspection is conducted in response to an employee flagging CAL OSHA violations. If the complaint has merit, the erring organization stands to be penalized.
4. Programmed Inspections: High-risk industries and workplaces are consistently inspected to check for compliance and new hazards. 
5. Follow-Up Inspections: Checks for changes after a previous inspection to see if corrective action has been taken. 

What Are the Key Differences Between Environmental Audit and Inspection?

“Audit” and “Inspection” on the surface may seem to have the same meaning, and laymen may use these words interchangeably.  However, in the health, safety, and environment (HSE) industry, the two terms are distinct in meaning.

The main difference between the two lies in complexity. Audits have a larger scope and are more complex, whereas inspections are smaller in scope and less complicated.

Here’s how they specifically differ:

1. Purpose: Audits assess the overall effectiveness of a safety process. Inspections identify specific hazards and points of risk.
2. Complexity: Due to the larger scope of an audit, it’s very complex and comprehensive. On the other hand, an inspection relies on a checklist to identify compliance.
3. Outcome and Reporting: Audits lead to extremely detailed reports and recommendations for improvement. Inspections focus on highlighting immediate corrective actions. 
4. Frequency: Audits are not a common occurrence, occurring on an annual or semi-annual basis. However, inspections may be much more regular.
5. Conducting Parties: Usually, audits are conducted by an external party or a specialized internal team. Inspections are typically conducted by those familiar with the workplace and its hazards.

What Are the Benefits of Environmental Audit and Inspection for Organizations?

Organizations that act on the findings of audits and inspections stand to benefit greatly. Here is a list of these benefits: 

1. Compliance and Risk Management: It ensures that the organization will not face legal and financial risks due to safety issues and accidents, in addition to reducing or eliminating workplace injuries and fatalities.
2. Operational Efficiency: Safety hazards also represent low efficiency. Correcting them allows you to streamline the functions of your organization.
3. Cost Reduction: On a related note, safety hazards consistently erode organizational finances, and band-aid fixes as opposed to comprehensive or systematic changes only make them worse. Identifying and fixing safety issues in line with regulations saves costs.
4. Attracting High-Quality Talent: An organization that champions a safe working environment will be consistently sought as their first choice by talent who are the cream of the crop.
5. Keeping High-Quality Talent: If your company has an impressive track record in workplace safety, workers will be motivated to remain on board and reduce employee turnover rates.

Final Thoughts

In short, both audits and inspections help organizations increase efficiency and save costs.

If an organization is to perform at a high level, it must ensure the safety of the employees responsible for delivering such high standards. 

Accidents in the workplace stemming from poor organizational oversight can lead to poor employee morale, costly penalties, and high rates of turnover. Audits and inspections represent opportunities or even guarantees to avoid such setbacks. 

CDMS recommends that all organizations have an Environmental and Safety Compliance audit, regardless of the industry. This holistic approach will assist in helping to identify a workplace’s current standing in terms of workplace safety, along with potential areas for improvement.