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Tips for conducting an ISO/TS audit of a Safety Department

Discussion in 'IATF 16949:2016 - Automotive Quality Systems' started by mlouc, May 17, 2016.

  1. mlouc

    mlouc Member

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    Hello. I am conducting my first ever audit of my organization's safety department and wondered if anyone can share with me some tips on what to look for/questions to ask that are safety specific. I know that I should brush up on my knowledge on federal and local OSHA regulations, look for proof of adherence to, and of course the typical training items, corrective action processes, etc. however, any other safety specific questions/areas to look at would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.
     
  2. Andy Nichols

    Andy Nichols Moderator Staff Member

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    Can I ask which requirement of ISO/TS 16949 you are referencing with this audit?
     
  3. mlouc

    mlouc Member

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    We will be auditing it as an indirect process. 6.4.1. Of course, I won't only be looking at that. I will do my normal review of: corrective/preventive action, doc control, training, competence, employee motivation, etc.
     
  4. tony s

    tony s Well-Known Member

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    I would assume that your organization's safety department deals with occupational health and safety and not about product safety. So if that is the case, you may need to assess the following:
    • hazards that can cause harm at the production process;
    • substances that can put users or operators at risk;
    • effectiveness of the OHS operational controls (i.e. elimination, substitution, engineering controls, administrative, personal protection;
    • availability of material safety information;
    • awareness of workers on hazards, risks and controls;
    • behavior of people;
    • periodical health examinations on workers exposed to OHS risks;
    • work permitting procedures;
    • regularity of workplace safety inspections;
    • input on FMEAs regarding safety on workers
     
  5. Andy Nichols

    Andy Nichols Moderator Staff Member

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    So, we're simply talking about product safety - "Personnel safety to achieve conformity of product requirements"

    Tell us what types of products/process we're talking about here. Let's say it's sheet metal, then that has sharp edges so it's reasonable to expect operators to be handling the product with gloves (no-one wants rusty panels because of blood getting on them) and steel toed shoes/boots. It's not really clear where the line is drawn, but the core focus of ISO/TS 16949 is PRODUCT firstly.

    Clearly, getting too deep into OHSAS requirements, for example, would be out of scope!