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Friday, December 30, 2022

Audit plan



INTRODUCTION

Company XXXX is a global manufacturer of polymeric medical grade components and systems for injectable drug delivery, including stoppers, seals for vials, and closures.In view of Company XXXX varying customer’s products dimensional and functional requirements, it’s facility stored and employed significant amount of hazardous and flammables chemicals for it’s manufacturing operations.

Similarly to power and fuel up it’s utility and manufacturing operations, Company XXXX house statutory equipment such as the steam boilers, pressure vessel ,  air compressor and cooling tower in its site located at XXXX.

Following two fatal accidents and numerous safety lapses reported in its manufacturing site prompted Company XXXX Director to formally invite the HSE Consultancy and Services Pte Ltd to conduct an audit on it’s Safety and Health Management System to identify the strengths and weaknesses of its Safety and Health Management System

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of the Safety Management System audit is to assess Company XXXX Safety Management System Manual based on the WSH Act and its subsidiary legislation as well as the Singapore Standard SS 506 Part 3 : 2006 Occupational safety and health (OSH) management system – Requirements for the chemical ,by gathering evidence on System Implementation through Sampling, Document Review, Interview of Personnel and Physical Inspection.

SCOPE

The scope of this audit was limited to assessing 7 Elements out of the 14 Elements of Company XXXX Safety and Health Management System

The Safety and Health Management System Elements Assessed are tabulated below

Element #

Element Description

Element 1

Safety Policy

Element 2

Safe Work Procedure

Element 3

Safety Training

Element 4

Group Meetings

Element 5

Incident Investigation and Analysis

Element 9

Safety Inspections

Element 11

Hazard Analysis

 

The Safety and Health Management System audit is undertaken in Company XXXX located at XXXX

The Auditee site comprised of the following utilities and facilities which will be inspected
on site during the scheduled audit from period 20 July 2013 to 21 July 2013

 

Utilities / Facilities located in Company XXXX

Steam Boiler

Air Compressor room

Autoclave

Toxic Industrial Waste Storage

Chemicals Storage

Flammable Chemical Storage

Steam Boiler

Air Compressor room

Cooling Tower

Dust Collector

 

AUDIT CRITERIA

The audit criteria strictly adhere to the Ministry of Manpower Guidelines on the Audits of Safety and Health Management System where the audit on the SHMS is conducted in accordance with the relevant WSH legislation and guidelines set out for each industry.

The audit on the SHMS is based on the WSH Act and its subsidiary legislation as well as the Singapore Standard SS 506 Part 3 : 2006 Occupational safety and health (OSH) management system – Requirements for the chemical industry

AUDIT PROTOCOL

The following on-site SHMS audit protocols are to be observed by the auditors. And the activities involve in each phase is tabulated under audit methodology

·         Pre-audit Activities

·         On-Site Audit Activities

·         Post Audit Activities

 

AUDIT METHODOLOGY/PROCESS

The conduct of the Safety and Health Management System in Company XXXX involve various phases, which include the pre-audit phase, audit phase and post audit phase activities

Tabulated below is the list of activities undertaken during the various audit phases

 

Audit Phase

Activities

Responsibility

Timeline

Pre-Audit Phase

Gathering of background information from audited organization using pre-audit questionnaires and obtain previous year audit report

Lead auditor email organization

 

Audited organization furnish the organization background information as per established questionnaire

2 weeks

Developed audit plan and audit schedule upon received required information from the organization

Lead auditor

1 weeks

Pre-Audit meeting with Auditee

 

 

 

Pre-site visit by lead auditor to confirm the audit plan which include audit schedule ,audit sampling, audit methodology ,audit criteria

Lead auditor

1 weeks

Notification of confirmation of audit date, audit agenda, audit plan, and audit schedule

Lead auditor

1 month

Audit Phase

 

 

Opening address

-explain to auditee the audit objective, audit purpose, scope and audit methodology and identify personnel for interview

Lead auditor

 

 

-

Familiarization tour by site audit coordinator to  provide an overall view of the site facility to the audit team

 

 

 

Site audit coordinator

-

 

Audit Phase

Activities

Responsibility

Timeline

Audit Phase

Documentation Review

-assess site safety and health management system manual ,

-Safety Policy

-Statutory equipment inspection schedule

-WSH training records of workers, supervisors and managers

-safe work procedures for high risk activities

-safety committee inspection records

-safety committee team meeting minutes

-risk assessment of risk activities

 

Use of checklist to confirm findings from the assessment of the company SHMS during documentation review phase

 

 

Team Auditor

-

Interview of Person

 

Interview of person which include contractors, workers, supervisors, engineers and managers for verification of information

 

Use of checklist to confirm findings from the assessment of the company SHMS during the interview of personnel phase

 

Lead Auditor

-

Audit Phase

Site Physical Inspection

 

Observe processes and procedures related to health and safety which include housekeeping, production processes, job task, machine, equipment function and the use of PPE etc to confirm findings gathered from the document review and interview of personnel

 

To ascertain actual physical system compliance in the factory

 

Obtain general impression of the state of the safety and health of the factory

 

Use of checklist to confirm findings from the assessment of the company SHMS during site physical inspection phase

 

 

Team Auditor

-

Audit Phase

Closing meeting

 

Closing address with site management presenting the audit findings, observations  and conclusion and allow clarification from site management

 

Timeline on receiving of official audit report

 

Timeline on the follow up of the identified action items

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lead Auditor

-

Post-Audit

Activities

Preparation of draft SHMS Audit report for Company XXXX management team and give them 2 week grace period to review and comment

 

Issue the final SHMS Audit report

1 month from the date of actual audit

 

Develop Action Plan on identified audit findings by

 

·         Proposed Action

·         Resolve differences

·         Establish Responsibility

·         Determine schedule for next follow up

 

Follow up to monitor progress of audit action progress, verification of audit action items and verification of effectiveness of action items

 

 

 

 

 

INTERVIEW PERSONNEL

During the interview of personnel, Company XXXX employees from different levels of the
organizational hierarchy which include company management, line management, workers,
OSH personnel and even subcontractors and suppliers are randomly selected and sampled.

The names of the interviewees were withheld and not disclosed nor published in this audit
 report for confidentiality reasons

Interview checklist developed for the purpose of assessing the SHMS Elements and designed for different levels of staffs within Company XXXX organizational hierarchy are used to assess Company XXXX SHSMS effectiveness

Company XXXX Audit Coordinator is responsible for over-seeing the coordination and the scheduling
of
Company XXXX  employees for interview with the auditors.

AUDIT CLASSIFICATION

Audit Finding Classification

At the completion of the audit, the lead auditor will discuss with the team auditor to make an assessment about the findings taking into consideration both positive and negative aspects and classify the audit findings based on the following criteria

Major

An audit finding is Major if any of the following criteria apply, presenting a significant risk:

-an EHS Management System element is largely missing or its implementation is almost completely ineffective

-the site doesn’t comply with a legal obligation

-repeat findings have arisen for the same issue in consecutive audits

-a significant risk (to EHS) is present.

Minor

An audit finding is Minor if any of the following criteria apply, presenting a non-significant  risk:

-an effective but incomplete system element requires some improvements

-non-significant risk (to EHS) is present.

SUGGESTION

-A Suggestion will be made if the auditor is aware of situations which may benefit the site. This need not be limited to the scope of the audit.

 

 

Audit Report Sample

 

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

As part of the requirements of the Workplace Safety and Health Act (Chapter 354A),Work place Safety and Health (Safety and Health Management System and Auditing) Regulations 2009, HSE Consultancy and Training Services Pte Ltd had received a formal request from Company XXXX to undertake an Safety and Health Management System Audit on their SHMS manual following two fatal
accidents and numerous safety lapses reported in it’s manufacturing site located at XXXXX.

The scope of the audit focused on 7 Elements of the Safety and Health Management System, as a minimum standard, in fulfilling the requirements of Singapore Standard SS 506 Part 3 : 2006 Occupational safety and health (OSH) management system – Requirements for the chemical industry. The audit was undertaken on 20 August 2013 @ 1000 hours at XXXXXX 

 

SUMMARY OF AUDIT FINDINGS

 

Audit Element

Strengths

Weaknesses

Safety Policy ,Element 1

Nil

No commitment from the top management towards safety and health improvement due to no established WSH goals, objectives and target, no prescription of WSH roles and responsibilities for all level of employees from the top management

Safety Work Procedure, Element 2

Sampling  on high risk activities in Company XXXX manufacturing operations revealed high risk activities which include:

- hot work,

-steam boiler preventive maintenance and;

- two roll mill operations were each established with safe work procedures and risk assessment study undertaken

Risk Assessment in Company XXXX  t is undertaken by the individual department without cross functional collaboration. Hence there is a high probability that hazards/risks still exist in Company XXXX  manufacturing activities due to limited knowledge ,experience and expertise of the single department that undertake the risk assessment study

Safety Training, Element 3

Company XXXX fulfilled the minimum requirement of the Factories ( Safety Training Order) Regulations.

 

Sampling on facility training records revealed two technicians were qualified as First Class Steam Boiler Attendant, 

 

Sampling on the WSHO revealed Company XXXX WSHO had successfully completed his specialist diploma in WSH and has a valid RSO license and is accredited by the Singapore Ministry of Manpower

 

Company XXXX  no budget set aside for safety training to improve its workforce WSH competency and this is also in line with  the frequency of workplace accident reported in Company XXXX  which is equivalent to one workplace accident per month

Group Meetings Element 4

Company XXXX  WSH Safety Committee team is made up of good mixes of cross functional employees which include maintenance, facility, production, WSHO, director ,manager and engineer

Company XXXX  has no budget set aside for safety training and this lead to poor WSH performance of the WSH Safety Committee team members who are not trained and incompetent to assume their roles as WSH Safety Committee team members

Incident Investigation & Analysis ,Element 5

Company XXXX  have established procedures which defined the roles and responsibilities of its employees in handling and reporting of workplace incident

 

Sampling from the WSHO r incident investigation and analysis record revealed  all workplace incidents reported in Company XXXX  were promptly investigated and put on record and closed out in a timely manner

Company XXXX  Incident investigation team have poor WSH performance not least because the team were not trained on the basic investigation skills and the use of investigation tools ,making them helpless during an incident investigation 

 

Company XXXX  cannot depends on the solo work of the WSHO to bring out change or to improve its workforce WSH performance as individual efforts is limited

 

Company XXXX  need to groom and improve its incident investigation team WSH competency by sending the team for external investigation course to equip them with the knowledge, skills and attitudes

 

 

 

Safety Inspections Element 9

Company XXXX  WSH Safety Committee team has a whole year of inspection schedule  established  for its site monthly inspection .

 

Following each monthly site inspection, the WSH Safety Committee team  never fail to put up the inspection report and issued CAPA to the responsible persons as well as tracking the CAPA implementation and closure by the responsible person

Company XXXX  WSH Safety Committee team have  poor WSH performance not least because the team were not trained on the basic inspection and audit skills ,making them helpless during the monthly WSH safety committee team inspection

 

Company XXXX  cannot depends on the solo work of the WSHO to bring out change or to improve its workforce WSH performance as individual efforts is limited

 

Company XXXX  need to groom and improve its WSH Safety committee team WSH competency by sending the team for external courses to equip them with the knowledge, skills and attitudes

 

Hazard Analysis Element 11

Sampling on Company XXXX  high risk activities which include steam boiler preventive maintenance, hot work and two roll mill operations, revealed each has  a risk assessment established and hazards/risks identified in the risk assessment have also been communicated to its employees

Risk Assessment is undertaken by individual department using a 3x3 risk assessment matrix with no cross functional collaboration.

 

This question on  the integrity of the risk assessment study undertaken due to subjective interpretation of risks/hazards by individuals as well as the lack of knowledge, expertise and experience in identifying the foreseeable hazards

 

Due to these flaws in the risk assessment study, there is a high possibility that medium to high risk hazards still exist in Company XXXX  manufacturing activities

 

FSM Responsibilities

 

General duties of fire safety manager
7.—(1)  It shall be the duty of a fire safety manager appointed for any specified premises to assist the owner or occupier of the premises to —
(a)ensure at all times that fire safety requirements contained in the Emergency Response Plan are complied with;
(b)supervise the maintenance of all fire safety works in the premises;
(c)ensure at all times that the occupant load of any part of any building does not exceed the capacity prescribed under the Fire Code;
(d)conduct daily checks within the premises and remove or cause to be removed any fire hazard that is found within the premises;
(e)prepare and execute the Emergency Response Plan for the premises and distribute the Emergency Response Plan to the occupants of the premises;
(ea)conduct fire drills for the occupants of the premises at least twice in every calendar year or on such occasion as may be directed by the Commissioner;
(f)ensure that all occupants are familiar with the means of escape located within the premises;
(g)prepare fire safety guidebooks for the occupants of the premises;
(ga)train, co-ordinate and supervise the Company Emergency Response Team for the premises in first-aid, fire-fighting and evacuation in the event of fire or other related emergencies;
(h)train the occupants in the premises in first aid, fire fighting and evacuation in the event of fire or other related emergencies;
(i)co-ordinate and supervise the occupants within the premises in fire fighting and in evacuation in the event of fire or other related emergencies;
(j)supervise the operation of the Fire Command Centre in the event of fire or other related emergencies;
(k)conduct at least 2 Table-Top Exercises within the premises each year and to evaluate, together with the Fire Safety Committee, the effectiveness of the Arson Prevention Plan and the Emergency Response Plan for those premises;
(l)prepare and implement the Arson Prevention Plan for the premises;
(m)notify the Commissioner immediately upon the occurrence of any fire incident in the premises;
(n)organise campaigns, training courses, competitions, contests and other activities which will develop and maintain the interest of the occupants within the premises in establishing a fire safe environment; and
(o)carry out such other duties as the Commissioner may require.

(2)  In addition to the duties under paragraph (1), it is the duty of a fire safety manager appointed for any specified complex premises to assist the owner or occupier of the premises 
(a)to carry out a fire risk assessment of the premises 
(i)at least once in every 3 years;
(ii)whenever the fire safety manager becomes aware of any change in work processes or work activities at the premises which is likely to increase the fire risk at the premises; and
(iii)whenever the Commissioner directs a fire risk assessment to be carried out; and
(b)to perform checks to ensure that any fire safety works using alternative solutions meet the requirements set out in the operations and maintenance manual, if any.

Fire safety report
8.—(1)  Every fire safety manager shall in the month of December of each year prepare and submit to the owner or occupier of the specified premises by whom he is appointed a report containing the particulars set out in paragraph (2) and in such form as the Commissioner may require.

(2)  The particulars mentioned in paragraph (1) are —
(a)the measures, if any, taken by him to train the occupants in fire fighting skills and to maintain their interest in establishing a fire safe environment within the last 12 months and the particulars of the activities which were conducted for the occupants for the last 12 months;
(b)his recommendations on how the structure and the layout of the specified premises with regard to the fire safety of its occupants could be improved;
(c)the number of fire evacuation drills conducted within the specified premises over the last 12 months and the effectiveness of such drills;
(d)the measures, if any, taken to ensure the fire safety of the persons within the specified premises;
(e)a list of activities relating to fire safety scheduled for the next 12 months;
(f)the number of Table-Top Exercises conducted within the premises over the preceding 12 months and the effectiveness of the Arson Prevention Plan and the Emergency Response Plan for those premises;
(g)the status of the implementation of the Arson Prevention Plan for those premises;
(h)any matter arising from the previous report; and]
(ha)in the case of specified complex premises, when the fire risk assessment and checks of the premises were last carried out for the purposes of regulation 7(2).

(3)  The owner or occupier of the specified premises to whom the report is submitted under paragraph (1) shall, not later than one month after the receipt of the fire safety report, discuss the report with the fire safety manager and take such action or measures as the owner or occupier thinks fit.


How to Get You Certified as Workplace Safety and Health Officer

 

Apply to be a registered workplace safety and health officer

You can apply to be a registered workplace safety and health officer (WSHO) if you meet the requirements.

At a glance

Who can apply

Singaporeans, PRs, Employment Pass holders or S Pass holders.

Work pass holders’ occupation must be one of these:

  • Fire and Safety Officer
  • Health, Safety and Environmental Officer
  • Safety Officer
  • Workplace Safety Health Officer
How much it costs$110 (inclusive of GST).
Fees are non-refundable, regardless of the status of your application.
How long it takesUp to 8 weeks, after you submit all required documents.
Note: Incomplete or insufficient information will delay your application.
Validity2 years (renewable).
Related eServicesRegistration for WSH Professionals and Competent Persons
Related documentTemplate for WSHO professional work review write-up

Download the registration form and WSHO professional write-up template on MOM website

Requirements

You need to meet the following requirements to apply:

  • Be at least 21 years old.
  • Singaporean, PR, Employment Pass holder or S Pass holder.
    Note: If you’re a work pass holder, your occupation must be one of the following. Any other occupations will not be accepted.
    • Fire and Safety Officer
    • Health, Safety and Environmental Officer
    • Safety Officer
    • Workplace Safety Health Officer
  • Have at least one of the prescribed workplace safety and health (WSH)-related qualifications (see accepted WSH-related qualifications).
  • Have at least 2 years of work experience relevant to the work to be carried out by a WSHO. You need to provide documentary proof, e.g. a testimonial from your employer specifying clearly the period of employment where you served in a WSH-related designation.
  • The following work experience can be considered:
    • Assistant WSHO
    • WSH Coordinator or Safety Coordinator
    • HSE Manager
    • HSE Superintendent
    • HSE Executive

You may have to attend an interview to allow us to further assess your suitability to be a WSH officer. We may require additional time to process your application if an interview is needed.

How to apply

To apply, follow these steps:

  1. Log in to apply.
  2. Upload all supporting documents.
  3. Pay the $110 fee online. Your application will only be processed upon payment.
  4. (Optional) Log in to check your application status.

You will receive the outcome by mail. If your application is successful, you will also receive the registration card.

Documents required

You will need to submit PDF copies of the following documents:

  • Academic qualifications – degree or diploma certificate and full result transcript of a basic academic qualification in Engineering (e.g. Bachelor in Mechanical Engineering or Diploma in Mechanical Engineering).
  • WSH qualifications – certificate and full result transcript for the accepted WSH-related qualifications (see accepted WSH-related qualifications).
  • Professional Work Review write-up.
  • Employer testimonials or letter of appointment stating relevant WSH experience for the past 2 years.
  • Passport-sized photograph with white background (in JPEG format).

If you have a non-engineering or technical diploma, submit copies of these additional documents:

  • Transcript of the Applied Basic Mathematics and Science Topic in WSH.
  • Advanced Certificate in WSH, awarded by the Singapore Workforce Skills Qualifications (WSQSSG.

These are acceptable WSH-related qualifications:

  • Specialist Diploma in WSH, awarded by SSG and conducted by Ngee Ann Polytechnic, Singapore Polytechnic, BCA Academy (awarded before 1 November 2022), NTUC Learning Hub and Singapore Institution of Safety Officers (SISO)
  • Master of Science in Safety, Health and Environment Technology, awarded by the National University of Singapore
  • Bachelor of Environmental and Occupational Health and Safety, awarded by the University of Newcastle (Australia)
  • Bachelor of Science in Human Factors in Safety, awarded by SUSS (Singapore University of Social Sciences)
  • Bachelor of Science (Health, Safety and Environment), awarded by Curtin University of Technology (Singapore campus), awarded before 1 February 2022
  • Bachelor of Science (Hons) Safety, Health and Environmental Management, awarded by Leeds Beckett University (Singapore campus), from September 2015

Monday, December 26, 2022

SCDF CERT Audit Checklist

To assess the competency level of the CERT in carrying out its tasks in an emergency situation, SCDF will conduct audits through documental checks and practical assessments on the companies. 


The purpose of the audits is to identify strengths and lapses of the Company Emergency Response Team capability. During the audits, the CERTs have to successfully complete sequential activities as stipulated in the CERT Audit Checklist as appended which include: incident size-up and fire fighting operations.

Click SCDF CERT Audit Checklist to learn more about the CERT audit requirement and scope.




Tuesday, February 5, 2013

Accelerated Depreciation Allowance for Noise Control

If you haven't know yet, 

Employers may apply for the Accelerated Depreciation Allowance for Noise Control, a tax incentive scheme to recover the cost of implementing noise control measures in a one-year period.
The scheme covers the following:
  1. Low-decibel machines, equipment or systems with in-built noise control features such as:
    1. Concrete crusher or splitter;
    2. Plastic granulator or crusher;
    3. Automatic sawing machine;
    4. Metal press or stamping machine;
    5. Machine with active noise control feature;
    6. Laser cutting machine;
    7. Pressure blast machine;
    8. Remote controlled demolition machine; or
    9. Any other machine, equipment or system certified by PSB Corporation or the National University of Singapore;
  2. Noise control devices to supplement any new or existing machine, equipment or system, such as:
    1. Acoustic enclosure;
    2. Acoustic silencer or muffler;
    3. Vibration absorption, isolation or damping device; or
    4. Active noise control device; or
  3. Engineering noise control measures for any existing machine, equipment or process, such as:
    1. Detachable personnel acoustic enclosure;
    2. Acoustic barrier or shield;
    3. Acoustic absorption device to reduce noise reverberation; or
    4. Modification to minimise noise emission.
    * Please note that the above list is not exhaustive and is subject to change.
    You can refer to the Income Tax Act, Chapter 134, Sections 7 and 19(A) at Singapore Statutes Online. for more details on the scheme’s legislation.

Workplace Safety And Health Resources|Workplace Safety And Health Blog|: How to Apply -Accelerated Depreciation Allowance f...

Workplace Safety And Health Resources|Workplace Safety And Health Blog|: How to Apply -Accelerated Depreciation Allowance f...: How to Apply Step 1 Engage a Certifying Agency to: Conduct noise assessment; Compile an Evaluation Report certifyi...

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