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Are you scared of audits?
Last week I was doing a field visit during a contractor HSE audit. Everything was going well, and then two people were asked to share their JSA for an upcoming hazardous activity. They went into our room and froze near the door… like they were some students coming to an exam, and not industry professionals with great knowledge about pressure testing and nitrogen! What would you do? I think that “ice-breaking” is a very important skill for any auditor. If people are scared of you, they can forget something, or provide false information. In both cases you will know nothing. What did I do? Asked them to sit with us, to begin with. Explained why we would like to hear about the hazards of their job. Promised them that it is not an exam, and that they are not being assessed. Thanked them at the end. Simple things, but I know that training for auditors and inspectors does not always consider ice-breaking as a topic. Moreover, some people like to feel “strong and powerful” and make workers scared of their audits. However, OHS professionals are not the Inquisition. We shall support workers, and make inspections and audits useful (and even fun) to really prevent incidents from happening. What do you think? Are you scared of audits? Are workers scared of you?
Are auditees scared of you?
