The role of an occupational health and safety (OHS) auditor or consultant is to provide specialist advice in regard to issues relating to the health, safety and welfare of employees, contractors and visitors within a workplace. The OHS auditor/consultant can provide specific advice relating to the health and safety of workers with disability. An OHS auditor typically works with employers, safety representatives, union representatives and workers.
An OHS consultant has an in-depth knowledge of the legislation associated with health and safety, which includes state-based OHS Acts and Regulations, Australian Standards, National Codes of Practice and WorkCover or WorkSafe publications.
An OHS auditor can also undertake quality assurance audits for organisations wishing to demonstrate conformity to a pre-determined set of standards relating to occupational health and safety. They also audit management systems to ensure the processes and procedures underpinning OHS are evident.
Workplace solutions and adjustments
An OHS auditor can assist workers with a disability by advising them about issues such as:
- responsibilities of employers in ensuring safe working environments
- ergonomic and workstation setup advice
- disabled access advice and solutions
- risk assessments for hazardous products or situations with which the worker may be exposed to
- clarification of OHS legislation, including any recent amendments and how these affect workers
- auditing of OHS Management Systems
- development of OHS policies and procedures.
References
Workplace OHS 2007, News and info for Australian OHS professionals, Sydney, viewed 29 May 2007, http://www.workplaceohs.com.au/OHS-Consultation.asp.