Programme overview
Technical depth: Practitioner · Practical mode: Inspection walkthrough
Introduction
Internal audit is how an organisation finds out whether its occupational health and safety management system controls risk at the workface or only on paper. Many audits confirm that procedures exist but miss whether hazards are controlled, workers are consulted and corrective actions work. This Core Concept course equips internal auditors to plan and conduct audits against ISO 45001 using the ISO 19011 guidelines, from programme design to verified corrective action. Participants audit a simulated site and leave with an OH&S Internal Audit Pack: programme, plan, checklist and completed report.
Course Objectives
- Interpret ISO 45001:2018 requirements, including Amendment 1:2024, as audit criteria for a specific organisation
- Plan a risk-based internal audit programme and individual audit plans in line with ISO 19011:2018
- Conduct audits using sampling, interviews, observation and record review to gather objective evidence
- Write clear nonconformity statements and grade findings consistently
- Verify corrective actions and evaluate whether the OH&S management system is achieving its intended outcomes
- Produce an OH&S Internal Audit Pack ready for use in the participant's own organisation
Target Audience
- HSE officers and advisers appointed as internal auditors of the OH&S management system
- Management system coordinators responsible for integrated quality, environmental and OH&S audits
- Supervisors and engineers nominated to audit departments other than their own
- Quality and compliance staff extending their audit scope to occupational health and safety
- Contractor HSE representatives who audit, or are audited against, client OH&S requirements
Course Outline
Day 1: OH&S Management Systems and the Role of Internal Audit
- ISO 45001:2018 Clause Structure and the Harmonised Structure
- ISO 45001 Amendment 1:2024 Climate Change Considerations
- Internal Audit Requirements Under ISO 45001 Clause 9.2
- Audit Principles and Terminology in ISO 19011:2018
- Legal and Other Requirements Register as an Audit Baseline
Day 2: Audit Criteria: ISO 45001 Clause by Clause
- Context, Leadership and Worker Consultation: Clauses 4, 5 and 5.4
- Hazard Identification and OH&S Risk Assessment: Clause 6.1.2
- Operational Control, Hierarchy of Controls and Management of Change: Clause 8.1
- Procurement, Contractor and Outsourcing Controls: Clause 8.1.4
- Incident, Nonconformity and Corrective Action Requirements: Clause 10.2
Day 3: Planning and Conducting the Audit
- Risk-Based Audit Programme Design to ISO 19011 Clause 5
- Audit Plan and Process-Based Checklist Preparation
- Opening Meeting and Audit Trail Sampling Techniques
- Worker and Manager Interviews Using Open and Probing Questions
- Objective Evidence From Records, Observation and Site Tours
Day 4: Findings, Difficult Audits and Follow-Up
- Nonconformity Statement Writing: Requirement, Evidence and Finding
- Major and Minor Nonconformity Grading and Opportunities for Improvement
- Psychosocial Risk Audit Criteria Using ISO 45003:2021
- Auditor Bias, Conflict and Uncooperative Auditee Scenarios
- Corrective Action Verification and Audit Effectiveness Review
Day 5: Mock Audit and the Internal Audit Pack
- Mock Site Audit Walkthrough: Workshop and Warehouse Scenario
- Contractor Management Audit Case: Document and Record Review
- Closing Meeting Practice and Findings Presentation
- Audit Report Drafting with Graded Nonconformities
- Annual OH&S Internal Audit Programme Build for an Own Organisation
Skills You Will Gain
- Audit Programme Planning
- ISO 45001 Requirements Interpretation
- Audit Evidence Evaluation
- Audit Interviewing
- Nonconformity Grading
- Audit Report Writing
- Corrective Action Verification
- Psychosocial Risk Auditing
Why Attend This Course
- Return to work with an OH&S Internal Audit Pack: programme, plan, checklist and a completed report
- Practise auditing a simulated site and defend your findings in a closing meeting
- Write nonconformities that auditees accept and act on, rather than dispute
- Compare audit approaches with auditors from manufacturing, construction, energy, healthcare and services
Conclusion
An internal audit adds value only when it finds the gaps between what the system says and what happens at the workface. This course moves from the structure of ISO 45001 and the principles of ISO 19011, through clause-by-clause audit criteria and audit technique, to grading findings, handling difficult audits and verifying corrective action. The final day applies that material in a mock site audit and produces an OH&S Internal Audit Pack that participants can put to use in their next audit cycle.