Health and safety audit checklist

Look at the work, then write the gap

Ask whether the assessment names this address, whether the platform matches it, whether products are being mixed, and whether anyone checked for asbestos before drilling. The hazards below are examples of what you are looking for. They are library entries, not a finding about a site we have visited.

Chemical burns or fumes from cleaners, including mixing incompatible products

From the cleaning library, task: Commercial office clean. Who might be harmed: Cleaners and office users

Before controls: 9 Medium. After controls: 3 Low. These scores are a prompt. Score the job yourself.

• Do not mix products. Bleach and acids together can release toxic gas.
• Wear the gloves the safety data sheet names. Wash splashes off skin.
• Store products locked if the client requires it, and away from food.

Regulations that fit this hazard: Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974; Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999; Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002; Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulations 1992 (as amended 2022); Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992; Health and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations 1981.

Asbestos cement sheets or slates mistaken for ordinary covering

From the roofer library, task: Pitched roof tile replacement. Who might be harmed: Operatives doing the work, other workers, occupiers and visitors

Before controls: 10 Medium. After controls: 5 Low. These scores are a prompt. Score the job yourself.

• If the covering may be asbestos cement, stop and treat it under the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012. Do not cut or break it.
• This task is for tile or slate replacement, not asbestos removal.

Regulations that fit this hazard: Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974; Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999; Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015; Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulations 1992 (as amended 2022); Health and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations 1981; Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012.

Striking a buried electric cable or gas pipe

From the landscaper library, task: Patio laying. Who might be harmed: Operatives, other workers, occupiers and the public

Before controls: 15 High. After controls: 5 Low. These scores are a prompt. Score the job yourself.

• Obtain service plans where they exist, scan the area, and mark it.
• Use hand tools near known services. If you strike a service, stop, keep clear, and call the operator. Do not bury a damaged cable.

Regulations that fit this hazard: Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974; Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999; Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015; Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulations 1992 (as amended 2022); Health and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations 1981; Electricity at Work Regulations 1989.

Cement burns and dermatitis

From the general builder library, task: Brickwork and blockwork. Who might be harmed: Bricklayers and labourers

Before controls: 12 Medium. After controls: 4 Low. These scores are a prompt. Score the job yourself.

• Keep mortar off skin. Change soaked gloves.
• Provide washing water on the site, as CDM 2015 Schedule 2 requires welfare on construction work.

Regulations that fit this hazard: Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974; Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999; Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015; Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002; Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulations 1992 (as amended 2022); Health and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations 1981.