Semi-Annual Safety Audits

A reminder to everyone that the changing of the seasons means it is once again time for the Semi-Annual Safety Audit.  Every Bridgewell program must complete a Safety Audit every March and October.  The Audit form can be found on the Employee Intranet.  Audits must be completed by a designated employee, with another employee present.  In order to ensure an efficient and successful Audit process for all, please remember the following pointers:

• Be prompt: These Audits are in place to address safety concerns, which should be addressed as quickly as possible to ensure no one is injured.
• Be clear: Concerns indicated on the Audit form must be written legibly.  Problems cannot be addressed if no one knows what they are.
• Be specific: Statements such as “Program needs a new roof,” are not informative, and you are not likely to receive a new roof.  However, a statement reading “There is a leak in the roof over the side entrance to the building,” explains exactly what the problem is, and is likely to be addressed very soon.
• Be proactive: Cleanliness and organization are important factors for safety.  Because of this, the Audits address cleanliness and tidiness on more than one occasion.  Please note that the Facilities Department is not responsible for cleaning.  That is the responsibility of the program.  If you see that cleanliness is an issue at your program, then take the necessary steps to remedy the situation.
• REMEMBER-this is not a Maintenance Request Form. It is a Safety Audit form.  For example, if you would “like to have the living room painted,” make that request directly to Maintenance.  However, if the paint in the living room needs to be replaced because of a mold issue (or some other threat to your health and safety), then you should absolutely relay that information as soon as possible.  Be clear about exactly why an issue is a safety concern.

Once the Audit form has been completed, it should then be scanned and loaded into TIER.  If you have any questions about the Audit process, from completing the form to more urgent safety concerns, please reach out to me at skvilhaug@bridgewell.org, or call me at (339) 883-2144.

This post is part of the ‘Safety Matters’ series – an effort to increase employee engagement in Safety Practices at Bridgewell.