How do you prepare for a visit from a health and safety inspectorate?
Arbejdstilsynet can visit you both announced and unannounced
In the case of an unannounced visit, it is of course difficult to prepare in advance. Therefore, it is important that the health and safety group has control of the documentation on a daily basis (i.e. APV, action plans, minutes, etc.) so that you can easily present the relevant documents to the inspector during an unannounced visit.
A notified visit, on the other hand, gives you the opportunity to prepare for a number of issues:
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Information on workplace inspections
Management, employees and shop stewards should always be informed of an upcoming monitoring visit. In addition, read up on local MED or local agreements, which may contain descriptions of who should be informed and participate in the visit. In addition, any internal health and safety consultants should be informed and involved in the process.
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Participants
A visit typically lasts 2 hours, depending on the size of the organization and any health and safety issues. Make sure you agree who will take notes and minutes during the visit. During the visit, there will be an initial meeting attended by management and a wider group of health and safety representatives and, where appropriate, shop stewards. The inspector is then shown around the workplace to assess the physical working environment and talk to the employees. For this tour, it is more appropriate for only a select few to go along.
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APV-results
At the initial meeting, you should be able to explain your recent APV and your subsequent work on action plans and their follow-up. The inspector is entitled to get answers to all his or her questions and can offer advice and help you to become even better at preventing and following up on problems in the working environment.
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Mandatory documentation
Make sure you have all mandatory documentation in place. This includes: minutes from the annual health and safety meeting, user manuals for all machinery and technical aids, documentation of statutory inspections of machinery and equipment, training certificates (including certifications for specific work areas and AMO health and safety training) and a written smoking policy.
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Information on the results of the audit
After the audit, employees and management should be informed of the results. If the result shows that you comply with all rules and regulations and have received a green smiley, you can of course be happy about it. You may also have received input on how to improve health and well-being in the workplace in the future, which you can continue to work on. If, on the other hand, you have received an order, it is essential that the entire organization is involved in the analysis of the problems in question and that you work together to correct them.
