Auditing - The 'Human Element'

Auditing - The "Human Element" (Culture & Soft Skills)

As an ‘seasoned’ (old) Certification auditor for International Standards ISO 9001:2015, ISO 14001:2015 & ISO 45001:2018, there is an increasing focus on the Quality, Health, Safety & Environment elements from the view of an organisation’s leadership.

We auditors seek to determine conformance of an organisation’s management system to the requirements of the relative standard to which the organisation is Certified. Contrary to some people's views we are not there to advise or consult.

Included in the seeking of information interviews can take place with not only the organisation’s leadership, but staff throughout the business, these conversations can start before the audit proper has begun, simple conversations with the security guard or team, the company receptionist the office cleaner can help form an understanding of the culture of a business, often before the audit opening meeting has even taken place.

From the point of view of this auditor if during the audit I find individuals or teams afraid to speak about the processes, the issues, near-misses and or environmental concerns (related to the activities) the hairs on the back of my neck start to stand...something is amiss!

I have sometimes come away from an audit where major (or minor) non-conformances have been raised with the thought that if as much effort had been made to conform to the system requirements as was done trying to mask the issues, the organisation would be in a far better position.

The best organisations (IMHO) are the ones where: -
💡 Processes are ‘owned’ by all within the organisation: e.g. any employee has the right to halt a task (whether it be for EH&S reasons or quality issues) and where the leadership support these employees for making the call.
💡 Leadership involvement, not just the leadership walking around with a checklist, but performing QHSE walkarounds, asking the operators “what the most hazardous part of the operation”, “how can the process be made easier”, “What’s the most frustrating part of the task”etc.
💡 Moving from ‘Blame-Tree-Analysis' to determine what in the system(s) allowed the issue to develop or the incident to occur.

Remember; where teams are afraid to speak up about issues your manual (and that part about Internal Communications) is just expensive wallpaper.

A strong QHSE culture is what happens when no one is watching. We (Practical ISO Ltd) help organizations move beyond the manual and into the mindset. From Stop Work Authority to developing QHSE cultural frameworks, we provide the tools to make safety and quality second nature within your business.
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