Preparing for Audit

To help you prepare for the future, it may be helpful for you to know the following:

• Safety auditing will be managed by the Safety Office.
• Dates will be notified and agreed well in advance, and will take into account other reviews or safety-significant factors which may be ongoing within a department. Audit dates once agreed, cannot normally be cancelled or changed.
• The audit team will be selected by the Safety Office and agreed with the department.
• Advance instructions will be sent to Heads of Departments, Departmental Safety Officers, Departmental Administrators and others such as Biological Safety Officers as appropriate to the type of audit and/or the subject of audit, advising on the preparation and documentation required.
• The length of time the audit team will be in a particular department is dependent on its size, complexity and the type/subject of audit.
• The audit process will include interviews of appropriate individuals within each department.
• Any interview timetable will be organised by the department and will usually include the Head of Department.
• Reports will be provided to the department.
• Audits will be followed up to ensure appropriate actions identified during the audit have been taken. This may be by the Safety Office or School Safety Officers and departments themselves, depending on the circumstances and type of audit.