It is the responsibility of all business owners to make sure that the safety and health standards of a business are on par with the legal standards and regulations. Anyone entering your business premises should be confident that he/she do not face any risks doing so. Opting for external safety audits by specialists keeps you in the loop of the current state of your business where the safety and health are concerned. Conducting this safety audit at least once a year is important. You can opt for this more frequently depending on the nature of the business and the requirement.
Benefits of External Safety audits:
There are specific advantages when you decide to get this safety audit conducted by an external team of specialists.
1. The external auditor often views the company as an outsider. Thus, it is easier for the external company to identify problems which might have been overlooked by the team of internal auditors.
2. The external auditors generally work with multiple companies under the same industry and thus can benchmark a specific company against the others.
3. These specialists have a broader knowledge of the management systems of health and safety and procedures and policies. Internal auditors tend to be knowledgeable.
4. Your normal staff can continue working while the external audit company carries on the audit.
5. External auditors can recommend the best practices which have been identified from similar companies.
6. These auditors are impartial and not influenced by any internal factors.
7. They tend to go deep into the matter to ensure that the procedures followed are robust for continuous compliance.
8. External stake holders will definitely prefer to invest in a company which opts for the external auditing.
Factors to Consider for an External Audit Company:
Before opting for an external audit company, it is advisable to consider specific factors which include
1. The Size of the Audit Firm:
A large audit firm will have enough and more experience and also a knowledge of the industry as they are better exposed to the nuances of IT Audits in different companies of the same industry. Large companies can also offer more expertise, more personnel along with availability. Large companies require large audit firms as they have a larger area to be covered where the auditing is concerned.
2. Quality of Service:
For small businesses, it is important to balance the factors of cost and quality before making a choice of an external audit firm. Deciding on the price factor and choosing an audit firm can be convenient if the value and the service are maximized. The final deciding factor should be a combination of the cost, skill, knowledge, and expertise. In short, you need to balance out the expectations and the needs.
3. Compatibility:
Considering the compatibility of a specific company with the audit firm is important. This is because you have different employees working with the auditors and ease of communication and clarity is as essential.
External Auditors and Internal Auditors:
There are times when the external auditor can depend on the work carried out by an internal auditor. Before this can be done, the external auditor looks into the qualifications and decides not only on professional grounds but also ethical grounds. Besides this, the adequacy of documentation, planning, and control is also looked into. Internal auditors need to operate in an efficient manner. External auditors also need to check out the amount of the work carried out.
Asking around and getting more than one reference for an external audit firm can help you make the right choice as you are assayed with the freedom to compare the different services offered.
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