Companies that fall under the Major Accidents Decree (BRZO), External Safety Establishments Decree (BEVI), Additional risks inventory and evaluation (ARIE) or ATEX directives (Atmospheré explosibles), have the obligation to identify, minimize and control the risks with hazardous substances. Risk management is the determining factor for success in safety.

A Safety management system is an integral part of the company risk management programme. Examples include the health and safety management systems in accordance with ISO 45001 and NTA 8620. These systems include elements such as safety policy, management commitment, identification and assessment of hazards and risks, organizational and technical measures, audits, continuous improvement, etc. Other aspects are improving the safety culture and developing safety awareness of people through targeted safety training. These activities are necessary for continuous risk management improvement.

Auditing is a much used method to measure and demonstrate the effectiveness of the risk management system. In line with the goal for achieving continuous improvement the audit end result is usually an improvement action plan. There are two different types of SHE audit namely the due diligence and the compliance audits.

Due diligence audits are usually only used prior to the sale or takeover of a business and are primarily designed to provide a global evaluation of a company’s safety, health and environmental risks.

Compliance audits are carried out in order to establish and make transparent what the level of legal compliance of the operation is. This is also required when a company is preparing for the different ISO type standard certification. They are also used to monitor the implementation of internal company-specific (Corporate) standards and procedures.