Pinnacle Safety and Training Blog

Hazard specific audit for confined space ensures Origin Energy ticks all the WHS boxes

Job specifics

Pinnacle Safety and Training was contracted by Ostwald Brothers to provide a third party confined space entry and rescue compliance audit for Origin Energy.

Skills required

• Experience in hazard identification
• Risk assessments and report writing
• Strong knowledge of current legislative requirements
• Experience in implementing safety methods/systems
• Management of safety systems.

Pinnacle provided hazard specific audit and report writing services to Ostwald Brothers, an engineering business, for work within the CSG industry. Origin Energy, the main contractor, required a third-party audit of their procedures, safety plans, work method statements and operating procedures for a welding job within a pipeline they were constructing.

An experienced auditor from Pinnacle provided Origin with an initial desktop audit of all of their associated paperwork to make sure it met current legislative requirements within the guidelines of the Act, Regulations, Codes of Practice and also the relevant Australian Standards including AS 2865.

We produced a report with a range of recommendations to tighten procedures which was then approved by the principal contractor, Origin. We visited the site just prior to the work commencing to discuss the upcoming scope of works and make sure all relevant rescue plans were effective and workable. Dummy trials were then run in a safe environment to ensure all procedures were properly managed and implemented before work commenced.

Why auditing?

Hazard specific audits address particular issues such as confined space entry, or working at heights, and involve the inspection and testing of current workplace control methods. This type of audit has a narrow focus and looks at the effectiveness of policies and procedures in dealing with specific hazards. These audits differ from compliance audits, in that the standards set by the organisation to address the risk of injury may exceed legislative requirements.

Many organisations use suitably qualified external providers such as Pinnacle Safety and Training to undertake these types of audits, especially when hazardous tasks are being undertaken.

Did you know?

The Work Health and Safety Act 2011 requires workplace health and safety officers to conduct a hazard based assessment of their workplace at least once every twelve months, or at intervals agreed between management and the Work Health and Safety Committee.