An HSG65 health and safety audit refers to an audit based on the HSG65 framework, which comes from the UK Health and Safety Executive (HSE) publication titled:

“HSG65: Managing for Health and Safety”

This guidance provides a structured approach for managing health and safety effectively in organizations. It’s widely respected and used across industries in the UK and beyond.

HSG65 promotes a Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) cycle to manage health and safety. This model helps organizations continuously improve their safety performance.

What's involved in an HSG65 Audit?

An HSG65 audit evaluates how well an organization is applying the PDCA model to manage health and safety. It looks at:

Plan

Do you have a clear health and safety policy?

Are risks assessed and properly managed?

Are responsibilities clearly defined?

Do

Are people properly trained?

Are control measures implemented?

Are procedures followed?

Check

Are you monitoring performance (inspections, near-miss reporting)?

Are incidents investigated?

Act

Are lessons learned and shared?

Is there a review and improvement process?

What Does the Audit Deliver?

A report on your current health and safety performance

Identification of non-compliance or gaps

Recommendations for improvement

An action plan to help you meet legal obligations and best practices

Benefits of an HSG65 Audit

Helps ensure legal compliance (e.g., under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974)

Identifies areas of risk

Supports continuous improvement

Demonstrates commitment to health and safety