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HSE inspections up 47% - HSE carried out over 13,200 workplace inspections in 2024/25.

Chartered Health and Safety Consultants

Health and Safety Audit Services

Arinite's Chartered health and safety consultants deliver comprehensive health and safety audits for offices, multi-site operations, and international businesses across 50+ countries. Every audit produces a detailed report (typically 40 to 80 pages), a prioritised action plan with clear timescales, and a defensible compliance record that stands up to HSE inspection.

Whether you need a one-off compliance audit, an annual review of your health and safety management system, or a multi-country audit programme, our approach is the same: systematic, thorough, and led by consultants who know what inspectors look for because they have been on both sides of the process.

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HSE Competent Person
ISO 45001 Aligned
40-80 Page Reports
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UNDERSTANDING AUDITS

What Is a Health and Safety Audit?

A health and safety audit is a systematic, independent examination of an organisation's health and safety management system, policies, procedures, and workplace conditions against current legislation and best practice. It answers one question: are your health and safety arrangements suitable, sufficient, and legally defensible?

Audit vs Inspection

Audit

An audit examines the entire system: whether the right policies exist, whether risk assessments are current and comprehensive, whether training records are complete, whether incidents are being recorded and investigated, and whether the management system as a whole is functioning as intended.

Inspection

An inspection looks at physical conditions at a specific moment (is the fire exit clear, is the extinguisher in date).

Under the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, every employer must have arrangements in place for managing health and safety. An audit is the mechanism for verifying that those arrangements are working.

WHY AUDITS MATTER

Why Businesses Need a
Health and Safety Audit

Most businesses that contact Arinite already suspect their health and safety arrangements have gaps. They are usually right. In 15+ years, we have never conducted an audit that found zero issues.

The triggers are predictable: a new client or contract requires evidence of compliance. An HSE inspector visits a competitor and the board asks whether it could happen to them. The business opens a new office, expands internationally, or acquires another company and inherits an unknown compliance position. An incident occurs and the investigation reveals that documentation is incomplete, outdated, or missing.

In each case, the audit provides the definitive answer. It documents what is compliant, what is not, what needs to happen, and by when. Without an audit, you are operating on assumption. With one, you have evidence.

AUDIT SCOPE

What a Health and Safety
Audit Covers

Arinite's audits are comprehensive. We do not use a generic checklist. Every audit is scoped to the specific activities, locations, and regulatory context of your business. A standard audit covers the following areas:

Health and Safety Policy

Whether a current, signed policy exists that meets the requirements of Section 2(3) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, and whether it has been communicated to all employees.

Risk Assessments

Whether suitable and sufficient risk assessments exist for all work activities, including general workplace risks, display screen equipment, manual handling, fire, COSHH, lone working, home working, and new and expectant mothers.

Competent Person Appointment

Whether a competent person has been formally appointed under Regulation 7 of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, and whether the appointment is documented in writing.

Fire Safety

Whether a fire risk assessment exists that meets PAS 79 standards and the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, and whether fire precautions, evacuation procedures, and fire marshal arrangements are adequate.

Training Records

Whether health and safety training has been delivered, recorded, and refreshed at appropriate intervals for all relevant employees, including induction, fire marshal, first aid, manual handling, and DSE.

Accident and Incident Reporting

Whether a system exists for recording accidents, incidents, and near misses, and whether RIDDOR-reportable events have been reported within the statutory timescales.

Health and Safety Management System

Whether a coherent management system exists (whether formal such as ISO 45001 or based on HSE's HSG65 Plan-Do-Check-Act framework), and whether it is actively maintained.

Workplace Conditions

A physical inspection of the workplace covering housekeeping, welfare facilities, emergency procedures, signage, first aid provision, and any sector-specific hazards.

AUDIT TYPES

Types of Health and Safety
Audit

Different situations require different audit approaches. Arinite delivers all of the following.

Compliance Audit

A compliance audit measures your arrangements against current legislation. It answers the question: if an HSE inspector arrived tomorrow, would your documentation and workplace conditions pass scrutiny? This is the most common type of audit Arinite conducts and is the starting point for most new client engagements.

Management System Audit

A management system audit evaluates whether your health and safety management system (whether based on ISO 45001, HSG65, or a bespoke framework) is functioning as designed. It examines whether policies are being followed, whether risk assessments are feeding into real controls, whether corrective actions are being closed, and whether the system is driving continuous improvement.

Office Health and Safety Audit

Office environments are Arinite's core specialism. An office audit covers DSE assessments, home working arrangements, fire safety, workplace welfare, stress management, and the specific compliance gaps that HSE inspectors target in low-risk office environments. Most office-based businesses assume they are compliant because nothing has gone wrong. The audit typically reveals five to twelve gaps that would be identified during an inspection.

Workplace Health and Safety Audit

For businesses with mixed working environments (offices plus workshops, warehouses, laboratories, or retail spaces), the workplace audit covers all areas and activities. It ensures that compliance is consistent across the entire operation, not just the parts that feel highest risk.

International Health and Safety Audit

For businesses operating in multiple countries, Arinite delivers international audit programmes that assess compliance against local legislation in each jurisdiction. Our locally qualified consultants in 50+ countries conduct on-site audits using a standardised methodology, with all findings reported through a single dashboard. This gives headquarters visibility of the compliance position in every country.

Learn more

Virtual Health and Safety Audit

Where on-site access is not possible or not practical (particularly for initial scoping or for international locations), Arinite conducts virtual audits using video walkthroughs, document review, and structured interviews. Virtual audits follow the same methodology and produce the same standard of report. They are particularly effective for office environments and for initial compliance assessments ahead of a full on-site visit.

THE AUDIT PROCESS

How the Audit Works:
From Booking to Report

01

Scoping

We agree the scope of the audit based on your business activities, locations, headcount, and sector. For most single-site office businesses, this takes a 15-minute call. For multi-site or international programmes, we produce a formal terms of reference.

02

Document Review

Before the site visit, we review your existing documentation: policies, risk assessments, training records, accident records, and any previous audit reports. This allows the on-site time to focus on verification and physical inspection rather than reading paperwork.

03

On-Site Audit (or Virtual)

The consultant conducts a systematic review of all areas covered by the agreed scope. This includes interviews with relevant staff, observation of working practices, and physical inspection of the workplace. For a standard office, this takes half a day. For larger or more complex premises, one to two days.

04

Report and Action Plan

Within five business days, you receive a comprehensive written report (typically 40 to 80 pages) covering every area audited, the findings, the relevant legislation, the risk level of each finding, and a prioritised action plan with clear timescales. The report is designed to be usable: not a generic document, but a practical roadmap to compliance.

05

Follow-Up

We do not hand over the report and disappear. Arinite reviews progress against the action plan at agreed intervals. For partnership clients (Done For You and Done With You), we implement the actions ourselves.

Not Sure What an Audit Would Find?

Find Out in 30 Minutes

Most businesses that search for a health and safety audit checklist are trying to assess their own compliance before committing to a full audit. The problem is that a checklist tells you what to look for, but not whether what you find is adequate.

Arinite's Chartered consultants use a structured compliance checklist as the framework for a focused 30-minute call. On the call, the consultant will review your current health and safety arrangements against the checklist areas, identify which sections of the audit your business would fail, highlight the specific gaps that HSE inspectors would flag based on your sector and business type, and confirm whether a full audit is needed or whether targeted remediation would be more appropriate.

You leave the call knowing exactly where your compliance stands and what the next step should be. No guesswork. No generic advice.

If we cannot identify at least one compliance gap, we send you a £50 gift card. In 15+ years, we have never paid out.

Book My Health and Safety Audit Compliance Call+44 (0)20 7947 9581
AUDIT COST GUIDE

How Much Does a Health and Safety
Audit Cost?

The cost of a health and safety audit depends on the size, complexity, and number of locations being audited. Every audit is scoped and priced individually. Most engagements fall into one of these shapes:

Single-Site Office

One location, straightforward layout

Tailored Quote

Multi-Floor / Larger Office

Multi-floor or larger headcount

Bespoke Quote

Multi-Site UK Operations

Multiple locations, programme discount available

Priced per Programme

International Programmes

Multiple countries, coordinated

Scoped Individually

All audits include:

Pre-visit document review
On-site or virtual audit
Comprehensive written report
Prioritised action plan
Follow-up consultation to discuss findings

The cost of not auditing is significantly higher. HSE fines for serious health and safety offences regularly reach six figures, and director prosecution carries the additional risk of personal criminal liability.

DELIVERY OPTIONS

On-Site or Virtual:
Same Standard, Same Report

Arinite delivers audits both on-site and virtually. The methodology and report standard are identical.

On-Site Audit

On-site audits are the default for any engagement where physical workplace conditions need to be assessed directly. The consultant visits your premises, conducts the inspection, interviews relevant staff, and reviews documentation.

Virtual Audit

Virtual audits use video walkthroughs, screen-shared document review, and structured interviews. They are effective for office environments, for international locations where travel would add cost and delay, and for initial scoping ahead of a full on-site visit.

Many clients use a combination: virtual audit for document review and management system assessment, followed by targeted on-site visits for physical workplace inspection.

YOUR DELIVERABLES

What You Receive
After the Audit

Every Arinite audit delivers a comprehensive written report (typically 40 to 80 pages) covering every area within the agreed scope.

Red: Non-compliant / immediate action
Amber: Improvement needed
Green: Compliant
Findings colour-coded by risk level (red for non-compliant, amber for improvement needed, green for compliant)
Specific references to the legislation breached for each finding
Practical recommendations (not generic advice)
A prioritised action plan with clear timescales and assigned responsibilities
An executive summary suitable for board-level reporting

All findings are uploaded to Arinite's health and safety software, giving you a digital compliance record with automated review reminders and action tracking.

For partnership clients, Arinite implements the action plan directly rather than leaving it to you.

CHOOSING A PROVIDER

Health and Safety Audit Companies:
How to Choose

When comparing health and safety audit companies, there are five questions that separate a provider who will add value from one who will hand over a generic report.

1

What qualifications do the auditors hold?

Chartered status with IOSH represents the highest level of professional competence. Ask for it.

2

Do they audit and implement, or just audit?

Most health and safety audit companies conduct the audit, deliver the report, and leave. You are then responsible for implementing the findings, which is where most businesses stall. Arinite audits, reports, and implements.

3

Will they act as your competent person?

If the audit identifies that you do not have a competent person appointed (which it almost certainly will, because most businesses do not), can the same provider fill that role? Arinite can.

4

Do they provide ongoing support?

A one-off audit is valuable but time-limited. Compliance is not a moment, it is a continuous process. Arinite's partnership models (Done For You and Done With You) provide ongoing monitoring, annual re-audits, and continuous compliance management.

5

Do they understand your sector?

A manufacturing safety consultant auditing a financial services firm will miss the actual risks. Arinite specialises in office-based and professional services businesses while also covering 25+ sectors through specialist consultants.

LONDON & NATIONWIDE

Health and Safety Audits in
London and Across the UK

Arinite is headquartered in London and delivers audits across the UK and in 50+ countries. For London-based businesses, we offer rapid scheduling with consultants who know the local HSE expectations.

For multi-site businesses, our health and safety software provides a single dashboard showing the audit status, findings, and action plan progress for every location in your portfolio.
Looking for health and safety audit services near you? Arinite's Chartered consultants cover London, the South East, Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds, Edinburgh, and all UK regions. For international audits, we coordinate with locally qualified consultants in every country where Arinite operates.

Looking for health and safety audit services near you? Arinite's Chartered consultants cover London and all UK regions, plus 50+ countries worldwide.

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