A health and safety audit is a planned look at how well your organization protects people, observes the law, and handles risk. It looks at your rules, the controls you use every day, and the proof that those controls function. An audit looks at your full management system, both on paper and in real life. A short inspection only looks for hazards at the present.
Audit vs. Inspection vs. Risk Assessment
- Inspection: a routine look for hazards (housekeeping, PPE, guarding).
- Risk assessment: a formal method to identify hazards, evaluate risks, and decide controls.
- Audit: a top-to-bottom test of whether your system meets law, standards, and your own procedures.
Why UAE companies can’t skip it
Employers in the UAE must follow national OHS rules and make sure their workers are safe and healthy. Regular audits are the only sure method to show that you are following the rules, find weak controls before they cause problems, and give clients, free zones, and insurers peace of mind that you are in charge. Corporateohs has qualified health and safety experts who know both federal and Emirate-specific OHS standards. This means that your audit will be more than simply a checklist; it will be a meaningful instrument for compliance.
UAE Legal & Regulatory Context You Must Meet
Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021 (Labour Relations)
This national law sets core employer duties and empowers OHS requirements that you must implement across the organisation—think safe systems of work, training, and following establishment safety instructions. Audits should verify you meet these duties in each location and job role.
Ministerial Resolution No. 44 of 2022 (OHS & Labour Accommodation)
Resolution 44/2022 details controls and procedures for occupational health and safety and sets expectations for labour accommodation where provided. Your audit must check both workplace conditions and, if you house workers, accommodation standards (ventilation, occupancy, sanitation, emergency routes).
Emirate/Free-zone Authorities (ADPHC/ADOSH-SF, Dubai Municipality, Trakhees/JAFZA)
- Abu Dhabi: the ADPHC (formerly OSHAD) issues the OSH System Framework (now ADOSH-SF) with manuals and mechanisms—audits in Abu Dhabi should map findings to these elements.
- Dubai Municipality (DM): construction operations must follow the Code of Construction Safety Practice—critical if you build, lift, excavate, or work at height.
- Trakhees/JAFZA: free-zone operators enforce specific EHS rules; audits inside these jurisdictions must reference their OHS regulations and guidelines.
Tip: Create a legal register listing all applicable UAE and local/free-zone requirements and use it as your audit backbone.
Types of H&S Audits
Compliance Audits
Benchmark you against UAE federal, emirate, and free-zone regulations (plus client specs). Ideal if you’ve grown, changed processes, or moved sites.
System Audits (ISO 45001)
Check whether your OHS management system meets ISO 45001 clauses (context, leadership, planning, support, operation, performance evaluation, improvement). Great for certification or tender pre-qualification.
Topic-Specific Audits
Deep dives into high-risk areas: cranes and lifting, confined space, electrical isolation/LOTO, chemical management, heat stress, or contractor control.
Pre-Audit Preparation
corporateohs experts recommend defining the scope, building a legal register, and assembling a competent audit team before the audit begins. This ensures the audit is targeted and effective.
Define Scope, Sites, and Legal Register
Decide which locations, processes, and departments you’re auditing. Pull your legal register, policies, risk assessments, procedures, training matrix, and incident data. This makes the audit targeted, not generic.
Build the Audit Team and Schedule
Use a competent lead auditor (in-house or external) plus subject-matter experts (e.g., lifting, electrical). Confirm access, escorts, and photography rules. Send a document request list one week ahead so the evidence is ready on arrival.
Step-by-Step Audit Method (Field-Tested)
Document Review
Verify there’s an approved OHS policy, clear roles and responsibilities, and evidence of consultation with workers. Check risk assessments, method statements, permits, training records, maintenance logs, emergency plans, incident/near-miss reports, and previous CAPAs. Cross-check each item against Federal Decree-Law 33/2021 and Resolution 44/2022 obligations, plus any ADPHC/DM/Trakhees rules that apply.
Site Walkthroughs & Physical Checks
Walk the process flow: receiving → storage → production → dispatch → waste. Spot hazards and verify controls actually work (machine guarding, interlocks, ventilation, LEV, housekeeping, signage, PPE availability, first aid, emergency exits). For construction, apply DM code items (edge protection, scaffold tags, excavations, lifting plans, exclusion zones).
Worker Interviews & Consultation
Ask operators how tasks are really done, how they report hazards, and whether training matched the risks. Sampling interviews expose gaps that paperwork can’t.
Risk Assessment Deep-Dive (High-Risk Tasks)
Pick 3–5 critical tasks (e.g., working at height, lifting operations, hot work, confined space). Test that hazards were identified, residual risks reduced ALARP, and controls align with UAE/free-zone requirements. Where permits are required (hot work, confined space, electrical isolation), verify they’re used and closed properly.
Training, Competence & Permits
Check induction, job-specific and refresher training, licenses (e.g., crane operator, forklift), and contractor competency. Confirm toolbox talks and permit-to-work systems are active and documented.
Contractors, Visitors & Supply Chain
Confirm contractors receive inductions, are controlled on site, and meet your OHS rules. Review contractor selection criteria, risk assessments, and monitoring records.
Emergency Readiness & Incident Management
Verify alarm systems, drills, muster points, spill kits, eyewash/showers, first-aiders, and clinic tie-ups. Check incident investigation quality and whether root causes drive real corrective actions.
Labour Accommodation & Welfare (Where Applicable)
If you provide accommodation, verify compliance with Resolution 44/2022 occupancy per room, sanitation, potable water, pest control, safe cooking areas, and emergency routes. Tie findings to your legal register.
What to Check — Practical UAE-Focused Checklists
General Workplace
- Housekeeping, slip/trip controls
- Fire risk assessments, extinguishers serviced, exits unblocked
- Electrical safety: panels labeled, no overload/DIY fixes, PAT where required
- Machine safety: guards, E-stops, interlocks, maintenance isolations
- Chemical safety: inventory, MSDS availability, secondary containment, labeling
Construction & Lifting Operations
- Scaffolds erected by competent teams, tagged, and inspected
- Lifting plans, crane inspection certificates, rigging color-coding, and banksman control
- Work-at-height: edge protection, anchor points, rescue plans
- Excavations: shoring, access/egress, gas testing if required, barriers, and lighting
- Apply the Dubai Municipality code in Dubai projects; reference ADOSH-SF in Abu Dhabi.
Heat Stress, Outdoor Work & Summer Rules
- Hydration breaks, shaded rest areas, heat-stress monitoring, and acclimatization
- Midday break compliance during the hottest months
- Training on heat illness signs and buddy checks
- (Your audit should confirm current-year circulars from the competent authority are implemented.)
Chemicals, Storage & MSDS
- Approved chemical list, substitution of highly hazardous chemicals where feasible
- Segregated storage (incompatible classes), spill response, and ventilation
- Up-to-date MSDS (English + languages workers understand)
Scoring, Grading & Nonconformities
corporateohs auditors classify findings into Critical, Major, Minor, or OFI (opportunity for improvement), then trace root causes using proven methods like “5 Whys.”
Classifying Findings
Use a simple scheme:
- Critical: immediate and serious risk (e.g., unprotected roof edges) → stop work.
- Major: legal or system failure that could cause serious harm → fix quickly.
- Minor: improvement needed, but risk controlled.
- OFI: opportunity for improvement.
Root Cause Basics
Apply “5 Whys” or a fishbone diagram. Don’t stop at the visible error; check training, supervision, planning, procurement, and leadership.
KPIs That Prove Your Audit Works
- % actions closed on time
- Recurrence rate of similar findings
- Training completion vs. plan
- Near-miss reporting per 100 workers
- Heat stress incident rate (summer months
Conclusion
A thorough health and safety audit in the UAE is a mix of a legal check, a systems test, and a culture check. Corporate health and safety experts can help your firm meet the requirements of Federal Decree-Law 33/2021, Resolution 44/2022, and emirate-specific laws while also making safety better in the real world.