When it comes to the NSC audit, trucking companies should not ignore this activity. Undergoing such a type of audit ensures that organizations meet safety regulations and maintain a high standard of compliance.
These audits help trucking business owners to know the safety practices they are following and what improvements they need to make.
The National Safety Council audit is important as it provides trucking companies with an overview of whether they are following proper procedures for drivers’ safety or they are making common mistakes which can lead to costly penalties.
In this article, we talk about common audit mistakes that often lead to compliance issues and provide guidance on how to avoid them.
1. Lack of Preparation
One of the most common mistakes trucking companies’ business owners make is that they do not prepare for an audit. They begin preparing for audits at the last minute due to which critical safety issues may go unaddressed, eventually leading to non-compliance.
Proper preparation involves conducting internal reviews of all safety policies, procedures, and records. This includes ensuring that safety protocols are up-to-date and in line with current regulations. Failing to provide auditors with comprehensive and accurate documentation is a surefire way to fail the audit process.
Avoiding such mistakes with proper preparation involves conducting internal reviews of all safety policies, procedures and records. When your audit date is scheduled, check if your trucking company is following all the safety protocols so that you can provide auditors with comprehensive and accurate documentation to pass the audit.
How to Avoid This Mistake?
Regularly review your safety practices and documentation, ideally every quarter. Designate a team to handle the audit process well ahead of time, ensuring that all necessary information is organized and ready for inspection.
2. Inadequate Employee Training and Involvement
Compliance with safety regulations is not just about holding physical documents. It’s about ensuring that employees are adequately trained and aware of the regulations in place. One common mistake that trucking business owners usually make is assuming that employees already know safety procedures.
How to Avoid This Mistake?
To avoid such mistakes you as trucking business owners should conduct training programs on a monthly or quarterly basis. Make sure your employees are well-trained and have knowledge of emergencies.
3. Failing to Document Corrective Actions
Another common mistake that usually leads trucking businesses to compliance issues is not following documented corrective actions contrary to previous audit findings or safety incidents.
Without proper records of the actions taken to improve previous mistakes, auditors will assume that issues are either unresolved or not being taken seriously.
How to Avoid This Mistake?
In order to avoid such mistakes ensure that all corrective actions are meticulously documented. Inspect whether the necessary steps are taken to resolve each issue detected in the previous audit or not. This shows auditors that your organization is proactive in maintaining compliance and addressing safety concerns.
4. Ignoring Risk Assessments and Safety Inspections
Another mistake that may result in audit failure is ignoring risk assessments and safety inspections. Inspecting the various safety and risk factors is crucial to a trucking business’s success. However, most organizations fail to conduct thorough and regular assessments. Thus risk assessment need not be one time. It should be followed regularly to ensure compliance with evolving safety standards.
How to Avoid This Mistake?
While avoiding implementing a risk management plan that includes regular inspections. It would be best if you reviewed your safety protocols on a routine basis.
5. Neglecting to Update Policies in Response to Regulatory Changes
Government officials keep updating safety policies and other safety policies. A common mistake that businesses usually make is neglecting to update their safety protocols according to the latest update in government policies which usually leads to non-compliance during an NSC Audit.
How to Avoid This Mistake?
Businesses that always keep up to date with changes to safety regulations and standards usually get positive remarks from auditors. So regularly update your policies and ensure they reflect current legal and regulatory requirements.