IRCA OH&S MS AUDITOR/LEAD AUDITOR COURSE

Accredited by IRCA under SEQM Ltd (A17051) and intended to provide learners with the knowledge and skills to perform first, second and third party audits of OH&S management systems. Learners who successfully complete this IRCA certified course will satisfy the training requirements for initial certification as an IRCA OH&S Auditor.

Course Overview

Aim of this course
The aim of this course is to provide students with the knowledge and skills required
to perform first, second and third-party audits of occupational health & safety management systems against OHSAS 18001, in accordance with ISO 19011 and ISO 17021, as applicable.

OH&SMS Auditor certification
Students who successfully complete this OH&SMS Auditor/Lead Auditor course (within the three years prior to making an application to become a certificated auditor) will satisfy the training requirements for initial certification as an IRCA OH&SMS auditor.

Prior Knowledge Requirements

Before starting this course, delegates are expected to have the following prior knowledge:-

a) Knowledge of the following occupational health & safety management principles
and concepts:

• The Plan, Do, Check, Act (PDCA) cycle
• The purpose and benefits of a an occupational health and safety (OH&S) management system
• A basic knowledge of managing occupational health and safety (OH&S) through hazard identification, risk assessment and risk control and compliance with legal and other requirements
• A basic awareness of common examples of relevant national and local OH&S legislation and requirements.
• Commonly used OH&S terms and definitions as given in OHSAS 18001 b) Knowledge of the requirements of OHSAS 18001, which may be gained by completing an IRCA certified OH&SMS Foundation Training course or equivalent.

Attendance

Attendance for the full duration of the course is mandatory and poor time keeping may result in failure.

Use of Mobile Phones, Pagers etc.

The use of mobile phones, pagers etc is forbidden during the teaching. Please switch these devices off when formal training is taking place.

Note Taking

Delegates are encouraged to supplement the course manual materials with their own notes.

Learning Objectives

Learning objectives describe in outline what students will know and be able to do by the end of
the course. On completion, successful students will have the knowledge and skills to:

• Describe the purpose of an OH&S management system including the principles of hazard identification, risk assessment and risk control and compliance with legal and other requirements as described in OHSAS 18001, of OH&S management systems standards, of management system audit and of third-party certification.

• Explain the role of an auditor to plan, conduct, report and follow up an OH&S management system audit in accordance with ISO 19011 (and ISO 17021 where appropriate)

• Plan, conduct, report and follow up an audit of an OH&S management system to establish conformity (or otherwise) with OHSAS 18001 and in accordance with ISO 19011 (and ISO 17021 where appropriate.

Course Format

Each day’s programme is described in the Course Programme.  Each day is divided into four sessions, two before lunch and two after lunch.  The first session precedes the mid-morning break and the second follows the mid morning break. The afternoon sessions are similarly divided.

Your folders are divided into sections, one section per module.  All material used during the course will be provided in your folder.  You will need to allow sufficient time to read and understand the notes which have been provided.

Course Style

All sessions are interactive and delegate participation is encouraged.  Delivery will include presentation by lecture and by interactive exercises and group work.  Visual aids will be used along with  some overheads.  There are numerous exercises and each activity is assessed as part of the overall delegate evaluation.

A model factory will be used and, wherever possible, practical illustrations will be given.  All course presenters have experience of H&S design and implementation, and some have experience of H&S certification and assessment.

Assessment

In order to pass the course a delegate must pass both the continual assessment and examination element.

Continual Assessment

Delegates will be assessed throughout the course.  Participation in, contribution to and involvement in  exercises and the practical audit will be assessed.  Delegates’ overall attitude towards the course as well as attendance and punctuality will also be assessed and contribute to the mark awarded.

Delegates who are unavoidably late may at the tutor's discretion receive additional one to one instruction. However this can not encroach on the listed programme times (except breaks) and must not restrict the tutor’s availability to other delegates during this time. Poor timekeeping, irrespective of cause, will be reflected in the appropriate daily continuous assessment record together with any additional action taken. Repetitive poor timekeeping will result in automatic failure irrespective if time can be made up.

The pass mark for the continual assessment is 60%.

Delegates who fail the continual assessment and who want to apply to IRCA for certification as auditors are required to retake the course or another certified course.

Examination

This examination is closed book.

• A clean copy of OHSAS 18001 and a bilingual dictionary are the only items permitted for reference.

The examination paper is in four sections and the  time allowed is two hours.

90 marks are available. To pass you must achieve at least 63 marks (70%), and you must achieve at least 50% in each of the four sections.
Examination technique
Time management is very important in the examination. For guidance, the average time available is:

• Reading the examination instructions – five minutes
• Section one – fifteen minutes
• Section two – twenty minutes
• Section three – forty minutes
• Section four – forty minutes

Total time available – two hours (120 minutes)

The examination is closed book.

Complaints and Appeals

All delegates have the right to make a complaint or an appeal.  Written details of this process shall be provided upon request.

OH&S Standards

Copies of OHSAS 18001 will be available for reference during the course.

CERTIFICATION
SEQM/IRCA AUDITOR /LEAD AUDITOR/ IRCA

DURATION : 5 days