What is Internal Auditing?

Internal Auditing is an independent, objective assurance and consulting activity designed to add value and improve an organization’s operations.  It helps an organization accomplish its objectives by bringing a systematic, disciplined approach to evaluate and improve the effectiveness of risk management, control, and governance processes.

The Internal Auditor’s responsibilities with respect to the internal audit function. The Internal Auditor describes audit planning and scheduling, and discusses, the internal audit function may be provided by in-house staff or an outsourced team. Whether internal audit is a part of the organization or not its structure would depend on:

Business of the organization

Geographical locations

Culture of the organization

Control risks

Environment

Scope of Internal Audits

The internal audit function’s scope of operations is by its very nature quite expansive. The internal audit function will assist the College in fulfilling its vision, mission, strategic initiatives, and objectives, while adhering to its core values, by bringing a systematic, disciplined approach to evaluate and improve the effectiveness of enterprise-wide risk management, internal control systems, and governance processes.

Ultimately, the internal audit function will help ensure:

Risks are appropriately identified and managed;

Significant financial, managerial, and operating information is accurate, reliable, and timely;

Employees’ actions are in compliance with, standards, procedures, and applicable laws and regulations;

acquired economically, used efficiently, and adequately safeguarded;

Internal controls, good business judgment, and high ethical standards;

Quality and continuous improvement are fostered in the internal control processes; and

Significant legislative or regulatory issues impacting the addressed appropriately.

Effectiveness of internal audit function

The audit committee should annually assess the effectiveness of the internal Audit function. Internal audit should be assessed against the following Criteria:

I. Achievement of the annual internal audit plan;

ii. Compliance with IIA’s professional standards inclusive of quality assurance assessments on the level of compliance achieved;

iii. Achievement of reporting protocols through management to the audit committee;

iv. Timeliness of reporting of findings and activities;

v. Responsiveness to changing business/operational environment;

vi. Management’s acceptance of the internal audit findings;

vii. Quality and relevance of the annual assessment reports;

viii. Level of cooperation and interaction with other assurance providers within the agreed combined assurance approach;

ix. Maintenance of adequate staffing/sourcing levels to achieve the required to meet the requirements of this charter; and

x. Meeting the budget allocated to internal audit.

Types of Audits

Departmental Audits

Financial Audits

Operational Audits

Grant and Contract Audits

Fraud and Financial Irregularity Audits

Follow-up Audits

Internal Audit Procedures and Techniques

1. Observation and Inquiry

2. Analysis and Review

3. Inspection

I. Vouching

II. Recompilation

III. Retracing of Bookkeeping Procedures

IV. Physical Examination and Count

4. Confirming

Review of charter

This charter must be updated at least once a year but more frequently as circumstances may necessitate. It should be approved by the board and endorsed by the audit committee, in order to formally establish the authority of the internal audit function

Article by James Smith

What does proper scheduling and scrutinizing documentation have to do with your achievement? Self audit’s a process. Prior to jumping in and taking on the job, you need to gear yourself and your staff for it. As you most likely know, government payers are not the only insurers who carry out audits. Private insurance companies too audit practices; therefore you should see to it that your gastroenterology office will be left hassle-free should an auditor pay a visit. Sense of purpose: If your gastroenterology practice does not conduct regular internal audits, you are probably losing money and overlooking billing mistakes that could end up in missed billing opportunities and wrong coding. Figure out areas where your practice’s inefficiencies may be delaying payment or allowing for missed charges, while also evaluating your compliance with payer regulation and coding guidelines by learning how, when, and why to carry out internal audits. Demythologize some important elements of self audit that are embedded within the following fabrications. Myth one: Internal audits Internal audits are a way to ensure you’re on track and nothing has gone awry; as such you need to let every member of your practice including physicians and non-physician practitioners – know why you are doing an internal audit. Owing to the stigma that the word ‘audit’ brings to most people, you’d most likely have to figure out whether they are helping to bring in the right amount of money and cutting out denials. Everyone in your practice should understand that there is light at the end of the tunnel: Internal audits can bring about opportunities for education, opportunities for the development of better forms, and opportunities to tune up the practice. What’s more, internal chart audits make it possible to find and correct coding errors and self report, rather than letting the payer find them. Reality: Internal audits are the main thing that’ll protect providers. Auditing is a method of determining which providers need education related to documentation and proper code selection. As a matter of fact, a large percentage of the audit focuses on the doctor’s documentation, and not how the coders and their managers are carrying out their tasks. If staff members are apprehensive of losing their jobs, they’re misinformed. Doctors are happy to improve documentation as it keeps them from a government audit by not raising flags, and it often brings in more money. Myth two: All audits have the same approach As a matter of fact, there are two types of internal chart audits your practice needs to look at prior to determining which work best in your office.

Prospective audit — Your practice examines new claims prior to filing them.Retrospective audit — Your practice examines paid claims. A prospective audit helps you identify and rectify problems prior to sending the claim, which could mean you will discover improper coding or charges that would otherwise have been missed. However, remember that this type of chart audit can potentially delay billing. Choice: Retrospective chart audits don’t delay billing, however causes your office to be reactive by refilling claims rather than proactive in finding problems prior to submitting the claim. Your practice must figure out itself what types of audits your staff can practically complete and what effects on claims submission timing and cash flow the practice can handle. When reviewing charts, most auditing specialists recommend that you review 10 to 15 records per physician during your audit – you should examine the documentation and figure out which ICD-9 and CPT codes you think apply to the chart, then check which codes were in reality assigned to the services. Myth three: End and start audits whenever you like Schedule gives life to the whole internal audit process; minus this, all your efforts might go to waste. Depending on the size and type of your practice, you should decide how often your practice carries out an internal audit. Think about the amount of resources the practice can devote to the audit when conducting day-to-day office business. Pointer: Bear in mind that the more often you can audit, the cleaner your claims will continue. At a minimum, you should carry out an internal audit at least two times a year. After you have prepared your staff for the auditing process and determined when you will carry out an audit, you will need to define and focus on the audit. First enquire what do we want to accomplish and then focus on these points: Figure out the audit’s scope. Which providers, services, date range and payers will it address? Figure out how to choose charts. Will you fix this process for each provider or will you randomize the chart selection? Pull charts and organize supporting documentation, say for instance a printout of physician notes, account billing history, CMS 1500 forms and explanations of benefits. For more on internal audits and for other medical coding updates, stay tuned to a medical coding guide like Supercoder!

About the Author

We provide you simple, instant connection to official code descriptors & guidelines and other tools for 2010 CPT code, HCPCS lookup that help coders and billers to excel in the work they do every day.

(A). Definition of the internal auditor’s & external auditors:

Internal auditing is an independent, objective assurance and consulting activity designed to add value and improve an organization’s operations. It helps an organization accomplish its objectives by bringing a systematic, disciplined approach to evaluate and improve the effectiveness of risk management, control and governance processes.

.

Extension of external audit Internal audit developed as an extension of the external audit role in testing the reliability of accounting records that contribute to published financial statements. The external auditing standards are very much focused on the effectiveness of external audit (with efficiency being a secondary consideration). Emphasizing audit effectiveness can be sourced back to the imperative that the external auditor must be, and be seen to be, independent. From the perspective of the external auditor, internal audit is a component of the control environment of the entity,

(B). Renowned the internal auditor’s & external auditors:

A statutory audit is one required by a country’s laws, sometimes called an external audit, since it is carried out by independent external auditors. They are renowned from internal auditors for two main reasons:

(1) The internal auditor’s primary responsibility is appraising an entity’s risk management strategy and practices, management (including IT) control frameworks and governance processes, and

(2) They do not express an opinion on the entity’s financial statements. Besides providing audit services, external auditors also provide different other kind of services. Most common of them are reviews of financial statements and compilation

In review auditors are generally required to tick and tie numbers to general ledger and make inquiries of management. In compilation auditors are required to take a look at financial statement to make sure they are free of obvious misstatements and errors

(C). Objectives of internal auditor’s & external auditors:

The External Auditor: The external auditor seeks to test the underlying transactions that form the basis of the financial statements.

The internal Auditor: The internal auditor, on the other hand, seeks to advise management on whether its major operations have sound systems of risk management and internal controls.

(D). Involvements organizational Activities of Internal & External Audit:

I. Financial systems may be considered by the external auditor as a short-cut to verifying all the figures in the accounts to complete the audit process. The internal auditor will also cover these systems as part of the audit plan.

II. Overall risk management arrangements are the main preoccupation of the internal auditor who is concerned with all those controls fundamental to the achievement of organizational objectives.

III. The final accounts are the main preoccupation of the external auditor who is concerned that the data presented in the accounts present a true and fair view of the financial affairs of the organization:

(E). Relationship between internal audit and external audit:

The first relevant study regarding the interaction between internal audit and external audit the relationship with external audit is only ostensibly a very good one. This assessment was conducted of two groups: first group was represented by internal audit directors, and the second group was formed by staff auditors who work directly which external auditors. Both groups were asked to evaluate the overall performance of their organization’s external auditor and their perceived relationship with the external auditor. Next, we present the main results obtained through this assessment:

• 92% from internal audit directors appreciated that external auditors make full use of the expertise of the internal audit staff;

• 50% of internal audit directors perceived that relationship between internal audit and external audit is an “excellent” one, while 31% appreciate this relationship as “good”;

• Staff auditors differed substantially in their perceptions of the external auditors’ of the internal auditor’s expertise. Only 39% of staff auditors considered that the external auditors fully utilized their expertise;

• The majority of the respondent directors reported that they were furnished access to the letter of external audit either before or after presentation to the board of directors. They are also asked to comment on its findings;

• another conclusion of this survey was that, generally, individual external auditors do not recognize the contribution of individual internal audit staffs, internal auditors considering that that they perform more than one third of the external audit work;

• Internal auditing emphasizes operational auditing and may involve non-financial data, whereas financial auditing is concerned primarily with historical data, in order to be able to identify possible ways of improving future business operations. Internal audit staffs consider their external audit tasks to be less important that the work they perform as operational auditors.

• General conclusion of this assessment was that internal audit directors perceived a good

Relationship between internal and external auditors, and this perception could be the result of company policies which give internal auditing

(1) A direct reporting relationship to the audit committee of the board of directors, and

(2) The opportunity to respond to any criticism by the external auditors in the management letters

(F). Career Path

Many students are attracted to the IA profession by the idea of helping corporations keep on the straight and narrow when it comes to producing truthful information about a company’s financial health. Many are also interested in the systems and processes used throughout these giant organizations to keep their operations running smoothly on a day-to-day basis. a greater number of employers are seeking internal auditors. Growth in accounting and auditor positions is expected to increase 18% within a few years,

(G). Auditing Standards that Apply to Internal Auditors:

Members of the Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA) are required to comply with the International Standards for the Professional Practice of Internal Auditing. The requirements that guide the relationship with the external auditor are set out in:

•Performance Standard 2050: Co-ordination; and

•Practice Advisory 2050-1: Co-ordination.

“The chief audit executive should share information and co-ordinate activities with other internal and external providers of relevant assurance and consulting services to ensure proper coverage and minimize duplication of efforts.”

(H). Auditing Standards that Apply to External Auditors:

The relationship with internal audit is specified in the New Zealand Institute of Chartered Accountants (NZICA) Auditing Standard AS-604: Considering the Work of Internal Audit and the accompanying Auditor-General’s Statement AG-6041.

(I). Formal Protocols between Internal and External Auditors:

In recent times we have seen the development of formal protocols between internal and external auditors. Protocols can be useful if they contribute to improved audit transparency and an understanding of the respective roles of internal and external auditors.

Some protocols we have seen are unacceptable in that they are worded in the form of a contract or agreement that gives the appearance that the external auditor is not independent of the entity.

(J). “Hold Harmless” Letters

On occasions the external auditor is asked to sign a “hold harmless” letter before being given access to the internal audit files. This is often the case when the entity outsourcers its internal audit activity to a chartered accounting firm.

External auditors have no difficulty signing a hold harmless letter because the responsibility

To render an opinion on the financial statements rests solely with the external auditor. That responsibility is not divisible and cannot be reduced by internal auditor involvement irrespective of the existence of a hold harmless letter.

(K). Difference between external and internal auditors

External auditors can be government auditors or independent public accounting firms that Cornell hires. Government auditors focus primarily on compliance with government regulations and award terms. Since both federal and state governments fund a significant portion of the organizations activities, they want to make sure we use their money as they intended. Internal auditors sometimes look at the same data or perform some of the same steps as external auditors. If there is a problem, it’s better to find it and fix it before external auditors review our practices.

The main differences between internal and external audit functions is following

01. Position inside the organization:

Internal Audit: The internal auditors’ are part of the organization. Their objectives are determined by professional standards, the board, and management. Their primary clients are management and the board.

External audit: External auditors are not part of the organization, but are engaged by it. Their objectives are set primarily by statute and their primary client – the board of directors.

02. Objectives:

Internal Audit: The internal auditor’s scope of work is comprehensive. It serves the organization by helping it accomplish its objectives, and improving operations, risk management, internal controls, and governance processes. Concerned with all aspects of the organization – both financial and non-financial – the internal auditors focus on future events as a result of their continuous review and evaluation of controls and processes.

External audit: The primary mission of the external auditors is to provide an independent opinion on the organization’s financial statements, annually.

03. Independence:

Internal Audit: Internal audit must be independent from the audited activities.

External audit: External audit is independent from its client, the organization, its independence being specific to liberal professions.

04. Approach of internal control:

Internal Audit: Internal audit regards all the aspects regarding the organization’s internal

Control system.

External audit: External audit regards the internal control system only from the materiality Perspective, which permits them to eliminate those errors that aren’t significant, because they don’t have influences over the financial results.

05. Frequency of the audit:

Internal Audit: Internal audit performs during the entire year, having specific missions Established in according with the level of risks identified for each auditable entity.

External audit: External audit is an activity with a yearly frequency, as a rule, at the end of the year.

06. Approach of risk:

Internal Audit: The importance of risk for the planning of internal audit activity is very high

the assessment of risk being combined with other types of information like financial and operational.

External audit: External audit uses the information of risks for the determination of nature, period of time and necessary audit procedures that should be performed in the auditable area, taking into consideration only financial aspects.

(L).The Main Similarities:

The main similarities between internal and external audit are as follows

01. Both internal audit and external audit profession are governed by one set of international standards issued by the professional organism specific for each profession. This set of international standards includes the professional standards and the ethical code;

02. Both the internal auditor and the external auditor will be worried if procedures were very poor and/or there was a basic ignorance of the importance of adhering to them.

03. Risk is a very important element the planning process for both internal and external auditors;

04. Both are based in a professional discipline and operate to professional standards.

05. Both seek active co-operation between the two functions

06. For both professions, the independence of the auditor is very important;

07. Both tend to be deeply involved in information systems since this is a major element of managerial control as well as being fundamental to the financial reporting process.

08. Both are intimately tied up with the organization’s systems of internal control.

09. Both are concerned with the occurrence and effect of errors and misstatement that affect the final accounts.

10. Both produce formal audit reports on their activities.

(M).Conclusion:

According to IIA recommendations, the ideal situation is when the internal and external Auditors meet periodically to discuss common interests; although moving up in the field can involve some dues-paying work, IA also provides the opportunity to work with senior management and get involved in different areas of an organization. Benefit from their complementary skills, areas of expertise, and perspectives; gain understanding of each other’s scope of work and methods; discuss audit coverage and scheduling to minimize redundancies; provide access to reports, programs and working papers; and jointly assess areas of risk. In fulfilling its oversight responsibilities for assurance, the board should require coordination of internal and external audit work to increase economy, efficiency, and effectiveness of the overall audit process. Auditing processes for both internal auditors and external auditors have changed globalization of business, advances in technology, and demands for value-added audits have become very important figures in any corporation

When we think of search engine rankings, we consider all aspects of SEO. Right from keyword research, meta tags optimization and link building to SMO services, we lay all our efforts in the right direction. Many-a-times we don’t even shy away from spending a lot on these services. But when it’s about ‘Web hosting’, our general tendency is to avail some “cheap web hosting” services. It is indeed a good marketing effort not to spend so much on a service which can be done on lesser prices. And many-a-times, cheap prices don’t mean cheap and inferior services. But not always! Besides, bad web hosting can also negatively affect your website’s ranking. How? Read on…

The chances of diminished SERP rankings in this regard are often with Shared Web Hosting. As in Shared Web Hosting many websites are shared on the same IP, it becomes increasingly important to check which websites are sharing your server. Many a times, the so-called “cheap web hosting service providers”, in a quest to earn huge profits, host few unethical websites on the shared server system. And if any of those websites are banned by the search engines, due to any reason what-so-ever, it is likely that your website also gets listed in the ‘Banned Websites’ category of the search engines.

Many search engines blacklist few sites like those of casinos, adult sites and porn sites. When the crawlers are made to visit such banished sites, they track the host server and IP address, and ban them. Unfortunately, if your website is enlisted on the same shared server, chances are that your site gets banned too.

Most obviously, the web hosting companies would deny hosting such sites. It then becomes your responsibility to select a right web host company. Give a thorough check to the company’s credibility; see its client base and fan following, and don’t forget to read its ‘terms and conditions’ policy.

Similarly, while selecting a Domain name for your company, you should keep the SEO factor in mind. If you are a florist based in New Delhi, and want a website for promotion, it’s better to take an .in domain, which speaks your identity.

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Today, due to lack of time, well planning and management, it is not possible to arrange an event in the most efficient manner. Events, whether they are fashion shows, conference meetings, seminars, tradeshows, exhibitions, product launching, awards ceremonies, concerts or wedding/birthday parties, you need perfect planning and management. However, the success and failure of the event is depended on the management and planning. This is the main reason; now most of the people are looking for event management service companies to make their events successful. Nowadays, events industry is gaining popularity and organizers are looking for innovative ways to manage the events. Keeping all these facts in mind, there are a number of online management companies offering you flexible and easy event registration system with event registration software to manage events in a well-organized way.

Interestingly, event registration is one of the unnoticed parts of event management that most of the organizers ignore. But the fact is that, it is one of the important parts that not only recognize the target audience, but also keep your events organized in an efficient manner. Online event registration process also helps in creating, promoting and managing your events and selling tickets online. Today, there are also a number of software tools that help in accepting and managing registrations online.

Event registration its related software helps in registered target audience and organizers. Thus, they help in increasing brand awareness and adding additional revenue. The software also helps in selling tickets online, collect payments online, informing organizers with updated financial reports, send invitations online and publishes your event online with regular updates. One of the interesting facts about the software is that it is specially developed to meet every requirement of the event from start to finish.

Right from collecting registrations and manage registrations to taking payments; it helps in a unique way to make your event successful. It not only manages registrations, but also saves a good amount of time and money to manage events. No doubt, this type of software is very dynamic that helps you in managing every aspect of the event with one fully-integrated system. The software also helps in receiving payments instantly and makes free promotions on various search engines and event directories.

There are a number of online event management service companies that offer you convenient online event registration services as well as online ticketing solutions to organize, create and manage your events. They also offer you free event signup as well as event registration and keep your events updated with event registration software.

Article by Article Expert

Today, due to lack of time, well planning and management, it is not possible to arrange an event in the most efficient manner. Events, whether they are fashion shows, conference meetings, seminars, tradeshows, exhibitions, product launching, awards ceremonies, concerts or wedding/birthday parties, you need perfect planning and management. However, the success and failure of the event is depended on the management and planning. This is the main reason; now most of the people are looking for event management service companies to make their events successful. Nowadays, events industry is gaining popularity and organizers are looking for innovative ways to manage the events. Keeping all these facts in mind, there are a number of online management companies offering you flexible and easy event registration system with event registration software to manage events in a well-organized way.

Interestingly, event registration is one of the unnoticed parts of event management that most of the organizers ignore. But the fact is that, it is one of the important parts that not only recognize the target audience, but also keep your events organized in an efficient manner. Online event registration process also helps in creating, promoting and managing your events and selling tickets online. Today, there are also a number of software tools that help in accepting and managing registrations online.

Event registration its related software helps in registered target audience and organizers. Thus, they help in increasing brand awareness and adding additional revenue. The software also helps in selling tickets online, collect payments online, informing organizers with updated financial reports, send invitations online and publishes your event online with regular updates. One of the interesting facts about the software is that it is specially developed to meet every requirement of the event from start to finish.

Right from collecting registrations and manage registrations to taking payments; it helps in a unique way to make your event successful. It not only manages registrations, but also saves a good amount of time and money to manage events. No doubt, this type of software is very dynamic that helps you in managing every aspect of the event with one fully-integrated system. The software also helps in receiving payments instantly and makes free promotions on various search engines and event directories.

There are a number of online event management service companies that offer you convenient online event registration services as well as online ticketing solutions to organize, create and manage your events. They also offer you free event signup as well as event registration and keep your events updated with event registration software.

About the Author

eventsbot.com offers convenient online Event Registration service and online ticketing solutions for seminars, conferences, exhibitions, meetings, etc. We also offer you a flexible and easy event management system with Event Registration Software to manage events in a well-organized way.

Article by Hector Klein

Understanding the console management systems is very important for business owners who operate from more than one location. In earlier times, large companies were required to employ on-site computer professionals to carry out system checks and install business applications and operating systems. Nowadays, to ensure smooth functioning of everything, remote access by system administrators is used to control services, computers and different types of business electronics. Thousands of dollars can be saved by large corporations using out of band management system, which is a new variety of remote access system. It saves money in staffing as well as operational costs by using single off-site office by the IT department. If business owners want to save money it is necessary for them to understand what are the advantages of working with out of band management system and how console management functions. It will help in getting more benefits compared to the in-band management.

To access servers and system devices remotely, in terms of console management, the administrators can use two different types of systems. For the IT world the first introduction to the console management came through in-band management systems. In this system the channels are used mostly through Ethernet ports. It is used to control and manage system devices and servers. Because the usual data channels are used by the in-band management, it creates some limitation when there is malfunctioning of the systems, as these devices require to be powered on for remotely accessing them. It may cost lots of money to the organization by malfunctioning of such vulnerable systems.

This vulnerability issue is addressed by using a common solution in the form of out of band management systems. The problems are the result of using in-band management, also known as Lights Out Management (LOM). By having a dedicated channel to access remotely, this problem is solved by the out of band management systems. Even if the devices are powered off, authorized personnel and system administrators still have access to devices, applications, services and computers using the dedicated channel. This provides a great solution to companies that do not want to lose control of their business systems when a device or computer stops working. Out of band management systems that were developed in the early 1980′s, have been perfected over time and now these can manage much more than the earlier versions.

Saving money is topmost priority for business owners in present-day economy. If on-site computers professionals are being used to manage business applications and computers then the advantages of employing new out of band system should be considered. Computer technicians and IT managers can be allowed by console managers to access servers and system devices remotely for routine repairs, installations and maintenance. Operational costs can be cut significantly by eliminating the costs involved with managing computing devices. There may be some cost involved in the running of a new console management system. These expenses may seem costly initially but once the savings are realized, its usefulness will become clear.

About the Author

Visit Out of Band Management for more information or visit our blog at http://www.lwfx.com/2011/02/benefits-of-out-of-band-management-2/.

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Article by The Safety Bloke

I guess there are a couple of answers to this question. It depends on what type of safety management system we’re talking about and what you want it to achieve.

Before looking at these questions it would be useful to describe just what a safety management system is or at least what I mean by the term so you at least have some understanding about what I’m rambling on about.

For me a safety management system is a documented set of policies, procedures and work instructions that describe how a business manages and minimises the risk of injury to its workforce. There are some expansions to this but this is essentially what I’m talking about.

Now back to the original questions. Why do you want a safety management system? I doubt that it’s because you have a vacant spot on your bookshelf that you need to fill with another folder that no one reads. Is it because you need one so you can bid on a new contract that requires you to have one? Are unions/regulators giving you a hard time because you don’t have any safety documentation? These reasons are not as uncommon as you might think and before you spend a stack of time and money on a safety management system be sure you understand what you want from one. There are a stack of internet sites that will sell you a system and some will even customise them to suit your industry. There are probably not quite as many consultants and business associations who will provide you with a stack of fancy folders filled with printed paper with your company logo at the top that will also fit the bill.

Beware of this “cookie-cutter” approach though because it does have its pitfalls. I was once reviewing the safety management system of a contractor who’d engaged a consultant to develop a safety management system because it was a requirement of the contract specification. However, there was a major problem with the manuals he provided – he was going to have his work crews working 12 metres above ground and there wasn’t a single mention anywhere in his safety manuals about how the height safety issues inherent in the job would be managed. He had paid a lot of money to get a safety management system from a consultant who knew nothing about his business or the way he worked and it was money wasted because his tender didn’t get past the first review simply because of this gap in the documentation. For this contractor the safety management system obviously didn’t work because it didn’t get him the job which was why he bought it in the first place. However, for many others this approach has worked and has been enough to satisfy whatever external demands were placed on the business.

Internal pressures can also lead to business owners looking for easy, cheap quick fix solutions. Stroppy employees, shop stewards, H&S representatives or workers who are having a lot of injuries – having a safety management system sitting on the shelf allows you to point to it the next time someone gets hurt and tell them to read it and follow the safety rules. Like those systems developed to cope with external pressures, this type of system may also fulfill what it was expected to do but neither approach will do much to reduce the number of incidents and injuries your business is experiencing and this is the true test of how effective a safety management system. Why? Because they are put in place to create an appearance of having a safety management system and that’s all they do and if that’s all you want then they’ll fit the bill.

However, if you genuinely want to do something about reducing the number of incidents and injuries happening to you and your workforce then a properly developed and implemented safety management system is essential.

A good system will be relevant to what you do and how you do it and it should integrate with other management systems that you have in place. It should focus on reducing risk not reducing injuries – the latter comes from the former not the other way around. It should encourage reporting injuries and incidents not hiding them. When incidents or injuries are reported a good system will seek to find out what went wrong and how it can be corrected rather than who is to be blamed. It will encourage input from the workforce not be another command and control system for management. It will have performance measures other than the number of injuries and incidents that are happening and mechanisms for these measures to be regularly reviewed to ensure that targets and goals are being met.

Such a system is not just a folder on the shelf but is a living thing. It changes constantly as new ways of doing things are identified, new goals are established and knowledge is acquired. It is not a quick fix, it is not necessarily the cheapest or easiest option. It requires ongoing commitment from all of the players – workers, supervisors, managers, owners, boards of directors. And it is not fail-safe. A good safety management system is not a guarantee that workplace incidents and injuries won’t happen but at least the system will allow those involved some degree of comfort in knowing that they did their best to avoid them.

So, to answer the question: Yes, safety management systems do work and will deliver whatever you want them to – you just have to know what you want them to deliver.

About the Author

The Safety Bloke draws on his more than 30 years of working in full time safety roles to his articles and comments. Visit his blog at http://www.thesafetybloke.com if you have any questions, comments or suggestions.

See you there.

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Ever since the introduction of content management system or CMS, managing and updating the websites’ content has become extremely easy. Using a content management system, a website owner can easily edit, update and manage his site’s content without any professional help. This is because a CMS does not require any technical knowledge or coding skills. CMS web design is very convenient and economical. With the help of CMS web development a website can be launched easily. There are many good reasons to use a content management system.

1.Cost-effective: Using a content management system is very cost-effective. It allows you to use an inexpensive or free software and helps you to save lots of money.

2.Easy to handle: If you can use computer well, you can easily work with most of the CMS. Anyone who knows how to send an e-mail, use Microsoft word or set up a Facebook account can easily use a CMS. And in most cases normal use does not run the risk of ruining the design.

3.Do it yourself: By using a CMS, you move ahead to the world of ‘do it yourself’. You do not have to wait for and pay a programmer to fix up the errors. Thus it helps you to save both time and money.

4.Many users: Most of the CMS solutions are available online and offer multiple users. This means that you are not the only one who can fix something. You can access it from anywhere. All you need is an internet connection. That also means your important site is backed up on a secure server with multiple redundancies, not some high school kid’s laptop.

5.Boosts Search engine results: This is one of the most important feature of CMS. Most of the CMS software make it easier to optimise your search engine results. This means that your website stands much better chances of landing on the first page of Google results. This way more people will be able to find you and you will get more visitors.

6.Security: Most of the content management systems store your information in a database where access control mechanism can easily restrict the access to your content. If done in a proper manner, the information is only accessible via the CMS thereby providing better protection for your site’s content from many standard website attacks.

Therefore, it is clear that CMS makes the task of managing a website quite easy and convenient. It will not only make the task of managing your content hassle free, but will also ensure that your business web design looks extremely presentable and attractive.

About the Author

Pixelcrayons offers best CMS Web Design & development services & content management system solutions at affordable price. Hire professional Joomla Developers at PixelCrayons.

China has become in two decades the world’s factory.

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You import products from China?

You buy from Chinese factories?

You must therefore face at a constant problem of quality.

How to find the right factory in China?

How to check the quality of production?

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With 6 years of experience in quality control and factory auditing and thanks to the excellent collaboration with our fifty inspectors qualified in engineering, China Quality Focus is able to perform all your inspections from the beginning of the production to the dispatch of finished products.

Our coverage area is the whole Chinese territory and the major cities of East Asia.

You can order our services online via our website and you can manage all of your inspections from it.

With working over hundreds of clients worldwide, we successfully help our clients from receiving defective products and failed goods. We are not claiming that we’re saving lives for our clients. However we did find problems usually when inspecting goods.

To start using our China Inspection services, register on our website.