The National Audit Tool (NAT) is an Occupational Health and safety (OHS) audit tool developed in 2005 by a multi-jurisdictional working party of regulatory bodies under the Heads of Workers Compensation Authorities (HWCA) which draws on the Safety Systems Management Standard (AS/NZS 4801) and other industry-accepted audit tools, including:

• SafetyMAP
• New South Wales Self Insurance Audit Tool
• South Australian Performance Standards for Self-Insurers

The objective behind the NAT Program is to provide organizations, either self-insured for their Worker’s Compensation or those that are not, with a set of common criteria and guidance notes which can be used to review the effectiveness of their safety management systems and to help drive system and performance improvements.

NAT also helps to assess an organization’s legislative compliance to the relevant legislation that applies within their jurisdictions. Certification against the NAT allows for the assessment of all facets of a safety management system and ensures the consistency of these systems across different states.

The full range of benefits on offer from the NAT Program can only be realized through independent verification by an accredited verification body such as BSI. In order to achieve certification, a detailed and thorough audit, including the examination of an organizations processes and documentation, will be carried out to assess effectiveness, verify implementation and provide guidance for further development.

Once an audit has been carried out, a report will be prepared identifying both the positive aspects of the organization’s safety management system and areas not yet meeting audit criteria. The NAT looks at five key components of an organizations safety management system and processes, with specific auditable criteria listed for each.

These include:

1. Health & Safety Policy
2. Planning
3. Implementation
4. Measurement and Evaluation
5. Management Review