Chemical Compliance Standardisation

The problem

Chemical safety requirements were not being met consistently, and audit quality varied depending on who conducted them and how they were performed. This exposed the operation to compliance risk, inefficiencies, and unnecessary time spent on corrective follow‑up.

Chemical compliance safety audits were being completed without a standardised approach. The current process involved desktop auditing through spreadsheets and field inspections with an auditing tool. The approach varied across different site teams, using one method over a structured combination of both. This resulted in duplication, inconsistent outcomes, and lengthy administrative processing, impacting overall productivity.

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The approach

Marlanda led the standardisation of chemical audit processes with a series of targeted improvements to simplify both desktop and field audits.

• Desktop audits were improved through the use of spreadsheet automations that automatically flagged non‑conformances, reducing manual review time and risk of human error.
• Field audits were simplified to focus on active monitoring and verification of chemical storage, handling, and labelling.

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The outcome

Clearly defining the purpose of both tools & refining the fields required for each stakeholder during the audit process had dramatic improvements on overall productivity. Overall duration to complete an audit reduced by 50%, from an average of 3 hours to 1.5 hours per audit. Alongside time efficiencies audit quality, consistency, and compliance confidence improved.

To sustain the success of the chemical compliance and audit standardisation initiative, Marlanda offered ongoing support to ensure the process remains embedded and consistently applied. This includes follow‑up assistance to address questions, reinforce expectations, and maintain audit quality over time.

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Next Steps

To ensure chemical compliance standards remain strong, repeatable, and fit‑for‑purpose, training material, including videos, QRGs, e-learning courses and documentation can be developed. This can be used for long‑term standardisation and onboarding of new personnel.