Tips & Tricks of the Trade – Sharon Carvolth

Sharon Carvolth is the founding principal of Audit Services International, a health, safety, environment and community consultancy that provides audit, training and risk management services to the global mining industry.

With over 27 years in the industry and a host of achievements under her belt (including being named the 1997 Queensland Young Australian of the Year), Sharon understands the importance of having some solid #TipsandTricksoftheTrade up her sleeve.

“Learning new tips and ways of doing things enables auditors to grow and change their skill sets, while also helping them improve their performance,” said Sharon.

“Ultimately this will help them be more professional, resilient and time efficient; and therefore more productive.”

Sharon said that the most valuable trick she has learnt in recent times is the use of data capture tables for her clients in the mining sector, where there is a heavy reliance on “critical controls”.

“For example, if I know that the audit criteria is: a 35m wide roadway (dual carriage way) that includes: a center bund at an intersection that 1.2m high and 50m; a keep left sign at the bund ; stop sign at the intersection and a stop sign ahead at least 150m before the intersection, I can prepare a table with all of those requirements and make an assessment as to whether or not the criteria has been met,” she explained.

For example:

Sharon said that the results captured in the data tables allow her to draw appropriate conclusions about compliance.

“Some conclusions that could be drawn are that 100% of roads were constructed to  >35m wide and with center bunds and stop signs at the intersection as per the procedure,” she continued.

“However, 33% of roadways intersections were not compliant with center bund heights, placement of keep left signs and stop ahead signs.”

According to Sharon, she has seen a multitude of benefits since using this form of data collection.

“Using the tables provides transparency to the audit client on what you saw and where, while also demonstrating alignment to key requirements or characteristics,” she added.

“It also enables me to conduct statistical analysis of the data and promotes corrective action at the systems level, not the symptom level.”