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These audits are conducted by personnel who are not members of the organization that is being audited. In the case of second‐party audits, within a supply chain, a customer performs an audit of a supplier. Second‐party audits are common in the quality management circles (e.g. ISO 9001), but are not as common in the OH&S area. Third‐party audits refer to audits performed by people independent of the organization being audited. These are typically performed by consultants, and in the management system arena, by what are called, third‐party registrars. Third‐party audits are common in the management system arena.

There are several advantages to using external auditors. First, it should provide access to highly qualified individuals best suited to evaluate the site and its unique operations. Second, there should be fewer time and resource issues that plague internal audit programs because auditors are not being pulled off an already full work schedule. Finally, a report from an unbiased outside firm has the advantage of being perceived as presenting the true picture as it lacks local biases.

Organized labor concerns about external auditors, if any, need to be addressed. A concern that can surface is the potential bias that external auditors may not report bad findings for fear of losing future work with the organization. This concern can be addressed by using credible third‐party auditors who hold themselves to a high level of ethical conduct.