ISO 45001
WHAT IS ISO 45001?
ISO 45001:2018 joins OHSAS 18001 as one of the International ISO standards for Occupational Health and Safety Management (OH&S).
Not only will the standard supersede OHSAS 18001, it makes integration with other management systems simpler than ever before; because it shares the new common structure defined by Annex SL, it is directly aligned with the revised versions ISO 9001 and ISO 14001.
IS ISO 45001 RIGHT FOR ME?
If you have certification to OHSAS 18001 you will need to migrate to ISO 45001 to maintain the validity of certification. There is the normal 3 year migration period so there is still time to plan your move over to ISO 45001.
ISO 45001 is right if you and your organization need to demonstrate a commitment in managing the safety of workers and interested parties. If you have already implemented a quality or environmental management sytem aligned with the new Annex SL structure ISO 45001 can be integrated smoothly.
Organizations that implement ISO 45001 need:
- a clear management structure with defined authority and responsibility
- defined objectives for improvement, with measurable results
- a structured approach to risk assessment and reduction
and Health & safety management failures, performance and the review of policies and objectives should be regularly monitored to ensure improvements and business benefits are realised and prioritised accordingly.
BENEFITS OF ISO 45001 CERTIFICATION
- Reduced operating costs. Less down-time due to incidents and ill health and lower costs from legal fees and compensation means money saved.
- Improved interested party relationships. Make the health and property of staff, customers and suppliers more of a priority and people will respond.
- Legal compliance. Understand how statutory and regulatory requirements impact your organization and its customers.
- Improved risk management. Identify potential incidents and implement controls and measures to keep risk as low as possible.
- Proven business credentials. Independent verification against recognized standards speaks volumes.
- Customer satisfaction. Meet customer requirements consistently whilst safeguarding their health and property.
- Win more business. Procurement specifications often require certification as a condition to supply so gaining the standard opens doors. ISO 45001 is also recognised by Safety Schemes In Procurement (SSIP).
- Corporate Social Responsibility. Implementation of a structured OH&S system can aid demonstration of CSR and organizational culture.
ISO 45001 TERMINOLOGY AND DEFINITIONS
In ISO 45001 certain terms have been defined for clarification, these include ‘Risk’, ‘The Worker’, ‘The Workplace’ and ‘Hazard Identification’.
Risk. A universal definition of the term ‘Risk’ is clarified in ISO 45001 as the meaning of this varies in some countries. The issue of hazard identification is that it is currently very manufacturing, and hardware orientated, when more and more of us are working in services. The term ‘Hazard Identification’ is covered by the terms ‘risk identification and ‘risk control’ to ensure we encompass all potential hazards applicable to all industries and sectors.
The Worker. There are differences in the definition of this term and various legal constraints around this term in different countries – in the context of ISO 45001, ‘The Worker’ is defined as the person performing work or work-related activities that are under the control of the organization.
Workplace. This is now defined as the place under the control of the organization where a person needs to be or to go for work purposes.
TOV America Process
TOV has a unique approach of certification which complies with the requirement for bodies providing audit and certification of management system.