ISO 45001 (OHSMS) Occupational Health & Safety Management System Implementation (SMS)
The Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems certification standard is called ISO 45001. The protocol helps to recognize work-related hazards to workers such as sickness, disability, injuries along with the aid of prevention steps to deter them. ISO 45001 follows on from OHSAS 18001, originally released as a British model in 1999. Implemented in more than 80 countries around the world, ISO 45001 succeeds its predecessor as Industrial Health and Safety Control Systems’ best recognized and most relevant model.
ISO 45001 refers to companies and entities of all types and sectors. So even small organizations can take advantage of the standard. As part of an integrated management system, an ISO 45001 management system has the same high-level structure as ISO 9001 (Quality Management) and ISO 14001 (Environmental Management).
How does ISO 45001 work?
OHSAS 18001 was revoked and replaced by ISO 45001 to provide international best practices to align organizations. By providing a framework for identifying, controlling, and managing OHS risks and opportunities, an OHS management system promotes a healthy work environment. Certification pursuant to OHSAS 18001 demonstrates a contribution to the health and welfare of workers.
When will I move according to ISO 45001?
All consumers certified under OHSAS 18001 will have to switch to ISO 45001 by 11 March 2021. During your next move you can migrate by doing:
- Surveillance Audit
- Audit recertification
- After a special audit
Structure and Content
In order to successfully implement ISO 45001 in your organization, the following requirements will have to be met:
Plan: Definition of OHS targets including workload, working hours, leadership and corporate culture, sound working conditions and risk planning
Do: Implementation of the defined outsourcing, purchasing and contracting measures and processes, and health and safety policies.
Check: an ongoing review of organizational health and safety goals, performance monitoring of legal and other requirements, as well as organizational and social factors;
Act: Modifying and developing procedures and initiatives to ensure an effective OHS strategy where possible.
To maintain certification status, organizations currently accredited to OHSAS 18001 would need to move to ISO 45001 by March 2021.
How should I plan for My Migration?
- Begin a gap analysis to help identify the shortcomings in your certified OHS management system.
- Improve current OHS control framework to satisfy the latest ISO 45001 specifications
- Ensure both stakeholders are informed of an appropriate engagement strategy regarding improvements in the management structures processes.
What happens if by the deadline I don’t migrate?
- Your OHSAS 18001 certification will not be valid anymore
- If an audit is completed to ISO 45001 within 6 months of the migration period of 11 March 2021, then a Stage 2 audit is required
- If you fail to complete the migration within this period of 6 months, you will be treated as a new applicant. It will require an audit in Stage 1 and Stage 2
What does ISO Pros look at when doing the certification
Meets requirements for compliance
A systematic approach to assessing compliance requirements ensures stakeholders are committed to working towards environmental safety. The Standard provides a framework for understanding the requirements of your organization.
Demonstrate your dedication to better OHS
Enhance the brand and show your commitment to improving OHS performance to customers, suppliers, employees, and the community. ISO 45001 emphasizes taking constructive measures to reduce threats to health.
Push Business’s Performance
Ensure the OHS management systems are aligned with the strategic direction of the organization. ISO 45001 needs continual development of OHS practices, and objectives must be integrated into the company processes.
Reduce downtime at work
Eliminate hazards and minimize the risks of OHS to protect your employees’ physical and mental health, reducing downtime, and operating disruption costs. This in effect would increase staff productivity, corporate integrity, and efficiency of the company.
Changes to safety management standards
Replacing the previous OHSAS 18001 standard, ISO 45001 Management Scheme offers a mechanism for avoiding accident & ill health and ensuring a secure and stable place of work.
At ISO Pros we will provide you with the following:
- Implement ISO 45001 in your company processes in a way that incorporates and aligns ISO 45001 with the existing frameworks and programs.
- Migration from OHSAS 18001 according to ISO 45001
- Integrate ISO 45001 with other already established control frameworks like ISO 9001 and ISO 14001
- A full overview of the gaps of the existing processes, and updating documentation and procedures toward ISO 45001
- Provide one time or continuing resources for internal assessment and assistance
It is important to have a safety management system implemented
In one country, the health and safety statistics showed that there were 45 deaths in 2016 and almost 632,000 working days suffered due to work-related accidents. The implementation of an Occupational Health and Safety Management System (OHS) reduces the risk to your employees, your organization, and all other stakeholders.
Implementing the system has the following benefits:
- Provides a framework for identifying, prioritizing, and controlling risks.
- Integration of OHS into the overall strategy and plans of the organizations and into the company’s standard working practices
- Identification of OH&S Performance Improvement opportunities
- Minimizing injuries, ill health, and related costs.
- Positive safety atmosphere, workforce engagement, job happiness
- Minimizing risk in the supply chain and engaging health & safety providers with goods and services.
ISO 45001: Aim of the OHS Management System
According to ISO 45001 2018, a company must be responsible for the safety and health of its employees at work, and other persons who may be affected by their activities. That responsibility includes promoting and protecting health, physically or mentally.
The adoption of an Occupational Health and Safety Management System aims to enable a company to provide safe and healthy workplaces, prevent injuries and deterioration in health, relate to work, and continually improve workplace performance.
The function of an Occupational Health and Safety Management System offers a mechanism for mitigating hazards and workplace protection and health opportunities. The main objective and the results obtained are for the prevention of work-related injuries and deterioration of health and providing safe and healthy workplaces. Based on effective prevention and protection strategies, it is very important for the company to eliminate hazards and minimize the risks to occupational safety and health. When a company implements all of these measures through an Occupational Health and Safety Management System, performance improves. When you take early action to address opportunities for improving health and safety performance at work, it may be far more effective and efficient.
It is necessary to implement a management system according to ISO 45001 2018, which facilitates performance improvement. For example, the management system, helps the firm fulfill all legal obligations and other requirements.
What are the main distinctions between OHSAS 18001 and ISO 45001?
While the overall goal of the two standards remains the same, ISO 45001 is considered a significant improvement over OHSAS 18001. The main differences between ISO 45001 and OHSAS 18001 include, apart from this:
- ISO 45001 calls for personnel training to identify potential workplace hazards. Therefore an effective safety plan inside the company is created. This means that the responsibility for health and safety within the organization lies with everyone including top management.
- OHSAS 18001 focuses on the monitoring of hazards while ISO 45001 focuses on danger identification, elimination, and prevention.
- ISO 45001 emphasizes on teamwork and needs supervisory management to be more involved in OHS matters. Previously, health and safety issues were only handled by the safety management personnel.
- The configuration of the ISO 45001 is based on Annex SL, the architecture used by other specifications in the ISO management scheme. That facilitates and makes implementation more effective.
- ISO 45001 is not seen as an upgrade to OHSAS 18001, it is the world’s first international organizational health and safety standard, while OHSAS 18001 is a British standard only.
Does your company need to comply?
The ISO 45001 suits all organizations regardless of their size, industry or location. While being certified is not a legal requirement at present, it is advisable. Ask yourself the following questions to ascertain whether ISO 45001 is acceptable for your business:
- Will it matter to you that your company complies entirely with the universal standards?
- Do you wish to improve the overall performance and productivity of your businesses?
- Want to guarantee your staff’s health and safety?
- Would you want to slash your annual insurance premiums?
Ultimately, getting accredited is your choice, but keep in mind that ISO 45001 can significantly support your company locally and globally.
How do companies decide to go for ISO 45001?
Essentially, maintaining and preserving a stable and secure environment by avoiding injuries, mitigating poor health, eliminating risks, and continually enhancing the efficiency of OH&S is the role of everyone. Organizations are deeply worried about ensuring strong results in health and safety, even when generating cost reductions and promoting good stewardship and good corporate citizenry.
Pressure from the industry
Often companies agree to adopt ISO 45001 to have certification as it means that the corporation has a globally recognized Workplace Health and Safety Management Program (OHSMS) in effect for workers, consumers, owners, vendors, regulators, and the world at large. A company with an efficient health and safety program would usually provide safer and healthier employees, comply with laws, and help fulfill its stakeholders’ standards than an entity with no efficient OHSMS. Many companies would need to get the ISO 45001 authorization from their suppliers.
Who is ISO, then?
ISO (International Organization for Standardization) is a network of standards institutes that oversees the program of representatives from 163 countries with a central office in Geneva, Switzerland. ISO is a non-governmental body that creates a link between the private and public sectors and is the world’s largest standards organization.
Many of its member institutes are part of or are approved by, the policy system of their countries. Some members have their roots uniquely in the private sector, having been established by industry associations’ national partnerships. Therefore, ISO allows an agreement to be achieved on approaches that satisfy both market demands and wider societal needs.
How Your business benefits from ISO 45001
Globally, thousands of lives are lost every day owing to deaths in the workforce and work-related diseases. ISO 45001 aims at avoiding these accidents and maintaining a stable and secure overall work climate. Because ISO 45001 provides guidance for its use, the standard provides companies with a single, clear guideline for all entities seeking to improve their health and safety at work.