ISO 45001:2018
All about Occupational Health and Safety (OH&S) Management System
ISO 45001:2018
Summary
ISO 45001:2018, the global Occupational Health & Safety management system (OH&S) contains the best management practices of leading global companies (https://www.iso.org/iso-45001-occupational-health-and-safety.html ).
It replaces the earlier popular British standard BS OHSAS 18001:2007.
Compliance and certification with the ISO 45001:2018 management system standard’s requirements establishes that your company’s occupational health & safety management system is at par with the best global OH&S management System practices thus bringing trust and confidence of your existing customers, potential customers, Government and society.
These fundamental requirements of a OH&S management system once established, finetuned and matured provide a strong foundation for health and safety of your employees, associates and assets.
What is OH&S ISO 45001:2018 and why is it important
ISO 45001:2018 is an international standard for OH&S Management System (OH&S) created for small, medium and large organizations and not for individuals.
It provides a framework for implementing OH&S System for any organization looking to provide products and services that consistently meet the requirements and expectations of Law of the land, customers and other relevant interested parties.
The OH&S management system integrates all the processes, resources, assets, and values that support the goal of Legal compliance, Occupational health and safety, customer satisfaction and ensures health and safety of all concerned on daily basis.
ISO 45001:2018 is a flexible standard that allows each organization to define its OH&S policy, objectives and standard operating procedures.
ISO 45001:2018 defines, aligns, streamlines and controls processes and the work environment throughout the organization through Hazard identification and Risk assessment (HIRA) and control of significant OH&S risks..
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Safety at work
Safety at work can be ensured by assessing the following:
Risks identification
Hazards Identification
Risk control
Risks Identification
In OH&S management system ISO 45001:2018, a core safety team is identified which identifies Occupational Health & Safety (OH&S) risks for the organization e.g. Fire, Earthquake, Accidents, Flood, Food Poisoning, Covid19 transmission, etc.
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Hazards Identification
Now audit your organization and look for hazards associated with Risks in each department e.g. Loose wirings which can cause fire due to short circuits, poor pantry hygiene which can cause food poisoning, etc.
Risk Control
Eliminating hazards and reducing Health and safety risks.
The hierarchy of controls provides a systematic approach to enhance safety, eliminate hazards, and reduce risks.
It is usual to combine several controls in reducing the health and safety risks to as low as practicable.
a) Elimination: removing the hazard; stopping using hazardous materials.
b) Substitution: replacing the hazardous with less hazardous (e.g. replacing solvent-based paint with water-based paint)
c) Engineering controls: Isolating people from hazard; implementing protective measures (e.g. isolation of workers, machine guarding, provision of ventilation systems for fresh air)
d) Administrative controls including training: conducting periodic safety equipment inspections; conducting induction training; managing health check-up programs for workers who have been identified as at-risk
e) Personal protective equipment (PPE): providing appropriate PPEs, including clothing and instructions for PPE use and maintenance (e.g. safety shoes, safety glasses, hearing protection, gloves, etc.).
While ensuring safety at the workplace, pay attention to the 4M1W to identify any gaps:
Men – for PPEs e.g. Helmets, masks, safety shoes, gloves, etc.; Health Checkup reports
Material – for its incoming inspection, safekeeping, movement, and hazard controls as per their Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS).
Machine – for Guards on moving parts, earthing, emergency stop button, Preventive and break down maintenance records, and waste disposal.
Method – Work Instructions/Standard Operating Procedures, Checklists, Equipment Fitness certificates, Instruments Calibration records, Work permits
Work environment – Poor Light, Noise, Poor Air and Water Quality, Any Radiation, Water on the floor, Broken floor, Gangway yellow lines, Safety warnings, Chances for fire, Chances of accidents, provision of emergency exits, Availability of First aid boxes, Display of emergency contact numbers, etc.
Continual improvement
Regular audits of workplace safety and taking timely corrective and preventive actions will result in the development and establishment of a robust Occupational health and safety system.
ISO 45001:2018 ensures continuity of the business during regular times and during emergencies.
Benefits of ISO 45001 to your customers
The ISO 45001:2018 standard is recognized internationally and your customers, employees and associates will understand the benefits of working with companies that are OH&S ISO 45001 certified.
Most organizations and people prefer to do business and work with ISO 45001 certified companies because the certification provides the assurance that your OH&S management System are constantly assessed and approved.
Organizations know from experience that working with ISO 45001:2018 certified companies provides many advantages, for example:
Consistent OH&S performance thus ensuring safety of employees and consistent performance
Reliable OH&S planning and maintenance
System are maintained by regular internal and annual external assessments by the consultant and the Certification body
Reduction in workplace accidents
Better reporting and communication
Benefits of ISO 45001 to your organization
ISO 45001 certification brings down OH&S related costs, creates accident free safe work environment, meets regulatory requirements, and helps organizations expand into new markets in which new clients require OH&S ISO 45001 certification.
ISO 45001 certificate helps you in your brand building.
ISO 45001 provides a practical OH&S Management System (OH&S) for improving and monitoring all processes of your organization and ensuring occupational health and safety of all concerned.
With the documented OH&S and training of your employees, you will have a system that will continually improve the OH&S performance of your organization.
Implementing an effective ISO 45001 OH&S Management System (OH&S) will help your organization to focus on the critical areas of your business and improve its efficiency.
The management processes established as per ISO 45001, throughout your business will provide a solid foundation, minimizing accidents due to hazards and emergencies thus causing increased productivity and profit thereby helping you acquire new customers and retain existing ones.
The important benefits of the ISO 45001 certificate include:
Internationally recognized standard
Compatible with other ISO standards like Quality Management System ISO 9001, Environment Management System ISO 14001, etc.
Effective for small, medium, and large companies
Improved internal management of all organizational processes due to improved OH&S.
Reduction in hazards, accidents and emergencies.
Increase in efficiency and productivity leading to increase in profits
Improved employee & customer retention and acquisition of talented employees and new customers
Consistent OH&S results which are regularly measured and monitored
Increase in employee and customer confidence due to a high standard of Occupational health and safety at the work place.
Role of the ISO consultant in ISO 45001 Certification:
The ISO 45001 consultant studies your organization, identifies Gaps, trains people on ISO 45001 requirements, defines processes, develops OH&S policy, objectives, standard operating procedures, data entry forms, defines context of your organizations based on needs and requirements of all interested parties, conducts Hazards analysis and Risk assessment and their controls..
ISO 45001 consultant conducts the internal audits to remove any nonconformities and also assists the organization to conduct management review meetings as per the agenda defined by the ISO 45001 standard.
ISO consultant also helps to identify the suitable Certification body and facilitate the external certification audits.
Role of the Certification body in ISO 45001 Certification:
The Certification body audits your OH&S Management System (OH&S) as against the requirements specified by the ISO 45001:2018 standard and upon successful verification of your compliance, certifies and provides your organization an ISO 45001:2018 certificate.
A genuine certification body is accredited by an accreditation board of a country.
To find out country wise accreditation boards please visit https://iaf.nu/en/accreditation-bodies/ .
From IAF website you can visit the website of the accreditation board of a country.
From the website of the accreditation board , you can find the name of the genuine certification bodies in your country, accredited by this particular accreditation board.
All accredited certification bodies are treated at par despite being accredited by accreditation board of any country.
For example from the accreditation board JAS-ANZ (Joint Accreditation System of Australia and New Zealand ) listed on the IAF website, you can go to their website https://www.jas-anz.org/, here you can find from the JAS-ANZ register (https://register.jas-anz.org/accredited-bodies ), the list of accredited certification bodies in your country.
Conclusion:
Nowadays, it has become mandatory to get your organization certified to ISO 45001:2018, in order to establish your brand, invoke trust and confidence of your employees, associates and existing customers in your organization and to attract new customers.
For any query about ISO 45001:2018 certificate for your organization, Please contact us – online.ptadc@gmail.com