Keeping workers safe is one of your most important concerns as an employer. This need has been recognized by the International Organization for Standardization, and is codified in new ISO guidelines and certification: ISO 45001.
If your organization wants to transition to ISO 45001 and be recognized for best-in-class occupational safety, it’s important to understand the ISO regulatory demands.
ISO 45001 is vital to your overall environmental, health, safety, and quality (EHSQ) management efforts.
We’ll break down what’s contained in ISO 45001, and why it's important to your organization's success and employee wellbeing.
The Intent of ISO 45001:2018
The main principles driving this new standard are:
ISO 45001:2018 is “organization agnostic” – it’s designed so that any size of business in any industry can use it. Although implementation and management will vary, the outcome of less risk in the workforce will improve employee morale, reduce illness- and injury-related costs, and result in a safer workplace. Let’s break down the key requirements.
Requirements and Outcomes
The first clause focuses on the needs, requirements, and outcomes expected of an OH&S system. It is concerned with:
Organizational Context
This part of the regulations is concerned with the scope, limitations, and integrations of the OH&S management system. Key factors include:
Executive, Manager and Employee Participation
This part specifies the roles and responsibilities of everyone involved with OH&S within the organization. Typical activities include:
Planning, Risk Management and Opportunities
ISO 45001:2018 introduces a new focus on risks and opportunities, including:
Support for Management and Implementation
This area requires that organizations properly support OH&S quality management and implementation. This includes understanding and providing the necessary resources for OH&S implementation and management. It includes resources of all types – OH&S administration, software and support, policies, budgets, and anything else required for quality assurance.
Operational Activities
This area covers how OH&S quality is actively managed in your workplace. Areas to consider include:
As you can see, ISO 45001:2018 has implications across your quality management and OH&S frameworks, tools, and approaches. For the organizations that get it right, this standard can be a real differentiator, and will result in reduced danger to employees and a better place to work.
Tim Lozier is director of product strategy at EtQ.
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