45001 is new ISO Occupational Health and Safety Management Specification developed to follow on from 18001:2007 standard to assist organisations to manage health and safety risks and facilitate legal compliance.
The minefield of Health and Safety Legislation is the cause of much concern to all sectors of the industry and commerce at all levels. With the advents of the ‘claims culture’ and corporate responsibilities comes a need to ensure that all applicable means are taken to comply.
In the United Kingdom, as well as in other enlightened nations, more and more organisations are utilising OHSAS 45001 to manage their corporate health and safety responsibilities.
The standard follows the Plan-do-Check-Act continuous improvements cycle common to many British, European and International standards and is commended for its ease of use and implementation.
Plan
The planning stage consists of identifying health and safety hazards and risks, the associated legal requirements and developing a programme to reduce the risk by pro-active means.
Do
The Doing stage requires the organisation to put in place the expertise and controls to manage the most significant risks, by training, appropriate documentation, planning and management of activities and potential emergencies.
Check
Checking requirements include monitoring of accidents, incidents, near misses, improvement programmes, evaluations of compliance with legal and other requirements, internal audits and handling non-conformities.
Act
Finally, the organisation needs to Act on The data it has gathered, by reviewing the results of the audits and other monitoring mechanisms. Part of this is a periodic Management Review.
Some accepted benefits of compliance to OHSAS 45001
- Pro-active risk managements
- Compliance with legal and other requirements
- Encouraging two-way communication within the organisation
- Identification of negative trends in work- related injury and ill health
- Creating marketing opportunities
- Improved pro-active community focus
- Improved management focus
- Reduced costs/liabilities
- Providing clear guidance on company requirements
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