Introduction:

ISO 45001:2018 is a standard for health and safety management systems that have now replaced OHSAS 18001. It is intended to assist organisations to control occupational health and safety risks. It was developed in response to widespread demand for a recognised standard against which to be certified and assessed.

OHSAS 18001 was originally created as a result of a concerted effort from a number of the world's leading national standards bodies, certification bodies, and specialist consultancies.

Those organisations currently accredited to OHSAS 18001 have until March 2021 to migrate to the new standard of ISO 45001:2018.

Benefits of ISO 45001:

The success of ISO 45001 is dependent on leadership and participation of workers from all levels of the organisation in its implementation and maintenance. Full co-operation from all levels of the organisation will ensure its effectiveness at achieving the intended objectives. It will provide:

• A framework to manage risks and opportunities that can help to prevent work-related injury and ill-health to workers by providing a safe and healthy workplace.
• Assurance of conformance with its stated occupational health and safety policy.
• Occupational health and safety policies are compatible with the strategic objectives and direction of the organisation.
• Effective procedures for identifying hazards, controlling risks and taking advantage of opportunities relating to occupational health and safety.
• Continual evaluation, monitoring and improvement of occupational health and safety performance.
• Integration into the organisation's business processes of occupational health and safety management system.
• Compliance with legal and other requirements e.g. industry guidance and best practice.
• Accreditation of the occupational health and safety management system by an external organisation that will demonstrate occupational health and safety commitment and conformance to workers and other interested parties.
• Improved organisational reputation in the business community.
• Improved ownership, morale and commitment of workers with a positive health and safety culture.

ISO 45001 Occupational Health and Safety Management System

The OH&S management system approach applied is founded on the concept of Plan, Do, Check and Act (PDCA).

The PDCA concept is an iterative process used by organisations to achieve continual improvement. It can be applied to a management system and to each of its individual elements; as follows:

1. Plan: Determine and assess OH&S risks, OH&S opportunities and other risks and other opportunities, establish OH&S objectives and processes necessary to deliver results in accordance with the organisations OH&S Policy;
2. Do: Implement the processes as planned;
3. Check: monitor and measure activities and processes with regard to OH&S policy and OH&S objectives, and report the result;
4. Act: take actions to continually improve the OH&S performance to achieve the intended outcomes.

How can Oxygen Twenty One help your Organisation in the ISO 450001 journey?:

• ISO 45001 system development and implementation.
• Assistance in transitioning from OHSAS 18001 to ISO 45001.
• Conducting ISO 45001 readiness assessments / ISO 45001 gap analysis.
• Assisting with any 3^rdparty certification needs.