The ISO 45001:2018 standard for occupational health and safety management systems was published on 12 March 2018. It replaces the previous standard for occupational health and safety, BS OHSAS 18001:2007. This new standard specifies requirements for effective occupational health and safety processes and additionally provides guidance on how to implement them.
What will be the changes you will face in practice concerning occupational health and safety?
New requirements for an effective occupational health and safety management system according to ISO 45001:2018
The new standard focuses on the preventive protection of employees. This significantly reduces the risks of work-related injuries, accidents, or illnesses.
But the standard also focuses on the increased responsibility and active involvement of managers. Thanks to appropriate processes and management methods, the integration of occupational health and safety management systems can take place at all levels of a company and be sustainably implemented.
Furthermore, the participation of employees and an occupational health and safety culture are more strongly promoted.
The continuous processes required by ISO 45001:2018 significantly facilitate the targeted control and thus the sustainable effectiveness of occupational health and safety management systems.
Changes of ISO 45001 relevant for practice: Uniform structure of management systems
As in the previous BS OHSAS 18001:2007 standard, the implementation is based on the “Plan–Do–Check–Act“-Model” (PDCA Model).
A significant change, however, is the new “High Level Structure”, which ensures a harmonisation of management system standards. It has already been used in the ISO 9001:2015 standard for quality management systems or in the ISO 14001:2015 standard for environment management systems.
A uniform structure and consistent definitions and terminology pave the way to an uncomplicated integrated management system.
Other changes concern the proactive consideration of the context of the organisation in order to identify influencing topics, interested parties, and their expectations. It also takes into consideration temporary employees, subcontractors, and suppliers.
There is also an increased focus on risk analyses in order to identify opportunities and risks for improving occupational health and safety.
Objectives of the integration of ISO 45001:2018
The integration of the new standard for occupational health and safety management systems has several objectives.
On the one hand, an effective and comprehensive occupational health and safety management system is implemented thanks to the process-oriented structure of ISO 45001:2018. The intention is to increase international recognition, among others from customers and authorities.
On the other hand, the aim is to improve and establish a safe and healthy working environment for employees and other persons under their responsibility. In addition, continuous improvement of the occupational health and safety management system shall be achieved by means of the PDCA Model.
Advantages of the integration of ISO 45001:2018
A management system for health and safety at work is primarily designed to provide a stable and controlled level of health and safety. This helps you and your employees to remain accident-free, healthy and thus efficient – even in increasingly complex and dynamic times.
The integration of ISO 45001 helps you to significantly reduce your costs. By including occupational health and safety in management, you also meet legal requirements and thus increase legal certainty.
Building up a responsible corporate image thanks to the transparency and sustainable effectiveness of your occupational health and safety is another advantage. In this way, you can show your customers and suppliers as well as authorities and investors that you attach great importance to occupational health and safety in your company.
In addition, you can decisively increase the motivation of your employees. Thanks to early participation, they are included in the planning and implementation right from the start.
Speak to one of our ISO 45001 experts today and get your organisation on track with the new standard in occupational health and safety:
