ISO 45001 — Occupational Health and Safety Management System

The International Labour Organization (ILO) estimates that every year, around 2.3 million workers around the world die from work-related accidents. According to ILO, every year, worldwide, there are around 340 million occupational accidents and around 160 million are victims to work-related illnesses. While in the past decades, great efforts were made to improve the health and safety of workers, there is still a lot that must be done. To tackle the issues related to the health and safety of workers, ISO has developed ISO 45001, an international standard that defines the requirements for an occupational health and safety management system (OH&S MS).

What is ISO 45001?

Based on the British standard OHSAS 18001 and other international guidelines on occupational health and safety, ISO 45001 Occupational health and safety management systems — Requirements with guidance for use specifies the requirements for an OH&S MS. By establishing an effective OH&S MS based on this standard, organizations provide safer and healthier work environments.

ISO 45001 is applicable to organizations of all sizes and industries that seek to prevent work-related injuries, diseases, and deaths and promotes the establishment of safe working environments and the continual improvement of occupational health and safety performance.

ISO 45001 shares the High-Level Structure (HLS) similar to other ISO management system standards like ISO 9001 for quality management and ISO 14001 for environmental management which allows organizations to easily integrate two or more management systems. Since its publication in 2018, ISO 45001 replaced the British standard OHSAS 18001.

Why is OH&S MS important for you?

Due to the high number of occupational accidents and deaths, better and more effective practices which guarantee the health and safety of workers in the workplace is a necessity. To mitigate the risk and hazards in the workplace, organizations must prioritize the health and safety of their employees.

Organizations and individuals operating in any industry must collaborate to achieve the same goal, which is to reduce as much as possible the number of accidents that lead to injury or health-related issues.

Attending a PECB ISO 45001 training course, be it Foundation, Lead Auditor, or Lead Implementer, will enable you to comprehend internationally recognized practices that are intended to improve the working conditions and guarantee the well-being of employees. Furthermore, you will earn a globally recognized certificate on occupational health and safety management, which will demonstrate that you are capable to understand, implement or audit health and safety policies, controls, and processes to reduce work-related injuries.

Why set guidelines and procedures for OH&S?

There is no doubt that poor occupational health and safety practices bring enormous emotional distress, human costs, and economic burden. Therefore, organizations should employ a systematic approach to OH&S management.

Health and safety guidelines and procedures will help organizations to:

• Prevent illnesses and injuries in the workplace: OH&S guidelines and procedures aim to promote health and safety in the workplace and protect workers from risks and hazards related to their health, safety, and well-being. The implementation of such guidelines and procedures contributes to the reduction of work-related illnesses and injuries.

• Reduce health and safety hazards and risks

Organizations use different equipment and tools to do their work. As such, proper usage and personal care when working with organizational equipment is essential. Detailed guidelines and concise procedures for equipment use will enable organizations to reduce the health and safety hazards and risks in the workplace.

• Prevent unwanted consequences

Well-constructed guidelines and procedures will help both workers and organizations to prevent the negative consequences of health and safety risks and hazards.

Benefits of ISO 45001 for organizations

An effective OH&S MS based on ISO 45001 has the potential to shape and improve an organization’s way of working and can make the workplace a safer and better place.

Some of the benefits that organizations would gain by implementing an OH&S MS based on ISO 45001 include, but are not limited to:

• Enhanced reputation among internationally recognized businesses as a result of implementing the best practices of occupational health and safety

• Increased trust of employees by demonstrating that the organization is committed to improve their safety and health in the workplace

• Reduced insurance premiums and claims

• Increased return on investment due to improved staff productivity, while the injuries within the workplace will be reduced

• Reduced employee turnover because the main focus will be in the mental and physical well-being of the employees

ISO 45001 Introduction

Get introduced to occupational health and safety management concepts and principle and the requirements of ISO 45001 for an OH&S MS

ISO 45001 Foundation

Become familiar with the best practices of occupational health and safety and obtain a thorough overview of the requirements of ISO 45001 for an OH&S MS

ISO 45001 Lead Implementer

Acquire the competencies to guide and support organizations in establishing, implementing, operating, maintaining, and continually improving an OH&S MS based on ISO 45001

ISO 45001 Lead Auditor

Obtain the necessary competencies to audit occupational health and safety management systems against the criteria established by ISO 45001 and the guidelines and requirements for auditing management systems provided in ISO 19011 and ISO/IEC 17021-1

ISO 45001 Transition

Gain the competencies to guide and support organizations to transition from OHSAS 18001 to ISO 45001