What is ISO 18001 Certification?
The organizations implementing an Occupational Health and Safety Management System as part of their risk management strategy to address changing legislation and protect their workforce.
An ISO 18000 promotes a safe and healthy working environment by providing a framework that allows your organization to consistently identify and control its health and safety risks, reduce the potential for accidents, aid legislative compliance and improve overall performance.
OHSAS 18001 is the internationally recognized assessment specification for occupational health and safety management systems. It was developed by a selection of leading trade bodies, international standards and certification bodies to address a gap where no third-party certifiable international standard exists.
OHSAS 18001 has been designed
to be compatible with ISO 9001 and ISO 14001, to help your organization meet their health and safety obligations in an efficient manner.
The following key areas are addressed by OHSAS 18001:
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Planning for hazard identification, risk assessment and risk
control
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Emergency preparedness and response
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OHSAS management programme
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Training, awareness and competence
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Performance measuring, monitoring and improvement
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Structure and responsibility
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Consultation and communication
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Operational control
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OHSAS 18001 can be adopted by any organization wishing to
implement a formal procedure to reduce the risks associated with health and
safety in the working environment for employees, customers and the general
public.
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Benefits of ISO
18001:
In a competitive marketplace, your customers are looking for more than just keen pricing from their suppliers. Companies need to demonstrate that their businesses are managed efficiently and responsibly and that they can provide a reliable service without excessive downtime caused by work-related accidents and incidents. Certifying your OHSAS 18001 management system enables your organization to prove that it conforms to the specification and provides the following benefits: |
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Higher productivity and working quality
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Minimizing of fees and penalties in occupational health and
safety performance
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Improvement of working conditions for workers
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Potential reduction in the number of accidents
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Potential reduction in downtime and associated costs
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Demonstration of legal and regulatory compliance
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Demonstration to stakeholders of your commitment to health and
safety
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Demonstration of an innovative and forward thinking approach
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Increased access to new customers and business partners
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Better management of health and safety risks, now and in the
future
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Potential reduced public liability insurance costs
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To implement your
health and safety management system
At this point you should: |
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Establish roles and responsibilities
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Develop procedures for the consultation and communication of
OHS information to employees and other interested parties
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Document your processes and develop a system of document and
data controls
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Apply a system of operational control
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Establish plans and procedures for emergencies
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Check your management system and take any necessary corrective
action
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You should aim to
continually improve your management system by:
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Introducing performance, measuring and monitoring practices
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Establishing and documenting responsibility and authority for
accidents, incidents, non-conformities, and corrective and preventative
action
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Establishing a procedure for records and records management
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Auditing and assessing the performance of the management
system
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Performing management reviews of the system at identified and
defined intervals
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