ISO 45001:2018 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 (OHSMS).
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 OHSMS. By establishing an effective OHSMS 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.
Benefits of ISO 45001 for organizations
Why is ISO 45001 important for organizations?
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 MSI 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 OHSMS?
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: OHSMS 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.