What Is ISO 45001:2018?
Introduction
ISO is the International Organization for Standardization which is a non-governmental organization that consists of over 160 national standards bodies. With the combined support of all such bodies and the expertise of the nominated individuals, ISO is able to create a series of International Standards. ISO has published over 22,000 of such standards since 2018 that covers almost all kinds of industries ranging from technology, manufacturing, food, healthcare, etc. ISO 45001 came into existence at a time when resources not just mean human resources. Yes, after years of industrial revolution and exploitation of workers that has happened for quite some time, it was time to have system in place that stopped these inhumane activities at workplace.
What Is ISO 45001:2018? And What Is Its Importance?
ISO 45001:2018 is Occupational Health and Safety Management System which is also called OH&SMS. It is a framework provided to organization to take the utmost care of the health and safety of its employees, including contractors. The framework provides an amalgamation of requirements in the form of clauses with the aim to prevent OH&S hazards and minimize respective risks at workplace.
ISO 45001 came into existence at a time when resources not just mean human resources. More than inhumane, it was unethical work practices that were in place due to varied reasons such as political unrest, economic crisis, political unwillingness, general public support, etc. To tackle all this, OHSAS 18001 was published by British Safety Standard (BSI) but later in 2018 ISO with the help of governing bodies and taking views across the global devises a standard namely ISO 45001 and rolled in the year 2018.
Understanding The Purpose Of ISO 45001:2018 Stanadard
With the implementation of ISO 45001, there is an array of benefits that organizations achieve both direct and indirectly. A few such benefits include:
1. Stringent controls in place to minimize risk and thus reduce workplace injuries – With risk based approach in implementing processes, decisions taken are factual and weighed overall. There is clearly a shift in approach of operational controls, from reactive to proactive. Organizations devise a method that can help them predict and forecast probable risks as per the activities carried out.
2. Low injury rate will ultimately lead to less absenteeism at the workplace leading to an efficient workplace and also a way to retain talent, build overall employee trust.
3. Direct savings on cost for insurance premiums – It also helps mitigate lawsuits cost. A safer workplace means less injuries, less loss of human or property damage thereby translating into lower premium of insurances that cost the organization. A proactive work environment and periodic due diligence saves a lot of money and effort in the long run.
4. A compliant workplace that meets compliance obligations, both regulatory and internal requirements. Customer work with organization that are compliant and system orientated. This helps in ensuring long term association and credibility building.
5. Build a better reputation across peer industries - Organization stand a chance to position itself as market leaders by adopting and implementing a standard that is most up-to-date and recognized internationally. This step will help organizations to stay ahead of the competition as well as stand out in terms of branding.
6. Boost to morale of the staff overall - ISO 45001 helps in creating a workplace that roots for continual improvement and best practices. An efficient workplace is an advantage for an organization since it helps manage and lower operational costs and maximize profits.
7. Engaged workforce – Employees prefer organizations that put people’s health and safety at the forefront of business. This helps employees stay at the organization for longer periods of time as well as develop a sense of ownership. ISO 45001 elaborates health as overall wellbeing of the worker that includes physical, mental and emotional wellbeing.
8. Due Diligence - ISO 45001 has a built system to conduct due diligence atleast once annually by internal team members of the organization and every year a surveillance audit is conducted by a third party (if the certification has been once achieved, it remains valid for three years but a surveillance audit is conducted every year).
9. Meet Customer Needs - There is competition and competitor organization will try and find an edge to move ahead of the game. At times, its not even the price that plays a major role, it’s the management system or how the organization functions matters. . There are ample stakeholders that play a role in overall success when it comes to meeting customer needs and expectations.
Employers with a dedicated mindset and goals towards health and safety of employees tend to create a safe working environment for employees where each one feels safe and protected. This helps workers to play an active role in uplifting both organization’s and own health and safety standards.
Key Principles Of ISO 45001
ISO 45001 is framed based on research and expertise knowledge. When it is fully implemented, the framework is expected to result in the developing of an OH&S compliant management system for the organization.
3 Main Pillars Of ISO 45001:2018
ISO 45001 is based on below three main pillars:
1. Documentation – To ensure that clarity and consistency is maintained for safety protocols, processes are required to be documented.
2. Proactive Management of Hazards – Identification of hazards through proactive intervention to ensure management of the same is done.
3. Continual Improvement – Ensure that OH&S systems are continuously monitored and improvements opportunities are looked.
Exploring The Exceptional Features Of ISO 45001
Few of the exceptional features of the Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems are :
1. Leadership Commitment – Top management must ensure integration of OH&S requirements into its business operations, define and allocate required resources and lead by example in creating a strong OH&S culture.
2. Engagement of Worker – Employees are most important part when it comes to OH&S management. Their feedback and experience is an essential tool that helps in identification of risks, defining procedures and improving overall workplace OH&S practices.
3. Risk-Based Thinking – Organizations must assess risks as well as opportunities to ensure that OH&S improvements support business goals.
4. Collaborative Approach – Organizations must ensure that workplace activities are assessed not independently but rather as interconnected processes. This approach helps improve efficiency as well as minimize OH&S risks across the organization.
5. Decision based on evidences – OH&S strategies must be based on facts, figures, data such as incident investigation report, risk assessments, compliance obligations and audit findings.
Conclusion
The ISO 45001: 2018 is a critical standard enabling organizations to take the initiative to control risks of occupational health and safety. This all round model alleviates safety as part of all business operations such that a safety culture of prevention, accountability and continual improvement are promoted. With ISO 45001, companies can safeguard the workforce, increase compliance, minimize incidents, and improve productivity in general. Essentially, ISO 45001:2018 turns the aspect of workplace safety into a proactive requirement rather than an opportunity to enhance sustainable development and operational excellence.
