ABOUT THE STANDARD
We are increasingly confronted with incidents that occur in the workplace, which result in the loss of life of workers, serious injuries and ill health, as well as work-related illnesses. Standard ISO 45001 is the first international standard to assist organizations in securing a safe workplace by reducing workplace risks and by improving working conditions.
ISO 45001 helps organizations establish an OHS management system (occupational health and safety), which enables organizations to manage OHS risks and improve their OHS performance through the establishment of OHS policies and objectives. This standard enables the organization to integrate other aspects of health and safety through the OH&S management system, such as good physical and mental health as well as the well-being of employees.
ISO 45001 is applicable to all organizations regardless of the size, industry or nature of the work they perform. It is applicable to OH&S risks managed by the organization, taking into account factors such as the context in which the organization operates and the needs and expectations of its employees and other interested parties.
This standard is structured to follow the structure of other management system standards which facilitates its integration into other management systems such as ISO 9001 and ISO 14001.
In today’s time of global pandemic, maintaining occupational health and safety is the most important objective of every organization. All organizations face numerous questions from their clients, suppliers, investors and the general public regarding ensuring business continuity. However, the most important factors for the success of the organization are workers. Therefore, pandemic mitigation planning is crucial to protect workers, provide security to other interested parties, and to protect the organization’s reputation. Standard ISO 45001 enables identification of the risk of an epidemic, its adequate assessment and establishment of appropriate measures to control that risk, which enables the creation of a safe and healthy workplace, which leads to the preservation of health and safety of workers.
BENEFITS OF CERTIFICATION
ISO 45001 certification is an important tool for demonstrating the organization’s commitment to occupational health and safety. ISO 45001 is intended for organizations that want to significantly improve safety of workers, reduce risks in the workplace and create better, safer working conditions.
The main benefits for applying this standard are:
- reduction of incidents and injuries in the workplace;
- reduction of absence from work and workers turnover by improving productivity;
- reduction of insurance premium costs;
- creating a culture that promotes health and safety;
- encouraging workers to take an active role in health and safety in their workplace;
- strengthening of leadership and commitment to proactively improving OHS performance;
- ability to meet legal and other requirements;
- improving reputation;
- strengthening employee morale.
