The need for faster response times coupled with increased competitive pressure means companies have little room for error. Industrial accidents and downtime can lead to interruptions in production and supply process which can then result in order cancellations. An occupational health & safety system allows a company to undeniably reduce the number of accidents through a systematic approach to aspects of health & safety.

The new ISO 45001 standard will supersede OHSAS 18001, the previous standard for occupational health & safety. Companies were granted a three-year transition period starting from the standard‘s publication date of March 12, 2018 until the end of March 2021. However, considering the challenges many companies faced in the last year, the International Accreditation Forum (IAF) announced that OHSAS 18001 certification can be extended to September 30, 2021 for organizations that need more time to transition.

Benefits of ISO 45001

ISO 45001 will help minimize the risk of health and workplace accidents by focusing on preventative employee protection and greater management involvement. Key differences between OHSAS 18001 & ISO 45001 are the way it’s structured, how it identifies hazards, the level of management commitment, and worker involvement. The structure of the standard allows for simple integration into previously implemented management systems regardless of company size. The new ISO 45001 aims to:

• Establish and improve a safe and healthy workplace for employees and other responsible individuals.
• Properly document an effective occupational health & safety management system for employees and other interested parties.
• Provide ongoing improvements to organizations by means of the Plan, Do, Check, Act (PDCA) model.
• Implement occupational health & safety management as a strategic element involving corporate responsibility.
• Encourage employee motivation through feedback and participation.

A look ahead

ISO 45001 emphasizes the need for companies to think ahead when it comes to occupational health & safety and notes that working conditions must also be taken into account for suppliers and service providers. Ensuring the safety of workers and preventing work-related illnesses and injuries should be at the forefront of every organization, especially since employees are a company’s greatest asset!

Transitioning to ISO 45001 can have many additional benefits as we’ve seen and experienced in this past year. Having an established and certified OH&S system in unprecedented times is key to ensuring continued success. Increased involvement from management as well as having defined employee roles during the pandemic have allowed companies to quickly pivot to new work situations and manufacturing processes with little downtime.

Due to the ongoing situation, many accreditation bodies have specified a number of special provisions and individual requirements for the standards and are allowing remote audits under defined conditions partly or in full extent which are conducted online. Based on the collected information, the certification body shall decide on the extent f the remote audit and prepare the audit plan accordingly. In some cases, 100% ISO 45001 remote audits are allowed assuming certain criteria are met.