What is ISO 45001?
With over 6,300 deaths each day related to work accidents and diseases, new health and safety provisions have been much needed. On a yearly basis, the death total is around 2.3 million people, which affects the businesses and families involved in the most significant and difficult ways. These workplace related deaths and diseases pose a huge financial responsibility for the companies and employers involved. For instance, companies can face an abundance of employees retiring early, employees not showing up for work, and increasing insurance premiums.
Therefore, ISO has developed a new standard to help combat this devastating issue. ISO 45001 (occupational healthy and safety management systems) is designed to help companies and organizations reduce the burden associated with work related deaths and diseases. This is achieved through providing provisions to companies that outline how to improve employee safety, reduce workplace risks and injuries, and create safer working conditions.
According to NSF, “ISO 45001 is intended to replace the widely implemented BS OHSAS 18001. It is anticipated that organizations currently certified to BS OHSAS 18001 will need to migrate to ISO 45001 within three years of the new standard’s publication, as BS OHSAS 18001 is likely to be withdrawn.”
What Are the Benefits of ISO 45001?
There are a host of anticipated benefits ISO 45001 will bring to companies and employees. Improvement begins at the heart of any company or corporation. Therefore, directly changing healthy and safety standards and guidelines will provide companies a structured framework to keep themselves and their employees safe and healthy.
This standard uses the plan-do-check-act model (PDCA). Essentially, this is an outline that companies can use to plan out what they need to do to make their workplace safer and minimize their risk of harm to employees. Overall, these plans should ideally address workplace safety concerns that may lead to long-term health issues
Once this new standard is fully developed and then implemented in companies, benefits will likely include the following”
- Reduction in work related deaths, injuries, and diseases.
- Completely eliminate or greatly reduce OH&S risks.
- Improved OH&S performance and effectiveness.
- Increased corporate responsibility.
- Help to protect company/brand reputation.
- Help to motivate company staff through participation and engagement.
