ISO 45001, the much awaited international standard for Occupational Health and Safety (OH&S) has been published on 12 March 2018, Kolkata. ISO 45001:2018, Occupational health and safety management systems – Requirements with guidance for use, provides a framework for development, maintenance and improvement of an effective workplace safety management in global supply chains. It can be applied to both captive and partner factories and production facilities, regardless of their location. It will be applicable for organisations of all sizes and industries.
It is expected that the new International Standard will be a real game changer for millions of workers. The new standard will help organisations provide a safe and healthy work environment for workers & visitors by continually improving their OH&S performance.
ISO 45001:2018 is designed to integrate with other ISO management systems standards. It ensures a high level of compatibility with the new versions of ISO 9001 (Quality Management) and ISO 14001 (Environmental Management).
The new OH&S standard is based on the common elements found in all of ISO’s management system standards and uses a simple Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) model, which provides a framework for organisations to plan what they need to put in place in order to minimise the risk of harm. The measures should address concerns that can lead to long-term health issues and absence from work, as well as those that give rise to accidents.
Transition to ISO 45001:2018
ISO 45001:2018 will replace OHSAS 18001:2007. Organisations already certified to OHSAS 18001 will have three years to comply with the new ISO 45001 standard requirements. The International Accreditation Forum (IAF) has developed the migration requirements to help certified organisations, certification bodies, accreditation bodies and other interested parties.
