ISO 45001 Published by the British Standards Institute
Last month saw the publication of a new standard that provides a global benchmark for health and safety
The UK has, for many years, been seen as a trailblazer in Occupational Health and Safety, and our safety record is held up as an example and benchmark the world over. It is only appropriate, then, that ISO 45001: Occupational health and safety management – requirements with guidance for use is a publication that draws heavily on UK expertise and has been a British-led project, while drawing on the additional expertise of 70 countries across the world.
The standard has been four years in the making. It covers all the prescriptive aspects you might expect, such as safety training, health and safety signs, use of personal protective equipment and so on, but also takes a broader and more holistic view. It examines why businesses need to approach Health and Safety as more than a necessary responsibility but as a risk management tool that can add to their overall success.
A familiar format
Given this perspective, it should come as no surprise that the new standard will look very familiar to those who are familiar with the ISO series. The risk-based approach bears more than a passing similarity to ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 and dovetails neatly with them in both approach and content.
David Smith, of ISO PC 283, the committee responsible for developing the standard, said the introduction of ISO 45001 will help organisations across the globe to manage Occupational Health and Safety as one of their key business risks. He anticipates that the standard will bring the same measures of structure and clarity that other standards have brought to quality or environmental management.
Help with implementation
Meeting health and safety standards is nothing new for businesses, but ISO 45001 goes deeper than other recognised standards such as BS OHSAS 18001, the British Standard on which it was based.
For this reason, BSI has also released BS 45002, Occupational health and safety management systems: general guidelines for the application of ISO 45001. This is an accompanying text that explains the rationale and intent behind the different clauses of ISO 45001, and gives guidance on how organisations can embed these principles within their Health and Safety management systems.
The race for accreditation
When the new standard was released on 12 March, the race was on to become the first company to achieve conformity and be certified as compliant. Three days later, Anne Scorey, the Managing Director of BSI, announced the names of the first ten companies to make it across the line and be formally certified under the new standard. These were announced in alphabetical order as follows:
- CBRE, a Los Angeles-based real estate company
- Colas , a UK rail freight company
- EMCOR, a UK facilities management and consulting firm
- Eurovia, a UK based expert in roads and infrastructure development
- Interserve, a UK-based multinational that provides construction resources
- Morgan Sindall, one of the leading UK construction companies
- OKI UK, a UK provider of printing solutions
- OPG,a Scottish vehicle graphics company
- Overbury, a UK-based office and shop fitting specialist
- Ringway Jacobs,a UK provider of highways engineering services