ISO 45001 New International Standard for Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems

ISO 45001

New International Standard for Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems

The world’s first occupational health and safety international standard is currently being developed. It will help your organization provide a safe and healthy workplace for your workers and other people, prevent deaths, work-related injury and ill-health as well as continually improve OH&S performance.

Latest update on ISO 45001 - 13 June 2016

We would like to update our clients on the development of ISO 45001, a new standard consolidating the best practice knowledge on Occupational Health & Safety (OH&S) which is expected to replace BS OHSAS 18001.
Following publication of the Draft International Standard (DIS) in February 2016, The International Committee met in Toronto from 6-10 June 2016 to discuss over 3,000 comments which had been submitted during the ballot. It was agreed at the closing plenary session to move to publication  of a 2^nd DIS, which is expected in December 2016 or January 2017. The final standard is now expected in the second half of 2017.
The discussions during the committee meeting centred around minor changes needed to some key ‘Terms and Definitions’ such as the definitions relating to  ‘worker’, ‘participation’ and the definition of hazard. Minor changes were also proposed relating to areas such as ‘Participation and consultation’, ‘awareness’ and ‘the hierarchy of controls’. The next International Committee meeting is scheduled for October 2016 where the remainder of the comments submitted will be discussed and the content of the 2^nd DIS finalised.
Recognizing how vital OH&S is to keeping employees safe and healthy around the world, BSI is best positioned to keep our clients and all other interested parties up-to-date regarding the status of this process. To support this effort, BSI has produced a Migration Guide as well as other materials to help guide our clients through the process of moving from one standard to the other. In the meantime, we continue to support our BS OHSAS 18001 certified clients to help reduce risk, protect workers and maintain compliance.

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What happens next?

The draft has been shared with all ISO national members and they will review and provide feedback. The next ISO committee meeting will be held in May 2016 where all comments will be reviewed. The final standard is scheduled for publishing later this year.

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What are the anticipated benefits of ISO/DIS 45001?

ISO/DIS 45001 brings occupational health and safety management and continual improvement into the heart of an organization. This new standard is an opportunity for organizations to align their strategic direction with their OH&S management system. In addition, there is an increased focus on improving occupational health and safety performance.
Our customers tell us they get multiple benefits as a result of implementing and adopting occupational health and safety management systems, such as:
• Reduce work related injuries, ill health and death
•Eliminate or minimize OH&S risks
• Improve OH&S performance and effectiveness
• Demonstrate corporate responsibility and meet supply chain requirements
• Protect brand reputation
• Motivate and engage staff through consultation and participation
Learn more about the standard in our informative guide.

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What if my organization is certified to BS OHSAS 18001?

BSI will support you through the migration and we will provide you with guidelines and training to help you make it as smooth as possible.
Part of the reason that BSI is the first choice provider for certification is that we will support you through the changes, helping you to understand them and how they  affect – and benefit – your organization.