Benefits of BS OHSAS 18001 :

• Create the best possible working conditions across your organization

• Identify hazards and put in place controls to manage them

• Reduce workplace accidents and illness to cut related costs and downtime

• Engage and motivate staff with better, safer working conditions

• Demonstrate compliance to customers and suppliers

OHSAS 18001 & ISO 45001

OHSAS 18001 has been replaced by ISO 45001 the new international standard for occupational health and Safety management. Organizations that are already certified to OHSAS 18001 will need to migrate to ISO 45001 by the end of March 2021. Migration audits can be delivered 100% remotely in most cases to ensure construction worker safety.

Although ISO 45001:2018 is mainly based on the standards of OHSAS 18001, there are some differences between these two standards.

• The now-defunct OHSAS 18001 was mainly focused on managing the occupational health and safety hazards and issues related to it. However, ISO 45001 primarily focuses on the interaction between the working environment and the organization. This helps to minimize or eliminate the chance of any hazard.

• The new ISO 45001:2018 standard is a process-based certification while the old OHSAS 18001 is a procedure-based certification. The first one focuses primarily on why the hazard happens rather than solely concentrating on the solution part.

• The OHSAS 18001 is not dynamic, but the new ISO 45001 truly is. Besides addressing all the OH&S issues of any organisation, it also gives it the much-required confidence in safety management for efficient productivity and improved working conditions for all the workers.

• The OHSAS 18001 certification primarily focuses on the occupational risk of any organisation while the ISO 45001 focuses on both the risk and opportunities. By doing so, not only eliminates the chance of future hazards and also finds opportunities to improve the overall safety standard.

• OHSAS 18001 did not ever include the views of interested parties of any organization. However, the new ISO 45001:2018 contains all the aspects. With that inclusion, not only creates the engagement of all the parties but also creates a better working environment.

IOT for construction worker safety tracking & workflow monitoring

Companies need to start preparing for migration now; leaving it until the last minute can be a risk factor. Initially, a gap assessment can be done to prioritize things. In an earlier post, we had written about workplace productivity solutions. Then you need to ensure that you have had the right training. Finally, you have to show that you have implemented ISO 45001 for at least 3 months before your migration audit and completed internal audits and a management review. You’ll also need time after the migration audit to implement any corrective actions before a recommendation for certification can be given. 

Compliance can be used as a valuable marketing tool that you can use to promote your organization. It signals a clear achievement and can offer a competitive advantage of deploying worker safety solutions such as physical distance monitoring.