What is ISO 45001 Certification?
The International Standards Organisation (ISO) is an organisation that develops international proprietary, industrial, and commercial standards. It’s a voluntary organisation made up of people from various national standards organisations. ISO 45001 is the international standard for Occupational Health and Safety (OH&S).
ISO 45001 vs. AS/NZS 4801
AS/NZS 4801 was the accepted safety standard in Australia between 2001 and 2018. It has since been usurped by ISO 45001. There are two main advantages that ISO 45001 has over AS/NZS 4801;
- AS/NZS 4801 was relevant to only Australia and New Zealand. ISO is an international standard. With globalisation, companies often have international footprints, or compete on the global stage. It make sense to move to an internationally recognised safety standard.
- ISO 45001 follows the safe structure as ISO 9001 and IS 14001. This consistency makes it easy to develop, integrate, and manage.
ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 45001
These three ISO standards are the holy trinity of integrated management systems. ISO 9001 relates to Quality Assurance, ISO 14001 relates to Environmental Management, and ISO 45001 relates to Workplace Safety. Together they form a formidable management system for organisations.
All three standards have the same structure, meaning the integrate easily and enable users to easily understand how each system functions.
ISO Framework
The framework for all ISO standards is the same to make it easier to learn. Each ISO Standard then has its own mandatory documents and records that are required. The framework for all ISO standards is made up of the same 10 clauses which are;
1: Scope
2: Normative references
3: Terms & definitions
4: Context of the Organisation
5: Leadership and worker participation
6: Planning
7: Support
8: Operation
9: Performance Evaluation
10: Improvement
Benefits of ISO 45001
Reduce Risk
The crux of ISO 45001 is to provide safer workplaces. An ISO 45001 Integrated Management System (IMS) provides an organised system and methodology to manage workplace health and safety. Having a process driven system helps prevent accidents. It can transform your business operations from detection mode to prevention mode.
Compliance
ISO 45001 can ensure compliance with current legislation across the world.
Competitive Advantage
ISO 45001 certification improves your branding. It shows you’re serious about workplace safety. It also can give you a competitive edge when submitting tenders.
Productivity
There’s many ways ISO 45001 certification can improve your productivity. Reduced sickness and injuries have a direct impact. Using a systemised approach reduces errors and speeds up processing. Staff satisfaction and workplace culture improves because they know you are committed to their welfare.
Cost Saving
Identifying hazards and controlling risks at the earliest stage will reduce business costs. Staff downtime will be reduced. Less insurance claims will mean lower premiums. Insurance premiums will also be reduced because ISO 45001 certification demonstrates you are at lower risk.
by preventing safety incidents resulting in downtime through accidents and provides possible cost saving through public liability insurance premiums.
Talk to us
If you’re look for ISO Certification, or just a safety management system to streamline your safety management processes, then talk to us.