The increasing scale of companies in the late twentieth century, combined with growing social interest in health and safety incidents, brought up the economic and social cost of accidents. As upper management became more concerned about health and safety issues, health and safety departments rose in size. Through a system management approach, systematic and strategic techniques for managing health and safety issues were developed with the basic principles of efficiency, effectiveness, and responsibility.
The 10 clauses of ISO 45001
1) Clause 1: Scope
This clause contains introductory information about ISO 45001 as a standard for an OHSMS model that:
- Meets all regulatory criteria.
- Recognizes that the requirement for an OH&S management system is based on continuous improvement and achievement of objectives.
- Can be applied to almost any type and size of organization.
2) Clauses 2-3: Definitions of Terms
Define the many different phrases and meanings used throughout the standard. They provide an in-depth understanding of the language used in the standard and how each term serves in a specific context.
3) Clause 4: The Organization's Context
Organizations must assess the context of their operations and ISO 45001 documents to be maintained as per requirements of ISO 45001:2018 and interested parties under this provision. External and internal problems can be distinguished. Internal challenges include your workforce's competency and commitment, their willingness to cooperate and follow your policies, and your organization's communication methods.
4) Clause 5: Participation of Workers and Leadership
This clause incorporates health and safety into the activities of the business and is intended for both managers and employees. Unlike earlier frameworks on this topic, the ISO 45001 standard discourages people from being assigned specific responsibilities and instead supports a collaborative effort across the organization. It also necessitates senior management implementing, monitoring, and maintaining a particular OH&S policy for your firm, as well as ensuring administrative authorities, duties, and responsibilities are properly recognized.
5) Clause 6: Proper Planning
This clause discusses the objectives of your OH&S system and how you can achieve them. Your major goal is obviously to eliminate or reduce the risk of workplace accidents and other health issues. Still, it's essential taking this down into small steps.
6) Clause 7: Support
In this area, your company has to offer the support elements required to implement, manage, and continuously improve the occupational health and safety management system. This support system may include resources, communication methods, staff awareness, and the necessity for documented information.
7) Clause 8: Operation
Any OH&S system must have sufficient operational controls. Clause 8 details the procedures enterprises must take, such as hazard elimination, change management, procurement, and emergency ability and response. Organizations can execute their operational processes by developing operating criteria that can be utilized for regulating relevant processes.
8) Clause 9 - Performance Evaluation
Performance evaluation includes mechanisms for monitoring and assessing compliance with internal audits, laws and regulations, and management review to ensure the system's overall performance.
9) Clause 10: Enhancement
The final clause of ISO 45001 specifies that businesses must commit to continuous improvement, which they can accomplish depending on the findings of their performance evaluation. If the assessment identifies deficiencies in performance rather than compliance, it may be worthwhile to engage with your employees and team leaders about potential improvements.
Take the time to create a good plan for establishing your OH&S management system so that adequate resources are deployed from the beginning. This plan will help guarantee that your implementation runs smoothly and that no time or resources are wasted. To obtain a deeper understanding of ISO 45001, a business should organize onsite or online ISO 45001 training, which will also assist them in continual improvement through effective management system implementation. There are also editable material with ISO 45001 training ppt accessible on the web (free and paid) that can be used to aid organizational staff in ensuring the micro-level system is well established in line with the most recent requirements.
