ISO 45001, ISO’s new Occupational Health and Safety Management System standard designed to replace OHSAS 18001, will be published in 2017.
The new standard is designed to help organisations around the world ensure the health and safety of the people who make their business possible.
This standard is set to replace the popular OHSAS 18001 standard, with the overall purpose remaining the improvement of occupational health and safety performance. ISO 45001 will more easily integrate with other ISO Management Systems standards including ISO 9001:2015 and ISO 14001:2015.
ISO 45001 will require an organization to look beyond its immediate health and safety issues and take into account what the wider society expects of it. Organisations will have to think about their contractors and suppliers, as well as the effects their activities have on neighbouring communities.
As globalisation and global trade continue to escalate, organisations’ stakeholders are expecting organisations to be ethical in every aspect of their business, especially in the way they treat employees. ISO 45001 will give organisations an internationally recognised occupational health and safety standard to follow. This standard provides the specification for formal, systematic analysis and management of risk, management of regulatory compliance, promotion of safer work practices, and evaluation of occupational health and safety performance. This systematic approach facilitates a decrease in the number of incidents and ultimately less disruption to business.
In order to comply with international needs and requirements, more than 50 countries and organisations including the International Labour Organization (ILO) have been involved in the creation of ISO 45001. The aim is to provide a tool that can be used by any organisation, in any industry, anywhere in the world.
Organisations currently certified to OHSAS 18001, can remain so through the transition period offered after the publication of the ISO 45001 standard. Intertek will work with all current customers to ensure a smooth transition to ISO 45001 when the time comes.
For more information on the changes from the International Organisation of Standards and to purchase the Committee Draft of the standard please contact
