OHSAS 18001 is an assessment specification for Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems. It was developed in response to the need for companies to meet their health and safety obligations in an efficient manner. The aim of the OHSAS 18001 specification is to provide a framework for providing a safe and healthy working environment. In addition, the standard provides guidelines on how to integrate health and safety policies into your overall management system.

 

Key requirements of the standard include:

 

·        Creation of a Health and Safety Policy

·        Appreciation of your H&S issues and their potential impacts

·        Formalising control systems and monitoring processes

·        Communication of policy and approach to staff and stakeholders

·        Setting objectives and targets

·        Compliance with relevant legislation

 

The following key areas are addressed by OHSAS 18001:

 

·        Planning for hazard identification, risk assessment and risk control

·        OHSAS management programme

·        Structure and responsibility

·        Training, awareness and competence

·        Consultation and communication

·        Operational control

·        Emergency preparedness and response

·        Performance measuring, monitoring and improvement

 

Key Benefits of OHSAS are:

 

·        Certification to the internationally recognized standard

·        Reduce costs, fines, and liabilities associated with health and safety incidents

·        Provide a means of continuous improvement in H&S status

·        Improve response time and accident prevention

·        Improve the effectiveness and efficiency of corrective and preventative actions management

·        Protect brand and reputation

·        Provide instant dashboard visibility of corporate-wide H&S data

·        Report incidents and investigation information consistently across your business

·        Compare H&S incidents data across sites, business units or your entire business

·        Provide instant and automatic reporting of key metrics

 

OHSAS 18001 can be adopted by any organization wishing to implement a formal procedure to reduce the risks associated with health and safety in the working environment for employees, customers and the general public.