ISO 45001 is a standard for Occupational Health and Safety management systems (OH&S). It was designed to provide a framework for companies to identify, manage, and minimise workplace risks and create a healthier and safer working environment. It contains the best practices for occupational health and safety.

The new ISO 45001 standard presents a new approach to documentation that substitutes the old documentation requirements. If you plan to implement ISO 45001 and are looking into the mandatory requirements for documented information, this guide is for you. Below, we’ll highlight the mandatory documents and records required by ISO 45001.

Documents & Records Required by ISO 45001

Scope of the OH&S Management System – Clause 4.3

Clause 4.3 outlines the scope of the OH&S management system by specifying its boundaries and applicability. This may include the organisation’s products, services, operations and other external activities that can affect the system’s performance.

OH&S – Clause 5.2

The OH&S document stipulates the requirements for workplace health and safety well-being. It requires business owners to ensure the workplace is safe and free of hazardous conditions. It also states that the workplace should be inspected regularly, and potential risks should be identified and addressed immediately.

Responsibilities and Authorities Within OH&SMS – Clause 5.3

Clause 5.3 defines the responsibilities and authorities of team members and management within the OH&SMS. It outlines the roles and duties of each person and their authority to make decisions concerning the OH&SMS.

OH&S Process for Addressing Risks and Opportunities – Clause 6.1.1

OH&S process for addressing risks and opportunities is a mandatory document that requires an organisation to identify, assess, control, and address risks and opportunities associated with its operations.

Methodology and Criteria for the Assessment of OH&S – Clause 6.1.2.2

Clause 6.1.2.2 entails the methodology and approach for assessing occupational health and safety risks. It is the process of evaluating risks, including the detection of threats and assessing their risk levels.

OH&S Objectives and Plans for Attaining them – Clause 6.2.2

This clause outlines the requirements for the team leader to develop occupational health and safety objectives and appropriate plans for attaining them. They must set up a plan that defines the expected outcomes, performance measures, and the resources and actions to fulfil the objectives.
The plan should include a timeline for implementation, a method for communication, and a methodology for monitoring and evaluating progress. OH&S objectives and plans should be reviewed and updated regularly.

Emergency Preparedness and Response Process – Clause Clause 8.2

This describes an emergency preparedness and response plan that demonstrates how your company will respond to and manage emergencies. It often covers details on how you will identify potential emergencies, create response plans, and train employees on emergency response protocols.

This may include plans for how your organisation will coordinate with stakeholders and external partners to ensure an effective response.

Implementing an OH&S Management System

If you’re looking for guidance on managing workplace health and safety, you may want to implement an OH&S that complies with ISO 45001 requirements. By understanding each clause in the standard, you may be able to establish a system that addresses your health and safety issues.

Consult Best Practice Today

Our experts at Best Practice Certification can assist in your ISO 45001 certification and ensure you meet the standard’s requirements in terms of documentation. Contact us today to find out more.

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Organisations are required to perform regular internal audits as outlined under clause 9.2 of ISO 45001:2018. They must also evaluate audit findings to identify OH&S opportunities, ways to improve health and safety, and non-conformities and areas of improvement within the organisation.

If you’re considering an ISO 45001 internal audit, you may wonder what the process entails. Here are the basic details of the ISO 45001 internal auditing process.

1. Plan the audit

The first thing to do is develop an audit plan that defines the objectives, resources needed, scope, and activities to be conducted during the audit. You should also choose the right candidate within your company to perform the internal audit.

The internal auditor you choose must be familiar with the ISO 45001 standard and have good evaluating skills as well as experience in risk management. The person must have a clear understanding of the organisational structures and procedures. The ability to think logically and generate internal reports is also essential.

2. Identify the Audit Team

Once you develop a solid audit plan, it’s time to identify the participants who will take part in the auditing process. Identify the necessary skills and resources, processes and activities that need to be audited, and assign roles and responsibilities.

You may also consider training if necessary. If you cannot find a qualified audit team within your organisation to conduct the audit, you can hire an outside company specialising in internal audits.

3. Use an ISO 45001 Checklist

You are encouraged to use an ISO 45001 checklist during the audit to ensure the standard’s requirements are being met at every step of the audit. The purpose of internal audits is to maintain certification of the occupational health and safety standard, so it makes sense that the auditor uses this checklist, which covers the seven main standards of ISO 45001:

• Planning
• Support
• Improvement
• Operation
• Context of the organisation
• Leadership
• Performance evaluation

4. Report the Audit Results

After a successful audit, your auditor should prepare a report of the audit results detailing the findings and make it available to management. Reports are an essential part of an audit process as they provide written documentation of your company’s progress. They also provide an independent assessment of your company’s performance against the requirements of ISO 45001.

Through audit reports, you can conduct performance evaluations to see if you’re on the right track and identify areas that could need improvement.

5. Implement Corrective Actions

ISO 45001 internal audits are conducted to check the health and safety standards of your workplace. The reports are meant to provide insight into the conditions of your workplace, so you can take the necessary corrective action if you find areas that require correction.

Based on your audit results, identify the root cause of the highlighted problem, develop relevant corrective actions to address the cause, and monitor the actions to ensure they are effective. For example, if your auditor points out that workers are not using the right protective equipment at work, the corrective action can include having them use the proper protective equipment.

How Best Practice Biz Can Help with ISO 45001 Internal Audits

Best Practice Biz is accredited to provide professional ISO 45001 certification and auditing services across Australia. Contact us if you need help with your ISO 45001 internal audits. Our experts can also help you become ISO 45001 certified to improve safety in your organisation.

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ISO 45001 is an international standard that defines the requirements for an occupational health and safety management system in your organisation.

Some of the key benefits are: If you have an ISO 45001 safety management system implemented in your organisation, you can get external certification from an organisation like us here at Best Practice that will entitle you to have certification and a certificate that you could put up on your website to help your customers trust you, and help your stakeholders trust you and trust your ability to manage occupational health and safety.

It is also a great requirement for your customers, to promote to your customers that yours is a safe organisation, that you have systems in place to manage your processes, that you have processes in place to manage emergencies.

There are some great benefits of having an occupational health and safety management system but it all relates to confidence building confidence with your customers, your staff, your stakeholders and even your directors, your shareholders, that you have a safety management system in place in your organisation, that’s there to protect maintain and improve the occupational health and safety management system performance of your organisation.

Life – in particular, the business world – can throw up a lot of curveballs, so having a backing in ISO45001 puts you in a better position to catch these curveballs, rather than getting one to the face.

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If you’re looking to become certified this is a pretty common question.

People come to us and say how long will it take us to implement an ISO 45001 management system?

In most organizations, it’s not a long time. In my experience, some organizations implement occupational health and safety management systems inside a month; and I’ve also seen some organizations take a number of years.

With dedicated resources and a positive attitude, I can say that defining an occupational health and safety management system will be something that doesn’t take a long time.

The change management part of improving the way you manage occupational health and safety in your organization may be the thing that takes a bit more time, so it’s about the variability of the appetite in your organization for change, the level of buy-in and the positive culture that’s required for occupational health and safety might also influence that time frame.

So, fast tracking the implementation of an occupational health and safety management system that complies with ISO 45001 is something that can be done but it requires positive attitude, positive culture and determined and allocated and dedicated resources.

Reach out to us here at Best Practice Certification and how find out how you might go about getting certified to ISO 45001.

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What is ISO 9001 All About?

The international standard relies on several quality management principles that include; a strong customer focus, commitment to continually improving, and the implication and dedication of top-level management. Meeting the requirements of ISO 9001:2015 means that your customers can get quality products and services consistently, which brings several benefits to your company.

Where Do Health and Safety and ISO 9001 intersect?

When we talk about ISO 9001: 2015 or Quality Management Systems and the debate moves to health and safety, many people wonder how the two can be interlinked. Generally, not all organisations are required to have a quality management system, but an ISO 45001: 2018 Occupational Health and Safety Management System is essential to maintain a conducive work environment. However, the QMS should not conflict with an organisation’s efforts to meet OHSAS 18001 requirements.

It is essential to note that ISO 9001:2015 does not entirely address health and safety. Still, the management and other stakeholders must identify risks and opportunities to achieve a conducive work environment.

In clause 6.4 of ISO 9001, organisations must identify and manage the work environment required to produce quality products and services. Physical factors such as hygiene, noise, and human factors such as employee supervision are some of the areas to be considered.

A Quality Management System is the foundation of an Occupational Health and Safety Management System. The ISO 9001 establishes processes and procedures like data analysis, corrective actions, internal audits, and management reviews. These processes are also required in establishing a health and safety management system.

The two management systems have similar core elements. They Include:

• Management Commitment – Executives should be committed to guaranteeing the production of quality and safe products and services.
• Continuous Improvement – Organisations should regularly assess the effectiveness of the Quality Management System and their health and safety hazard controls.
• Communication – There should be a unified program to communicate policies and objectives across all organisation levels.

Although Occupational Health and Safety Management and Quality Management focus on different aspects, they work together to achieve the set objectives for health and safety.

How Best Practice Can Help

ISO 45001:2018 and ISO 9001:2015 are highly complementary, so your best bet is to seek ISO training and certification from a JAS-ANZ accredited institution like Best Practice Biz. Before you get your ISO 9001 certification, we will audit your organisation to ensure you provide a safe working environment to guarantee product conformity. Call us today at +61 1300 402 602 to learn more about how you can benefit from our ISO certification services.

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Whether you’re dealing with legitimate or substandard contractors and supplies, the last thing you want is to buy defective products that can expose your organisation to health and safety risks.

Contractors

Organisations should coordinate processes with contractors to identify and control risks arising from the contractors’ activities that affect the organisation, the organisation’s operations that affect the contractor, and the contractor’s operations that affect interested parties.

Ensuring you and the contractor meet OH&S management system requirements is crucial. The organisation’s procurement processes should also define OH&S criteria for selecting contractors.

Outsourcing

ISO 45001 requires organisations to ensure that outsourced processes and functions are controlled. The outsourcing arrangements should meet legal and other requirements to achieve the intended outcomes of the occupational health and safety management systems. The OH&S management system should clearly define the degree and the type of control of these processes should be clearly defined in the OH&S management system.

It is essential to note that coordination with suppliers can assist in addressing the impacts outsourcing has on an organisation’s OH&S performance. You need to ensure that the OH&S performance requirements are clearly communicated to the suppliers to ensure you receive the right products or services.

You should pick a “scope” under which outsourced products and services are controlled within the OH&S management system. For example, you can develop a list of approved services and materials and define the process of approving them. Generally, it would be best to establish whether a particular supplier’s performance could affect your ability to meet the OH&S requirements.

Hazard Identification

Regardless of the expenditure, it is essential to ensure that the procurement process includes a risk assessment analysis. Any purchase made exposes your organisation to various hazards and risks, and it should be your responsibility to identify and create ways to mitigate these risks.

Adjustability and Accountability

The law and ISO procedures require organisations to maintain records of every purchase made. Record keeping involves maintaining an original copy of invoices, electronically or manually.

Continuous Improvement

Organisations must seek relevant training for sustainable and ethical procurement. Your organisation should improve procurement processes and systems to meet OH&S requirements. Setting performance targets to meet ISO requirements can be an excellent way to achieve the intended outcomes of the OH&S.

How Best Practice Can Help

Do you want to meet the ISO 45001 procurement procedure requirements? Best Practice Biz offers a wide range of services to help you achieve and comply with the ISO 45001 standard. Get in touch with us today to discover more about how your organisation can benefit from our ISO certification services.

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Unlike the older version, this new standard provides many changes, including detailed risk planning and assessment. Below is a comprehensive guide explaining the 10 clauses of ISO 45001 to help you understand how it works.

The 10 Clauses of ISO 45001

Clause 1 – Scope

Carries introductory information about ISO 45001 as a standard for an OHSMS model that:

• Meets the necessary regulatory requirements.
• Acknowledges that the need for an OH&S management system is dependent on continual improvement and accomplishment of objectives.
• Can be deployed to virtually any type and size of an organisation.

Clause 2 & Clause 3 – Terms and Definitions

These sections are designed as summaries and simply note that there are no normative references. Clause 3 features a list of terms and definitions that apply to the ISO 45001 standard.

Clause 4 – Context of the Organisation

This section requires organisations to assess the context of their operations and document the needs and expectations of interested parties. Usually, this is categorised into two: external and internal issues.

External issues include your organisation’s union expectations, political and economic conditions, as well as relevant laws and regulations. On the other hand, internal issues include your company’s communication methodologies and the commitment of your team to co-operate and adhere to the existing policies.

Clause 5 – Leadership

This section is designed for employees and managers alike. It demands that the top leaders demonstrate leadership and dedication regarding the OH&S management system. It also requires top managers to implement, monitor, and maintain an OH&S policy that’s unique to your organisation and make sure the administrative authorities, roles, and responsibilities are clearly understood.

Clause 6 – Planning

This involves establishing the objectives of your health and safety management systems and how you can attain them. The obvious reason is to mitigate the risk of workplace accidents and common health issues.

Clause 7 – Support

In this section, your organisation needs to provide support elements required to implement, manage, and continually improve the occupational health and safety management system. This support system may include resources, methods of communication, staff awareness, and the need for documented information.

Clause 8 – Operation

Section eight covers the operation controls organisations must look into, including management of change, emergency response, elimination of hazards, and change in procurement. You can implement your operational processes by developing criteria for operation control.

Clause 9 – Performance Evaluation

Performance evaluation covers systems for monitoring and assessment of compliance with internal audit, legal requirements, and management review to ensure the system’s overall effectiveness.

Clause 10 – Improvement

This last clause demands that your organisation manages the OH&S system nonconformities, incidents, and corrective actions. This also covers the commitment to continual improvement.

Contact Best Practice Biz Today

Now that you know all the ten clauses of ISO 45001, you might be considering certification. If you’re interested, please contact Best Practice Biz, an accredited certification body that focuses on training and certification for ISO 45001.

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In most cases, organisations cannot meet the standard requirement due to various challenges. Understanding these challenges allows you to stay prepared and work through them efficiently. Some of the most common ISO 14001 implementation challenges include.

Problem Solving

Understanding the environmental impact of an organisation makes implementing ISO 14001 easy. However, sometimes the situation may be a bit complex. For instance, you may have to conduct a statistical analysis. Organisations with fewer resources may find it hard to capture and analyse data appropriately.

Complying with the Regulations

Businesses are subjected to complex environmental impact regulations. Without the dedication and environmental legislation understanding, your organisation’s efforts to comply may seem futile. Before creating your organisation’s certified EMS (Environmental Management Systems), it is essential to learn about the regulations to follow.

Invest in training your in-house team to maintain legal compliance. You can also engage a consultant to ensure that your organisation’s operations meet regulatory compliance. Working with an accredited ISO certification body allows you to meet regulatory requirements more effortlessly.

Leadership & Participation

Any ISO standard requires support and participation from the top leadership in the organisation, and most executives are occasionally busy and less involved in ISO 14001 implementation operations. Besides, most leaders set ultra-lenient and unrealistic targets to paint the organisation in good light.

Transparency

Most organisations cannot relay the correct information to employees and other stakeholders. Since customers make decisions by evaluating whether the companies are ISO certified, they should also be informed about the intentions to establish and maintain a good environmental management system. Failing to disseminate the right information reduces the engagement of employees, customers and other stakeholders in EMS operations.

Balance

When most organisations begin to evaluate processes and make changes to improve the environment, they reduce productivity. Organisations need to strike a balance between the needs of the shareholders and customers and the environmental improvements.

The changes should not be so limiting to limit the organisation from reaping the benefits of ISO 14001. If the EMS limits the processes and operations of the company, it may be challenging to achieve the intended outcome of implementing Environment Management Systems.

Setting Goals

Organisations seeking ISO 14001 certification are responsible for setting their environmental objectives. Sometimes it may not be easy to set realistic sustainability goals.

How Best Practice Can Help

Are you struggling to establish and implement ISO 14001 requirements in your company? Worry no more because we are ready to assist you at Best Practice Biz. We offer a wide range of training services to ensure your organisation complies with the set standards. Contact us today to learn more about our training, auditing, and ISO certification process.

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Importance of Safety in the Supply Chain

There are many reasons why safety is important in the supply chain. Some of these reasons include:

• Reduce costs associated with accidents, injuries, illnesses, and other problems caused by a lack of safety measures: The cost of injuries and illnesses can be significant. For instance, the total cost of work injuries in 2017–18 was $1.8 billion.
• Improve productivity and morale in the supply chain: A safe and healthy supply chain means that all employees are treated with respect and dignity. It also means that there is a lower risk of accidents and injuries occurring because everyone knows their responsibilities (including how to handle safety issues). This can lead to less downtime due to sick days taken off work which increases productivity levels as well as employee morale.
• Prevent the release of hazardous materials into the environment: This is especially important for companies that deal with food or pharmaceuticals. A safe and healthy supply chain means that all employees know how to handle hazardous materials safely and that there are adequate procedures for dealing with any potential emergencies.
• Reduce the amount of insurance premiums companies have to pay: A safe and healthy supply chain means that a company is less likely to experience accidents, injuries, illnesses, or other problems. This can lead to the company receiving lower insurance premiums as it proves that they are taking adequate safety measures to protect their employees and customers.
• Increase brand reputation and customer trust: A safe and healthy supply chain is a reflection of a company’s commitment to safety and its customers. It shows that the company takes its responsibilities seriously and is doing everything possible to ensure the safety and health of all parties involved in the supply chain. This can lead to an increase in brand reputation and customer trust, which can be beneficial for the company in the long run.

How to Improve Safety and Health in the Supply Chain

There are many ways businesses can improve safety and health in their supply chains. Some of these ways include:

• Ensuring employees have proper training on how to use equipment safely. Employees should be trained on how to use equipment properly, so they do not get injured.
• Making sure employees are adequately rested. Tired employees are more likely to be injured on the job.
• Encouraging employees to report unsafe conditions. If employees see something that they believe or feel is unsafe, they should report it to their supervisor.
• Providing safety equipment. Employees should be provided with the proper safety equipment, such as goggles, gloves, and masks.
• Promoting a safe work environment. Businesses should create a safe work environment for their employees. This includes providing proper ventilation and eliminating potential hazards.

How Best Practice Can Help

As a JAS-ANZ accredited certification body, Best Practice can provide your organisation with in house or online training and certification to ISO 45001. This internationally recognised safety management standard can help businesses improve safety and health in their supply chains, including safety audits, health and safety training, supply-chain management, policy development, and emergency preparedness planning. Contact us today to learn more about how ISO 45001 can benefit your business. .

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KEY CHANGES TO OHSAS 18001

The ISO high-level structure did so well that ISO 45001 adopted the Annex SL to be closely formulated with other ISO like the ISO 14001. The key changes in include:

• Process-based structure
• Dynamic in every single clause
• Considers possible risks and opportunities
• Is inclusive of interested parties’ views

HOW TO EFFICIENTLY MIGRATE FROM OHSAS 18001 TO ISO 45001?

The management approach that was formed in OHSAS 18001 will be a key element to migrate to the new, better standards. If you’re certified with OHSAS 18001, you’ll have to deal with the transition.

How to Handle the Transition Period

1. Figure out what risks there are internally and externally and from all interested parties and how they can be controlled by your OH&S management system.
2. Establish what your system standard requires and consider the goals of your system.
3. Use the above-mentioned information to establish your OH&S risks, evaluation and assessment of your occupational health and safety management system, and most importantly, the processes key performance indicators.
4. Speak to professionals that will help guide you through the transitioning period. You can also outsource a change agent for your business to make sure the transition is implemented with ease.

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Requirements in ISO 45001

You’ll have to make sure that you follow the correct requirements so that your OH&S performance will be effective when there are actions to address or when you have to do hazard identification on your products or services. Let’s look at a summary of the requirements:

• You’ll have to prepare documents on how the context of the organization fits with OH&S management.
• Someone with the required leadership skills should be chosen to act as a leader for employees. It’s also mandatory that all the employees participate actively in all processes in ISO 45001. 
• The OH&S policy should be followed in detail.
• You should be able to plan to identify hazards and assess risks and opportunities.
• You should make sure that OH&S objectives will be achieved.
• You must make sure that the implementation of the system has all the support it needs, including resources, competence, awareness, communication, and documentation.
• The operation should be done effectively in all areas, including operational planning and control, hazard elimination and risk reduction, change management, procurement, and emergency readiness.
• The second to last step is to conduct a performance evaluation to ensure that everybody’s behaviours are on the standard, including monitoring, measuring, and analysis, as well as internal audits and management reviews.
• And finally, the last thing you should consider is an improvement. This includes improvements on incidents, nonconformity, and corrective action as well as documentation, communication, and lastly continual improvement. 

Conclusion

There is a lot to think about when we are transitioning from one OH&S management system to another. It might be a good idea to get an expert on board to help you with the documentation required. All-in-all, if you do your homework correctly you’ll be able to do it yourself since there is an abundance of resources that can help you, and don’t forget that you received a generous time frame for when your system has to be ready.

Best Practice is a JAS-ANZ accredited Certification body that aims to provide ISO Certification globally, with a range of in-house training and support systems to help you on your journey to continual improvement.

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