WHAT IS IT
UNI ISO 45001 specifies the requirements for an occupational health and safety (OH&S) management system and provides guidance for its use, in order to enable organizations to provide safe and healthy workplaces, preventing work-related injuries and illnesses , as well as proactively improving their OH&S performance.The standard is applicable to any organization , regardless of size, type and activity, that wishes to create, implement and maintain a management system to improve health and safety at work, eliminate hazards and minimize OSH risks.
The standard was developed by adopting the text of the High-Level Structure (HLS), common to other ISO standards on management systems, such as UNI EN ISO 9001 and UNI EN ISO 14001 , with the aim of promoting integration between them.
The standard includes a national information appendix containing some notes regarding the correct positioning of the standard with respect to the current legislative framework (Consolidated Law on Health and Safety in the Workplace and related standards).
ISO 45001 Standard Updates
At the end of 2023, the international standard ISO 45001 was updated and, from 28 September 2023 , in fact, it is no longer UNI ISO 45001:2018 but UNI EN ISO 45001:2023 as it has also been adopted at Community level by CEN.
This implementation, which led to the new 2023 edition of the standard, did not bring any changes to its contents, and did not in fact change any element of the management system or the certification process.
In September 2024, ISO 45001 was further updated by ISO with the inclusion of section A1 which deals with actions related to the changing climate context , but which does not actually bring further changes to the text and requirements of the occupational health and safety management system.
Main characterising elements of the standard
- Construction of the standard taking into account the HLS High level structure implemented for all ISO standards with a management nature
- Greater integrability with ISO 9001 and ISO 14001
- Attention to context and assessment of risks and opportunities
- Reference to the company business
- Involvement and awareness of all stakeholders (management, operators, stakeholders)
- Greater involvement and consideration of outsourced processes
KEY POINTS
The role of stakeholdersThe ISO 45001 standard places greater emphasis on the role of the various subjects interested in the system , from Top Management , called upon to exercise a leadership role, to interested parties, defined as people or organizations that can exert an influence on decisions or activities or who are influenced by them or perceive themselves to be influenced by them.
A relevant internal stakeholder is made up of workers : the organization is required to activate consultation and participation processes towards them.
Consultation is prior to the decision-making process and concerns the collection of workers' points of view and requests, while participation consists above all in the direct involvement of workers in the decision-making process.
Among the external stakeholders , customers and suppliers are of particular importance, and several reminders are dedicated to them, especially during the system planning, risk assessment and control phases.
The risk-based approach
Compared to other management system standards based on HLS, the peculiarity of ISO 45001 is the double meaning of the term risk, both as system risk and as risk to health and safety at work.
When planning the system, the organization must identify and evaluate both risks and opportunities for health and safety at work and other risks and opportunities, i.e. those risks and opportunities that may not have a direct impact on the health and safety of people but that could influence the expected results of the management system, such as continuous improvement of health and safety performance, full satisfaction of legal requirements and other obligations subscribed to and the achievement of improvement objectives.
Procurement and Outsourcing
In ISO 45001, the relevance of some issues is amplified, such as procurement (point 8.1.4 of ISO 45001) in which emphasis is placed on:
(a) contractors' activities and operations that impact the organization;
(b) the organization's activities and operations that impact contractors' workers;
(c) contractors' activities and operations that impact other interested parties in the workplace.
In point 8.1.4.3 Outsourcing, the standard specifies that the organization shall ensure that the outsourced functions and processes are controlled and that its outsourcing "arrangements" are consistent with legal and other requirements and with the achievement of the objectives set by the OH&S management system.
ADVANTAGES
- Improving the safety culture in the company
- Greater efficiency and consequent reduction of accidents and time losses during the production phase
- Elimination of turnover for the replacement of injured/sick people
- Greater risk control and reduction of dangers by defining objectives, goals and responsibilities
- Legislative compliance check
- Improving the company's image in terms of health and safety at work
- Reduction of insurance costs
- Reduction of the risk of administrative and criminal sanctions
- Demonstration of commitment to protecting personnel, property and facilities