On 12 March 2018, ISO 45001:2018 Occupational health and safety management systems - Requirements with guidance for use was published .
The standard is the result of 5 years of work involving hundreds of experts from all over the world, coming from the sectors of standardization, company management, trade union associations, and will constitute the worldwide reference for the implementation of the management system of health and safety in the workplace in public and private organizations of all sectors and activities.
THE NEW ELEMENTS OF THE NEW ISO 45001
In setting up the new ISO 45001 standard, attention was paid to a few cornerstones:- Construction of the standard with reference to the HLS High-level structure implemented for all ISO standards having a management nature
- Greater integrability with ISO 9001 and ISO 14001
- Attention to the context and to the assessment of risks and opportunities
- Reference to corporate business
- Involvement and awareness of all parties involved (management, operators, interested parties)
- Greater involvement and consideration of outsourced processes
A GREAT NEW ASPECT: PROCUREMENT AND OUTSOURCING
The above elements have for the most part already been the subject of the health and safety management systems covered by BS OHSAS 18001, but in ISO 45001 the relevance of some topics is further amplified, such as in particular procurement (point 8.1.4 of ISO 45001) in which the emphasis is placed on:- contractors' activities and operations that impact the organization;
- the organization's activities and operations that impact contractors' workers;
- contractors' activities and operations that impact other stakeholders in the workplace.
In the same requirement it is specified in a note that it may be useful to include occupational health and safety criteria for the selection of contractors .
This element introduced by ISO 45001 certainly constitutes a new and very significant aspect from the point of view of supplier management with a keen eye on safety in the workplace.
Another point of great importance is constituted by point 8.1.4.3 Outsourcing, in which the standard specifies that the organization must guarantee that the outsourced functions and processes are controlled and that it is guaranteed that its outsourcing "agreements" are consistent with the legal requirements and other requirements and with the achievement of the objectives set by the OH&S management system.
THE INTERNATIONAL RULES FOR THE MIGRATION FROM BS OHSAS 18001:2007 TO ISO 45001:2018
On 18 January 2018, the IAF (International Accreditation Forum) document called IAF MD 21 was published, which defines the requirements for the migration of certifications from the BS OHSAS 18001 standard to ISO 45001.The International Accreditation Forum deemed it necessary to publish the document in question in advance of the publication of the ISO 45001 Standard, to allow organizations to begin the migration path to the ISO 45001 Standard and make significant changes to their management system, bearing in mind, in the first instance, the requirements of the Final Draft International Standard 45001 and then subsequently bridge any differences between the Draft and the final version of the ISO 45001 standard.
The main things to know for the transition:
- The IAF General Assembly, meeting in New Delhi in India, on November 4, 2016, approved that the migration period to ISO 45001 will last 3 (three) years from the ISO 45001 publication date (March 2018);
- the BS OHSAS 18001: 2007 standard will be "withdrawn" after 3 (three) years from the publication of the ISO 45001;
- a new MD IAF document will soon be published, on occupational health and safety (OH&S or SSL), which will serve as a reference for the issue and maintenance of ISO 45001 certifications. While, the document EA 3/13 M:2016, currently in force, will continue to be the guide for the management of certifications issued according to BS 18001:2007. Document EA 3/13 M:2016 will be withdrawn when BS 18001:2007 is withdrawn.
VALIDITY OF BS OHSAS 18001:2007 ACCREDITED CERTIFICATIONS AND MIGRATION METHODS
For all 3 years following the date of publication of the ISO 45001 standard , both the certifications issued against ISO 45001 and the certifications issued against BS OHSAS 18001:2007 will be valid .During the migration period, the Certification Bodies will be able to issue new BS OHSAS 18001:2007 certifications, but the expiry date of the certifications will correspond to the last expiry date of the migration period (March 2021).
Once the expiry date of the migration period has passed, BS OHSAS 18001 certifications will not enjoy any recognition.
ISO 45001 certifications, under accreditation, can be issued only after the organization has demonstrated the conformity of its system to ISO 45001 to a Certification Body that has been accredited to issue certifications against the new standard.
CSQA SUPPORT ACTIVITIES FOR THE TRANSITION AND IMPLEMENTATION OF ISO 45001:2018
CSQA participates in national technical tables for the implementation of the new ISO 45001 standard and for regulating the certification activities of the same.CSQA, in addition to the constant information activity that it guarantees through its website and via newsletter, has developed specific seminars and workshops on the new ISO 45001 standard , and, as already carried out for the 2015 editions of the ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 standards, is preparing a self-assessment check list with comparison with BS OHSAS 18001 to provide a useful tool for the correct gap analysis or for planning the implementation of the management system of health and safety in the workplace according to the requirements of the new ISO 45001.