New Occupational Health and Safety Standard: ISO 45001

Once current work is finalized, OHSAS 18001 will be replaced by this new system. ISO 45001 is designed to improve occupational health conditions and reduce workplace incidents. The standard is expected to be announced in the coming period.

According to the International Labour Organization, every fifteen seconds a worker loses their life due to a workplace accident or occupational disease. Replacing OHSAS 18001 with ISO 45001, developed through improvement work on the earlier standard, is intended to shift this trend. A common worldwide model is critical to addressing this serious picture. Through ISO 45001, workplaces will be renewed around required policies, processes, and targets that raise the level of occupational health and safety. The new standard requires coordination for identifying workplace hazards, eliminating them, or reducing them to acceptable levels. The new system also aims to engage workers in these activities and to help identify potential risks.

ISO 45001 offers a number of opportunities for organizations. Its adoption will reduce the costs associated with workplace accidents, prevent related delays, and lead to meaningful improvements in insurance costs, employee absenteeism, and staff turnover rates.

Alongside the internal benefits, organizations that successfully implement this international management system will see gains in their external image. These include brand value, organizational reputation, stakeholder ownership of occupational health and safety, and performance reporting.

The new standard will also push a number of occupational health issues higher up the corporate agenda. Long-term exposure to noise, dust, and vibration is among the leading contributors to occupational disease. With the awareness created by ISO 45001, employers can analyze the sources of noise-induced hearing loss, occupational respiratory conditions, and vibration-related bone, muscle, and joint disorders, and continuously monitor and improve those sources, contributing to healthier workplaces.

As noted earlier, the overall aim of the revised standard is to raise occupational health and safety performance in order to prevent workplace accidents and occupational disease.

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