Workplace safety is a vital concern, for employers and the team here at Lasting Impressions. Regulations and standards across the world are in place to ensure that, as your employees go about their day-to-day working life, the risk of hazards and accidents is significantly minimised. It is a legal requirement for you to mitigate the factors that could cause both the business and your team irreparable harm. And, there are many days to do this from implementing anti-slip solutions on uneven flooring to installing the right safety sign, when needed.
As a business owner in recent years, you may have heard of the ISO 45001 certificate. But, what does it mean for business safety? And how can you abide by this specific standard?
What Is the ISO 45001 Standard?
Recognised internationally, this global standard is in place to support occupational health and safety. It is issued as a means to protect both visitors and employees from accidents and diseases related to the workplace. The standard was first introduced in 2018 and replaced BS OHSAS 18001. From this date, businesses were given a 3-year period to move from the old standard to the new one.
While ISO 45001 isn’t a legal requirement, it provides recommendations to help create a safe and healthy workplace.
It is there to:
- Reduce risk.
- Improve safety.
Difference Between ISO 45001 and OHSAS 18001
ISO 54001 stepped in to replace OHSAS 18001 with key changes designed to help businesses better mitigate the advertised impact that hazards in the workplace can have on the physical, mental and cognitive health of individuals.
Key differences include:
- ISO 45001 being process-based.
- ISO 45001 considers both the risk and the opportunities for risk.
- ISO 45001 including the views of interested parties.
For businesses that are already certified with OHSAS 18001, you will need to migrate to the new standard by:
- Performing an analysis of the interested parties.
- Ask yourself how the risk associated can be controlled through existing management systems.
- Establish the scope of the system.
- Use the information to identify risks, processes, assessment criteria and to set KPIs for tracking.
Most of what was used to abide by OHSAS will still be relevant.
ISO 4001 and Safety Signs
Reducing risk around the workplace requires control management – a factor that safety signs are designed to support. Acting as administrative control, they help you to create a communication strategy that allows you to pass across information about a residual risk and reinforce the safety procedures around it.
At Lasting Impressions, we have a wide array of safety signs designed to help your business abide by legal requirements and current safety regulations. For more information or to speak to a member of the team, please do get in contact with us here today.
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