Providing irrefutable proof that a business abides by certain health and safety requirements, obtaining your ISO (International Organisation for Standardisation) 45001 standard should be a top priority. However, there are many different requirements that must be met before your application for this sought-after certification can be approved.
Fortunately, the expert team of experienced ISO 45001 consultants here at Candy Management Consultants are on hand to provide unparalleled support. Below, we explain why a company should obtain their ISO 45001 standard certification as well as the various requirements and application process.
Why should a company become ISO 45001 certified?
As briefly mentioned above, becoming ISO 45001 certified proves that a business complies with occupational health and safety (OH&S) regulations, but what did this mean? Put simply, it refers to maintaining the safety and health (including the welfare and wellbeing) of people when they are working.
Regardless of the industry (whether someone works in retail or on a construction site) or the size of the business, every employee deserves to feel safe in their workplace. This is because human injury and loss of life are simply unacceptable, and employers, therefore, have both a legal and moral obligation to ensure their staff are as protected as possible.
While there is no legal responsibility to become ISO 45001 certified, obtaining this certification can help you to identify and mitigate risks, as well as to maintain and improve your occupational health and safety management system. These important steps all contribute to creating a safer and healthier workplace.
Once you’ve created an efficient OH&S management system and obtained your ISO 45001 certification, both clients as well as existing and future employees will view you as a safer, more supportive workplace. As a result, you’re likely to see better employee retention, reduced sick leave, increased productivity, and a generally happier and healthier workforce.
Subsequently, becoming ISO 45001 certified isn’t simply a matter of ticking a box and building your reputation, it demonstrates genuine care for your workforce and business. If ISO 45001 standard certification sounds like something your company could benefit from, simply carry on reading to find out more.
What are the ISO 45001 requirements?
The latest ISO 45001 standard is ISO 45001:2018 which is designed to help businesses create an efficient OH&S management system. Used by millions of companies worldwide, it features 10 clauses in total, seven of which must be met by a business in order to help them achieve their ISO 45001 certification.
The first three clauses refer to ‘Scope’ (Clause 1), ‘Normative References’ (Clause 2), and ‘Terms and Definitions’ (Clause 3). As these clauses are simply informational and don’t outline any actions a business needs to take in order to obtain their ISO 45001 standard, we’re going to focus on the remaining seven.
Clause 4: Context of the Organisation
This clause requires the business to understand their organisation as a whole, determining the scope of the OH&S management system and the needs of all workplace individuals. Thorough investigation in the form of interviews, surveys, questionnaires, and process analysis are typically required to help determine context of the organisation.
Clause 5: Leadership and Worker Participation
This stage requires a demonstration of leadership, commitment, and customer focus. Roles within the workplace should also be given distinct responsibilities and authority to help create a management team and set policies.
Clause 6: Planning for the OH&S Management System
Next, you’ll need to consider which actions need to be taken in order to address/mitigate risks to OH&S. You should implement set objectives and set out the way in which you aim to achieve them in order to form your OH&S management system.
Clause 7: Support
There are five main components of this clause – Resources, Competence, Awareness, Communication, and Documented information. Having dedicated support in place across these different aspects is essential to obtaining your ISO 45001 certificate.
Clause 8: Operation
This clause is based on operation planning and control, and goes one step further than Clause 7 to detail implementation, control, and planning. You must show evidence of these controls, as well as a set acceptance criterion, and demonstrate that you have the support to mitigate risks and opportunities.
Clause 9: Performance Evaluation
This entire stage revolves around checking your actions and policies are effective. It should involve plenty of measuring, monitoring, audits, and evaluations to help you determine the efficacy of your OH&S management system performance.
Clause 10: Improvement
Finally, dedication to continual improvement must also be demonstrated. This includes corrective actions as well as consistently and regularly reviewing your OH&S management system.
How to apply for ISO 45001 certification
Once you’ve met the aforementioned requirements for this standard and have an appropriate OH&S management system in place, getting certified is fairly straightforward. In contrast to what you might expect, you won’t need to contact the ISO. Instead, you’ll need to seek certification from an accredited third-party certification body that will complete an audit of your system.
After the auditor has reviewed your processes, you will be given the chance to amend any compliance issues that may have arisen during the audit. Once these issues, if you have any, have been identified and fixed, you’ll receive your ISO 45001 certification.
Often, organisations (regardless of their size or industry) will reach out to an experienced and dedicated ISO standard consultant to make the process of obtaining their certification both faster and easier. This trusted advisor will be able to guide the way in which you structure your OH&S management system, saving you invaluable time and money.
Enlist expert ISO 45001 consultants
If you’d like to find out more about becoming ISO 45001 certified or require professional support obtaining your certification, please feel free to contact the helpful team here at Candy Management Consultants. With a 100% success rate to date, you can rest assured you’re in safe hands.
Unlike other ISO 45001 standard consultants, we pride ourselves on our exceptional level of customer service, transparent prices (complete with affordable payment solutions), and set timeframes. Combined, this ensures our clients are completely satisfied and are able to obtain their ISO 45001 certification as soon as possible.
To learn more about our services or to receive an answer to any ISO 45001 standard query you might have, please don’t hesitate to contact us today by calling 0161 470 7929. Alternatively, you can also get in touch by sending your enquiry to info@candymc.co.uk or filling in our online contact form.
Regardless of how you choose to get in contact with our friendly team, we look forward to hearing from you.