ISO 45001 is here - are you ready? 

OHSAS18001, which although not an international standard as such, has long been the leading specification for Occupational Health and Safety management worldwide. In recognition of this it has been the main basis for the creation of a new ISO Standard for Health & Safety Management, ISO 45001, which as well as taking the content of OHSAS 18001, has also incorporated the Annex SL structure now being adopted by all of ISO's Management Systems Standards. Follow this link to a past ISO news article called *Management makeover - New format for future ISO management system standards*, that explains about the Annex SL structure and why it was developed.

ISO 45001 now replaces OHSAS 18001.

The new standard, published on 12 March 2018, is in the Annex SL format and although nothing has been removed from OHSAS 18001, there are some completly new requirements specific to ISO 45001 e.g. in 5.4 consultation and participation of workers, in 6.1.2 hazard identification and assessments of risks and opportunities.

The key changes to requirements are those resulting from the introduction of more focus on the strategic context and a process led approach. Auditors will be looking for how the standard is used to support the overall strategy of the organisation, rather than as a stand alone tool.

In particular they will expect to see -

It is intended that OHSAS 18001 will be completely phased out by accreditation bodies and replaced by ISO 45001:2018. Organisations currently accredited to OHSAS 18001 are expected to have migrated to the new standard no later than March 2021. Organisations wishing to adopt the Health & Safety Management System Standard for the first time should use the new ISO 45001.

Do please contact us if you would like to know more or would like any help either with migration or with implementing the standard for the first time. We can offer expert advice that will help you understand the requirements of ISO 45001 or provide a gap analysis to identify any changes that you may need to make in order to meet the new ISO 45001 certification requirements.

Excellence beyond ISO 

Here at ley hill solutions we have always believed that true excellence is a lot more than using quality improvement tools and techniques to gain ongoing incremental improvement or the mere application of auditable standards (however helpful these can be in managing your systems) without some sort of holistic approach to using these tools in the context of your overall vision, purpose and strategy.

This is why we have always, from our earliest origins, strongly supported the use of frameworks like the EFQM Excellence Model which take a holistic and strategic approach to organisational excellence.

But we understand that there are many reasons for using other frameworks as well - such as those within the ISO group of management system standards and that, with the ISO standards in particular, there are also external pressures (e.g. from customers and suppliers or the law) for organisations to gain specific accreditations.

Trying to implement in tandem various standards and/or excellence frameworks like the EFQM Excellence Model can at first glance seem to invite confusion and duplication of effort and therefore these methodologies are often seen as conflicting rather than mutually beneficial.

However, in practice and used within a strategic context, far more can be gained from their mutual use than you might expect. In fact they can be used separately, sequentially or in conjunction with one another in a way that leads to the very highest levels of organisational excellence. This is what the EFQM workshop Excellence Beyond ISO is about.

The next two workshops are being held at the EFQM offices in Brussels on the 11th &12th September and the 13th &14th November. 

For more information about the workshop content, who it is aimed at, price and to register, click here.