Women in built
INTEGRATING INTERNATIONAL
OHS STANDARDS SAVES MONEY AND MINIMISES RISK
By Louise Woodburn , general manager at KBC Risk Solutions
Maintaining a healthy and safe working environment is a requirement by law , with the Occupational Health and Safety ( OHS ) Act in effect in South Africa .
While compliance with the OHS Act is mandatory , there are also international standards that businesses can , and should , be adhering to specifically ISO45001 . Certification to that standard proves that businesses are meeting their moral , financial , and legal obligations around health and safety to the highest levels . Not only that , however , it can also make businesses more efficient , more productive , and ultimately more profitable as a result .
PEOPLE ARE A BUSINESSES ’ MOST CRUCIAL ASSET According to the International Labour Organisation , more than 7 600 people die from work-related accidents or diseases every single day . Without people , businesses simply cannot function . It is therefore in the best interest of any business to ensure that the highest possible levels of health and safety standards are adhered to .
The ISO45001 standard was developed by the International Standards Organisation ( ISO ) to address this very issue , and it has the potential to save almost three million lives each year . For organisations that work across geographies , the ISO45001 certification ensures that a minimum standard can be set for all business entities . It replaces the previous OSHA 18000 from the British Standards Authority , effective from 2018 , with upgraded principles to make it more risk-based . The deadline to convert the OSHA 18000 certification to the new international standard was extended to the end of September 2021 .
NOT JUST A COMPLIANCE EXERCISE While some organisations specify ISO45001 compliance as a prerequisite for doing business , the international standard is not legally enforceable . In South Africa , however , there is a new Occupational Health and Safety bill in the pipeline , which mandates that a formal health and safety system be put into place . Organisations that comply with the ISO45001 standard will be ahead of the game , as they will automatically abide by this new requirement .
Health and safety is not just about compliance though . ISO45001 certification can be hugely beneficial for a number of reasons . By reducing workplace accidents , organisations improve their risk profile as well as both direct and indirect costs associated with incidents .
Indirectly , insurance premiums are reduced when fewer accidents occur , which also saves money . In addition , less downtime from injuries and illness boosts productivity and efficiency . While certification to the standard may not be necessary for every business , adhering to the principles makes sense for any organisation , no matter what size or industry .
THE CERTIFICATION PROCESS The ISO45001 standard centres on implementing a formal system to manage health and safety on a proactive basis . The first step in certification is to perform a gap analysis on the current systems , policies , and procedures , and then to standardise clausal procedures that meet the requirements of the standard for a particular business . These differ depending on the nature of the organisation as well as various other factors , for example , a mining enterprise will have vastly different requirements to a financial services firm .
Once the gap analysis is complete , an initial audit is performed to review paper-based evidence . Once this is passed , a three-month implementation is followed to ensure the standards developed can be put into place . A second-level audit is then performed to ensure physical compliance with the policies and procedures that have been developed and implemented . If this is all in order , the ISO45001 certification will be issued , and the business will operate in a surveillance period for a year , after which certain standards will be audited in-depth . After the second year , other standards will be assessed , and then every third year the entire certification process must be undergone once more .
NOT AS COMPLEX AS IT SEEMS While the accreditation and certification process appears to be overly complex and unattainable , the right partner can vastly simplify matters by ensuring that existing processes can be formalised and that the process followed fits the needs of the business . In addition , an expert partner can help organisations to integrate ISO45001 with other ISO standards , including ISO9000 for quality control and ISO14000 for environmental management .
There is also a perception that ISO45001 is only for large enterprises , however , there is immense value in proactive health and safety for entities of all sizes . The standard provides for a formal process and a legal framework to manage risk and ensures that health and safety become an integral part of business rather than an afterthought , with major benefits to productivity and profitability . RACA
www . hvacronline . co . za RACA Journal I March 2022 47