OHSAS 18001 Management systems for Health and Safety at Work

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Health and safety at work as standard practice

Organizations of all types are becoming increasingly interested in achieving and demonstrating sound standards in Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) by controlling risks, in keeping with their OHS policy and goals. They do so against a background of increasingly demanding legislation, the development of economic policies and other measures to promote good HSW practices, and greater concern by parties interested in this matter.

OHSAS 18001 specifies the requirements for a management system, aimed at allowing an organization to control their OHS risks and improve OHS implementation.

Benefits of OHSAS 18001

Implementing and certifying an OHSAS 18001 Management System allows companies:

• To reduce the work accident rate and to increase productivity by identifying, assessing and controlling the risks associated with each job, and eliminating factors that cause accidents and illnesses at work.
• To comply with legislation regarding accident prevention. By integrating this last aspect into the organisation's processes, it can reduce costs and administrative sanctions derived from non-compliance.
• To promote a culture of prevention by integrating accident prevention into the company's general system and increasing the commitment of all workers to the ongoing improvement of OHS.

The OHSAS Certification18001 by AENOR is the perfect tool for companies who want to continually improve in the field of OHS.

​Migration to the ISO 45001 standard

ISO 45001 represents an improvement to occupational health and safety management by the company, whilse allowing for better integration of other management systems, such as ISO 9001 and ISO 14001, which, just like ISO 45001, use the structure of common, high-level requirements. This standard also places greater emphasis on risk management and the context in which the organisation operates, and reinforces the role of senior management in SGSST leadership as a relevant party in business strategy. In light of the above, companies that use OHSAS 18001 will find that ISO 45001 represents a real opportunity to integrate occupational health and safety into their general processes.

It is recommended that a GAP ANALYSIS be performed to enable organisations to assess their situation and understand the level of preparation they will need with respect to the requirements set out in the new Standard ISO 45001.

As a consequence of the publication of ISO 45001, organisations certified in accordance with OHSAS 18001 have a 3-year period to migrate to the new standard, during which time the certifications will be recognised and remain in force.