According to ILO, the number of people who lost their lives at their workplace due to accidents and diseases is 2.78 million. The health and safety of workers have always been a primary concern for employers in Australia. While there are many workplace hazards to watch out for, it is important to understand how ISO 45001 2018 can help them manage these risks. This is especially important as the latest version has introduced significant changes from its predecessor. Here is what Australians need to know about this ISO 45001 standard:
What Is ISO 45001 Standard of 2018?
The ISO 45001 2018 standard is a management system standard. It helps organisations in Australia implement safe work systems and helps them identify and reduce risks in the workplace.
The standard was released in 2016 but was updated with some new requirements in 2018. Now that the country is four years out from that update, it is time to get up to speed on what companies need to know about this important tool for managing risk in the organisation.
ISO 45001 applies to any organisation, including government agencies and private companies. All employers in Australia are required by law to ensure that their employees are safe at work—and meeting this requirement means having an effective safety management system (SMS).
Why ISO 45001?
As an organisation, if companies have a standard in place to manage and continuously improve their health and safety management system, it will be easier to know whether the processes are effective.
That is why organisations worldwide are adopting ISO 45001 as their H&S Management Systems (HSMS). The standard has been adopted by more than 12,000 companies across 70 countries.
The Benefits Of Using This Standard Include the following:
- Improved performance – measurement results lead to improved outcomes. By measuring how well companies perform against the objectives and targets, they will know where they need to improve and how best to achieve them.
- Better decision making – better information leads to better decisions around risks taken in the workplace; for example, whether or not someone can take on a particular task based on what has been measured about their physical capabilities or experience level at work.
Adopting A New Standard
The ISO 45001 standard is a voluntary one. It does not require companies in Australia to use it but instead encourages organisations to adopt a risk-based management approach to their safety and health management systems.
The ISO 45001 standard consists of six parts:
Part 1: General requirements
Part 2: Management Responsibility
Part 3: Leadership, commitment, and involvement in risk identification
Part 4: Identifying hazards and evaluating risks
Part 5: Control of risks
Part 6: Monitoring, measuring, analysing, and improving outcomes
While they might be familiar with the previous version of this standard, it is worthwhile to understand what is different about the latest addition. The newer version has many added provisions and requirements that will improve the management health of the organisation by a lot doithuong.
Conclusion
For companies in Australia looking to improve their business performance, the ISO 45001 standard will help them get a proper head start. It guides how to comply with international standards and improve safety management systems, risk management, and environmental stewardship. If they want more information about how this standard can be used in the workplace or organisation, they can look it up on the official standards website!
