OHSAS 18001 - THE HEALTH AND SAFETY STANDARD

What is OHSAS 18000?

Originally created from the British Standard for Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems BS 8800:1996, OHSAS 18001 is an Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) management system specification. Developed by a group of certification bodies and various national standards organizations, OHSAS 18001 was designed to enable companies to control their OHS risks and demonstrate their commitment to provide a safe working environment, protect their employees, and improve their performance.

With the success of the ISO 9000 and ISO 14000 series of Standards, OHSAS 18001 was developed to be compatible with ISO management systems. To allow for easy integration into a company's quality management system, many sections and sub-clauses are similar, such as management review, document control and corrective and preventive actions.

To obtain compliance, companies must first establish on OHS policy that illustrates the company's vision and commitment to health and safety. Any potential hazards must be determined and identified, and their risks assessed and controlled on an on-going basis. Tactics utilized should be defined and consistent. In order for an OHS management system to be implemented effectively, management should be ready to commit adequate resource to monitor activities and conduct internal audits to identify areas for improvement, ensuring the effectiveness of the OHS management system. Policies and procedures need to be identified and prepared in order to control operations, including emergency preparedness and response plans. Documentation should be accurate, up-to-date, easily accessible and properly controlled.

Eligibility for the OHSAS Specification:

The OHSAS specification is applicable to any organisation that wishes to:

	Establish an OH&S management system to eliminate or minimise risk to employees and other interested parties who may be exposed to OH&S risks associated with its activities
	Assure itself of its conformance with its stated OH&S policy
	Demonstrate such conformance to others
	Implement, maintain and continually improve an OH&S management system
	Make a self-determination and declaration of conformance with this OHSAS specification.
	Seek certification/registration of its OH&S management system by an external organisation

OHSAS 18001 and OHSAS 18002 - The 18000 Series

The OHSAS 18000 series is the emerging standard set occupational safety and health. It consists of two publications, as follows:

OHSAS 18001

This is the "Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems Specification". It was developed in response to urgent demand for a recognized standard against which occupational safety management systems can be assessed. It is compatible with ISO 9001 and ISO 14001.

It covers issues such as planning for hazard identification, risk assessment/control, OHS management, awareness and competence, training, communication, emergency preparedness and response, performance measuring and improvement. The OHSAS 18001 Specification follows the Plan-Do-Check-Review cycle, with a concurrent emphasis on continual improvement. This model aligns well with the structure of other management system documents such as ISO 14001, thus aiding the progress of integrated management systems.

OHSAS 18002

This provides guidelines for the implementation of OHSAS 18001. It explains the requirements of this and how to work towards implementation/registration.

BENEFITS OF IMPLEMENTING OHSAS 18000

The need for internationally recognized standards for occupational health and safety management has long been apparent. These two standards have emerged to fill this void, and are being adopted across the globe.

	Reduced work-related accidents and illness
	Reduced costs associated with accidents and illness
	Improved performance through policies and procedures
	Compliance to the latest legislation
	Reduced risk of citations/penalties
	Improved company image by demonstrating a commitment to manage and minimize risks to employees and customers
	Certification of approval to OHSAS 18001 is separate from other management system certificates, as the service is not accredited, but was developed to reduce and prevent accidents and accident-related injury resulting in loss of lives and resources. An OHS management system can be applied to any type of business wishing to manage its risks for health and safety in the workplace.

AWARENESS TRAINING & INTERNAL AUDITOR'S TRAINING:

Apart from setting up a system for OHSAS 18000 Certification, SSA also conducts 1 Day session on Executive Overview/ Awareness on OHSAS; and 2 Days session on Internal Auditor's Training.