Benefits of ISO 45001 certification

Benefits of ISO 45001 certification

The ISO 45001 Standard for Occupational Health and Safety (OH&S) provides organisations with a solution to better manage health and safety risks, while reducing associated costs.

Released in March 2018, the standard replaces OHSAS 18001 and allows management system integration with other ISO standards, which provides a more streamlined approach to multiple system management.

Other ISO standards that Compliant offers are:

1. ISO 9001: Quality management standard to help businesses work more efficiently and reduce product failures and service issues. Discover more about ISO 9001 here.
2. ISO 14001: Environmental management standard to help reduce environmental impacts, reduce waste and be more sustainable. Discover more about ISO 14001 here.
3. ISO 22001: Food safety standard to help prevent food from being contaminated. Discover more about ISO 22001 here.
4. ISO 27001: IT security standard to help keep sensitive information safe and secure. Discover more about ISO 27001 here.
5. ISO 13485: Medical devices standard to ensure the devices in a medical laboratory are safe, effective, and delivered to a high standard. Discover more about ISO 13485 here.

An ISO 45001 management system has several benefits for businesses and their employees when it is successfully implemented, including more production, cheaper costs, and improved overall safety. It’s not only for large corporations; every business, no matter its size or sector, can gain from ISO 45001.

We have supported a wide variety of businesses across a range of industries in implementing ISO 45001 and in this article we explore the benefits of ISO 45001 certification.

Why businesses invest in ISO 45001

There are several ways that implementing ISO 45001 will benefit your business. Your staff’s productivity rises as a result of applying ISO 45001, and workplace injuries decline. This implies that you can greatly increase every aspect of your productivity. The increase in productivity and general staff safety may have a favourable effect on your company’s insurance costs. As a result, claims for work-related insurance are less frequent, which lowers the cost of company insurance.

Another major business advantage of ISO 45001 certification is that it will provide your company with a methodically organised manual that will improve the efficiency of your organisation. The purpose of conducting ISO audits is to identify non-compliances and work to address any deficiencies to improve performance and yield beneficial outcomes for your organisation as a whole.

Fundamentally, it addresses both opportunities and dangers, as opposed to OHSAS 18001 and earlier standards, which mainly address the risks given by an organisation.

The advantages of incorporating ISO 45001 into your company’s operations are numerous. In the end, it is a great management system that places employee health protection at the forefront of all activities and planning to lower health and safety risks in the workplace.

The difference between OHSAS 18001 and ISO 45001

As mentioned above older versions of the standard such as OHSAS 18001 mainly addresses the risks given by an organisation. In March 2021, the OHSAS 18001 Certification was replaced by the ISO 45001 Certification.

Both OHSAS 18001 and ISO 45001 strive to continuously improve through risk reduction while lowering deaths, injuries, and illnesses through a structured method to discovering, assessing, and controlling risk.

Regarding the standards’ content and organisation, there are some variances. The high-level structure of ISO 45001 is similar to that of other international standards like ISO 9001 and ISO 14001. Compliant offers consultancy support on all 3 certifications and can even deliver an integrated management system incorporating all 3.

Instead of using a standards-based strategy, ISO 45001 assists users in managing risk as a business process. The ongoing improvement methodology is supported by the addition of opportunity management and risk management to ISO 45001, which is one of the key enhancements.

Another significant improvement is the integration of corporate strategy with health and safety, as well as the expanded role of leadership.

The following new areas are covered by ISO 45001:

Here are the 4 new areas covered by ISO 45001:

1.    Organisational context

The company must investigate both internal and external issues that are pertinent to its goals and have an impact on its capacity to achieve the goals set forth in its ISO 45001 management system. Compliant can support businesses with these investigations and provide templates where needed.

2.    Being aware of the requirements

Regulatory agencies, clients, staff, suppliers, subcontractors, and other interested parties are expected to meet certain standards. This must also be recorded and evidenced.

3.    Risks and possibilities:

The management system’s ability to provide the desired goals as well as better health and safety at the business’ place of work must be carefully considered, worked out, and when necessary, put into action by organisations.

4.    Commitment to management and leadership

Strong emphasis is placed on senior management’s active participation and responsibility-taking for the management system’s effectiveness. Everyone within a business must be aware of the company’s ISO certifications and understand their responsibilities and contribution to the standard.

Benefits of ISO 45001 certification

There are a range of benefits in having a health and safety standard in place. Here’s our top 10 benefits of ISO 45001 certification:

1. Minimise risk

Organisations can use the framework provided by ISO 45001 to identify possible safety concerns before they cause an accident. Your business will experience fewer unpleasant surprises if you address hazards in your operations and record actions that can be taken if any issues arise.

2. Increase the trust of stakeholders

Adhering to the ISO 45001 standard demonstrate to clients, investors, and authorities that you are serious about ensuring public safety. Stakeholders are more likely to want to do business with you when they have faith in your ability to keep a safe working environment. Additionally, they’re less inclined to carefully consider each choice you make.

Having ISO 45001 can also support businesses in getting onto supplier frameworks and applying for tendered work.

See an earlier article of ours ‘how to win contracts with ISO certification’ here.

3. Boost performance and protect staff

565,000 workers sustained a non-fatal injury according to self-reports from the Labour Force Survey in 2021/22 (LFS) and there were 61,713 employee non-fatal injuries reported by employers in 2021/22 (RIDDOR) (HSE website statistics).

Non-fatal workplace accidents occur every year and cost employers days of lost productivity. Productivity declines any time a worker is hurt and unable to work again. It takes time to find and train a replacement. Additionally, you may be liable for any injury costs which could cost you in compensation claims.

4. Boost worker security

The ability of ISO 45001 to lower occupational diseases and injuries is undoubtedly its most visible advantage. Having ISO 45001 in place equips your business with the means to save lives and stop accidents, in turn reducing working days lost due to absenteeism.

According to HSE working days lost in 2021/22 are as follows:

• Stress, depression or anxiety and musculoskeletal disorders accounted for the majority of days lost due to work-related ill health in 2021/22, 17.0 million and 7.3 million respectively.

• On average, each person suffering took around 16.5 days off work. This varies as follows:
  • 10.6 days for Injuries
  • 17.2 days for Ill health cases
  • 18.6 days for Stress, depression or anxiety
  • 15.2 days for Musculoskeletal disorders

View statistics here.

5. Reduced insurance fees

By implementing ISO 45001, an organisation can establish a foundation for attracting lower insurance premiums by demonstrating that it is taking strong precautions to manage and protect its employees.

Maintaining workplace safety will keep the costs of commercial insurance low. Having ISO 45001 in place demonstrates that your business is lowering the risk of harm, and the likelihood that an employee will have to make a claim.

6. Encourage managerial participation and accountability

The ISO 45001 standard demands a commitment to safety from the top down. Incorporating health and safety into a company’s management structure, ISO 45001 holds employees to account for their actions. Under the standard everyone must understand their responsibilities and their contribution to the standard.

7. Involve staff in safety

Any successful safety programme must have employee involvement as a critical component. The ISO 45001 standard provides a methodical approach to encourage worker engagement and dialogue.

This specific ISO guarantees that top-level management or safety management people bear responsibility and ownership. The occupational health and safety of employees is continuously enhanced over time by having senior leadership involved.

Compliant can support with ISO 45001 training and showing who is responsible for which elements of the standard.

8. Recognise possibilities

However, risk is just one aspect of ISO 45001. Employers can discover possibilities to improve safety and productivity by recognising possible risks and recording actions to mitigate those risks.

9. Prove your leadership in the field

The ISO 45001 standard was released in 2018, making it still a fairly recent development. Organisations can differentiate themselves from competition by achieving compliance with this internationally recognised standard.

10. Acquire a competitive edge

It’s important to note that some nations and businesses, especially those in Europe, tend to reward enterprises who adhere to the ISO standards. Implementing the ISO 45001 standard could provide your company with an advantage when you’re submitting bids for projects or contracts.

We can help you understand how to get started when bidding for contracts and how having ISO certification can enhance your bid or tender submission. See an earlier article of ours ‘Bidding for contracts’.

Benefits of ISO 45001 certification; why is ISO 45001 such an important standard?

ISO 45001 certification attempts to instil an ongoing commitment in the area of health and safety together with compliance to all legal or regulatory requirements specific to your industry. A group of technical specialists with experience in the field of occupational health and safety created, updated, and rewrote the standard.

When it comes to adhering to legal requirements and building a customised occupational health and safety system for your business, ISO 45001 certification is crucial. ISO 45001 enables you to target problematic or risky areas of your operations and reduce dangers going forward.

As an organisation expands, risks may arise in circumstances that are challenging to predict.

Having ISO 45001 in place will provide your employees with peace of mind while also fostering confidence among all important stakeholders. As you put your management system together, you’ll obtain a thorough grasp of your operations and be better able to make important decisions for your company. Having and ISO 45001 system in place will assist in educating senior management teams key areas, urging them to research their own operations and prepare for potential risks as time goes on.

More importantly, as a company certified to a Health and Safety system like ISO 45001, you’ll be qualified for new business in sectors that are only open to companies with a globally acknowledged safety system.

What are the issues in adopting or converting to ISO 45001?

Our research has highlighted that organisations appear to be mostly worried about the work required to gain ISO 45001. We explain that you probably already have suitable processes and procedures in place if you take a proactive approach to managing health and safety. If you do not we can support your business in setting systems up which a range of templates and frameworks to guide you.

To ensure that only the processes, forms, records, and instructions required to manage risks are in place, ISO 45001 demands a risk-based approach to documented information. Something our BSI trained auditors are passionate about and can support your business with.

Benefits of ISO 45001; getting started

Achieving a safe and dependable environment for employees and business stakeholders is made possible by implementing ISO 45001. The standard enables businesses and senior management to enhance their health and safety operations. Meeting the prerequisites guarantees that you’ll keep an eye out for trends and weigh your options. As a business with an ISO 45001 certification, you will take proactive measures to attempt and reduce the possibility of significant risks. It is crucial that organisations with significant physical demands, such factories and oil refineries, have an active OH&S management system in place because these organisations are more likely to suffer major injuries.

If you would like more information on how to get certified, we’d be happy to arrange a call to talk about your options. Alternatively, if you would like a quotation at any point just fill in our FREE quote calculator.