ISO 45001:2018

Implementing ISO 45001 will assist your organisation to manage Health and Safety risks and facilitate legal compliance.Small or large companies can only benefit from the  introduction of a Health and Safety system which can  help to reduce the risk of accidents.There is no requirement for an organisation of less than 5 persons to have  written risk assessments although it is always considered good practice.
ISO 45001 helps businesses identify Health & Safety weaknesses and encourage pro-active risk management. There are hundreds of small companies benefiting from the clear guidance imposed by ISO 45001.  There are  mandatory requirements that have to be completed in particular identifying hazards, assessing risks and determining controls but there is no reason why any business small or large cannot benefit from the guidance of this standard to help them comply with Health & Safety legislation and more importantly improve their health and safety system.

If you are a small organisation why not utilise ISO 45001 to manage your corporate Health and Safety responsibilities and create marketing opportunities  demonstrating a pro-active community image?

Applying to be registered for ISO 45001 is a staged process. First of all you need to ensure that you have met all of the relevant requirements of the standard . If there are any areas you are not certain of  give us a call on  07900 558547 and we will try to help you . If your certain that you have covered all the requirements of the ISO 45001 standard, you will need to select a UKAS Accredited company to carry out the external audit. A list of UKAS registered companies are available on the UKAS website.

Note: Costs of the accreditation varies from one UKAS company to another, so shop around.

Having selected the company you want to audit your system, you will need to contact them to arrange for the auditor to attend site and carry out the audit. The audit is in 2 stages, stage 1 is a document review. The auditor will check to see that you have the mandatory documents in place, which comprise of a  Manual, O H & S Policy,  Written Procedures for  Internal Audits, Record and Document Control, Corrective and Preventive Actions,Control of Non Conforming Product, Hazard and Risk Identification, Legal and Regulatory Evaluation and Compliance, Emergency Preparedness and Response   and evidence is available that internal audits, management review, legal reviews, hazards and risk assessment reviews, corrective / preventive action have/are being carried out. If you pass stage 1, you will be eligible to move on to stage 2 which is a process audit. If you fail stage 1, its not the end of the world. It will simply mean that your system is lacking some detail and needs some additional work adding to it. QSC can help you with this should you require it.

Stage 2 is a process audit where the auditor will come to your office or site and carry out a full system audit against your procedures and the ISO 45001 standard. If you have multi sites a visit to your other sites may be required (your UKAS audit company will advise you). If the auditor finds some slight issues he/she may raise some observations which you can put right after the audit. If the auditor finds some minor non conformities (areas that do not fully meet the standard) he/she will raise a Non Conformity report detailing the clause number and a description of the non conformity. You cannot get registered to ISO 45001 if you have Non Conformities raised against you, however most NC’s are easy enough to correct and registration can be issued after a Corrective Actions have been implemented and evidence sent to the auditor. If a major Non Conformance is raised the audit may be stopped and you will definitely not be registered until the major area(s) have been corrected. A typical example is a breach of legislation or regulations.

If you pass stage 2 without any problems being raised, congratulations you’ve just been registered to ISO 45001.

QSC can help you with any of the above, simply call us on  07900 558547.

The policy for Health and Safety should include 3 sections. These sections break down into : A statement of intent – signed by the Managing Director, a detailed responsibility section and an arrangements section. The latter section will include who writes the Risk Assessments, First Aid Procedure, RIDDOR reporting, Welfare, PPE etc. The policy should be maintained and reviewed periodically. All employees, visitors and contractors should be aware of this policy.

The policy should be easy to understand and regularly reviewed to ensure its appropriateness, and communicated to all persons working for or on behalf of the business.

The policy should be documented, implemented and maintained.

The policy should be driven by the top management or CEO.

The policy should be available to the public.

Ultimately the policy is a reflection on the commitment of the company and should be the cornerstone to the Health & Safety System. The policy should be freely available to anyone that requests it. However if you issue copies to the outside world, make sure you make a note who has received a copy or mark the policy ‘Un-Controlled’ otherwise you will not be compliant with document and record control procedures. Remember! when you alter and update any document including the policy, you will need to give it a new issue/revision level and date. Failure to do so will lead to document control issues, and will ultimately lead to a Non Conformance during your audits.

If you need any guidance we’re only a telephone call away on 07900 558547, email andy@qscconsultancy.co.uk

Obtaining an Occupational Health & Safety standard isn’t particularly complicated and it’s possible that if you have the internal resources, you could probably do it all yourself.

However Health & Safety is a moving target and with the added  pressure these days of being legally compliant, many companies appoint a consultant in order to help them through the process and to ensure that all of the correct procedures are in place to get you through the registration process quickly and with the best chance of success.

We are already helping many companies manage their corporate Health & Safety responsibilities.

Your Health & Safety consultant, whether it’s QSC or anyone else, will work with you to ensure that your Health & Safety Management System is a true reflection of how you manage Health and Safety in your workplace.

This is perhaps the most commonly asked question by companies looking to achieve the ISO 45001 standard.

Assuming of course, that the company has already reached the decision to go for the standard, it’s probably wise to conduct a little research into the process and see exactly what is required.

1. Obtain a copy of the ISO 45001 System Standard (not compulsory) to identify the requirements.

2. Complete a preliminary Internal Audit to identify and evaluate how things are done now, versus what you would have to change in order to get certification.

3. Implement documentation to meet the requirements of the standard and where necessary train and educate staff. It may be beneficial at this stage to employ the services of a Consultant.

4. When all documentation is complete and all relevant clauses of the standard have been met, application to a UKAS accredited certification body should be made ( see ‘ How do I apply for ISO 45001?’)

Naturally, as an experienced ISO 45001 practitioner and auditor, we are able to help you compile everything required in order for a successful application – and the cost is probably not as much as you would expect.

For a free initial discussion, please call Andy Adams on 07900 558547

The Health and Safety Manual should contain as a minimum the following information : Policy, Organisation, Procedures to cover Legal identification and evaluation, risk and hazard identification, training and communication. Document and Record Control,Non Conformity’s and Internal Audit procedures are also mandatory.

As well as the above documents it would be worth including guidance notes on specific risks such as Working at Height, COSHH, Asbestos, Display Screen Equipment Regulations, Fire Regulations, and any others applicable to your business.

So why wait until you have an accident before you start implementing sensible health and safety controls? Let QSC help you to develop a sensible health and safety policy and system call 07900 558547, email andy@qscconsultancy.co.uk.