Organizations and enterprises must take responsibility for minimizing risks that may harm employees and affect business operations. Therefore, ISO 45001:2018 certification was introduced to help organizations manage production activities effectively and reduce occupational accidents.

Purpose of ISO 45001:2018 Certification

It provides a framework for risk management. The outcomes of the system help organizations implement measures to prevent work-related injuries and ill health for employees, thereby creating a safe and healthy working environment.

In addition, this certification supports organizations in meeting legal requirements and other requirements related to occupational health and safety.

PDCA Principle in ISO 45001:2018 Certification

The main framework of ISO 45001 is similar to ISO 9001 and follows the PDCA continuous improvement principle, which stands for Plan – Do – Check – Action (Plan – implement according to plan – check whether implementation follows the plan for evaluation and improvement).

ISO 45001:2018 sets requirements for identifying internal and external context, analyzing risks/threats, and incorporating preventive risk control measures into planning for the Occupational Health and Safety Management System.

Plan

Top management reviews internal and external context, as well as the needs and expectations of employees and relevant interested parties concerning occupational safety and prevention of work-related illnesses, in order to develop the most practical and effective OH&S management system.

Departments must identify hazards and assess risks that may lead to unsafe conditions, occupational accidents, and workplace environmental factors affecting employees’ health. Finally, it is necessary to determine which hazards require control measures to prevent their occurrence or to minimize consequences if they occur.

During hazard identification, enterprises must collect legal requirements from the government and requirements from relevant parties to determine which requirements must be complied with.

Based on hazard and risk analysis results, along with legal and other requirements, enterprises need to:

• Set objectives so that occupational safety and hygiene policies can be implemented and potential risks (occupational accidents, occupational diseases, legal violations related to occupational safety, and health protection, etc.) can be prevented.
• Develop programs and management measures to ensure occupational safety and hygiene for employees in order to achieve the established objectives.

Do

Implement and operate the Occupational Health and Safety (OH&S) management system, including the following main tasks:

• Establish a management structure and assign roles and responsibilities to individuals implementing OH&S management programs.
• Provide sufficient resources, including necessary personnel to maintain operations, occupational safety and health programs, and training to achieve required safety skills and supervision. Develop infrastructure, provide personal protective equipment and safety devices to prevent occupational accidents and hazardous working environments affecting employees’ health.
• Organize training for employees or subcontractors working for the organization or enterprise to ensure they are aware of occupational safety and health risks that need to be controlled and the consequences of failing to control them, while also ensuring they are competent to implement risk control measures.
• Establish procedures to ensure effective internal communication on occupational safety and health, as well as timely OH&S communication with external interested parties.
• Consult employees in hazard identification, development of risk control programs, investigation of occupational accidents and occupational diseases, etc.
• Develop, disseminate, and maintain documentation of the occupational health and safety management system.
• Establish and maintain operational control measures to ensure that procedures related to OH&S objectives are implemented.
• Ensure emergency preparedness and response, and establish and test emergency preparedness and response capabilities.

Check

Checking activities involve evaluating the effectiveness and efficiency of OH&S management system processes, including:

• Periodically monitoring and measuring the performance of OH&S control activities.
• Evaluating compliance with legal requirements, other requirements, and requirements set by the organization.
• Establishing and maintaining procedures defining responsibilities and authorities for identifying nonconformities, handling and investigating nonconformities, and implementing corrective and preventive actions.
• Managing records and establishing procedures for identification, storage, and disposal of OH&S records.
• Conducting periodic internal audits to determine the level of conformity of the current OH&S management system with ISO 45001.

Action

Review and implement improvement activities for the OH&S management system.

Business leaders must conduct management reviews of the occupational health and safety management system at appropriate intervals.

Identify areas that require improvement.

Requirements related to the “Action” stage, when maintained continuously and regularly, will help enterprises achieve continual improvement of the OH&S management system and overall performance in occupational safety and health control.

The above information outlines the four PDCA principles in ISO 45001:2018 certification. We hope this provides useful knowledge for readers.

ISSQ Quality Institute is always ready to accompany companies during the period of integration and development.

Please contact hotline: +84 981851111 or email vienchatluong@issq.org.vn | tcvn@issq.org.vn. We are honored to serve our valued customers.

Posted date: 10/11/2023