18001 OHSAS Standard
The 18001 OHSAS or Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems Specification was as a response to the demand for a recognized standard against which occupational health and safety management systems can be properly assessed. Issues covered by the 18001 OHSAS Standard include planning for hazard identification, risk assessment or control, occupational health and safety management, awareness and competence, training, communication, emergency preparation and response, and measurement and improvement of performance. This particular occupational safety standard was created as a collective effort of the leading national standards bodies, certification bodies, and specialist consultancies.
Occupational health and safety is a pressing issue all around the world that calls for adequate attention and control measures. Employees are subject to any kind of accidents at work which may range from minor injuries to serious diseases like cancer. Workplace hazard prevention therefore becomes extremely essential to protect the workers from unfortunate incidents. The OHSAS standard requires strong policies and procedures for an effective implementation. For adequate information on the character of the safety standard you can have access to the safety manuals, implementation guides, risk assessment procedures, and various other relevant materials, which are at the same time, inherent to a good health and safety system.
The 18001 OHSAS Standard is actually a part of the OHSAS Toolkit, which also comprises 18002 OHSAS and a range of support materials, such as, comprehensive safety manuals and presentations. This standard was developed in such a way that it is compatible with both the ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 management systems standards. This serves to measure your management system with regards to a number of dimensions. These dimensions vary on a wide level ranging from occupational health and safety policy of the organization, the nature of the activities, and the conditions under which the organization operates.
Workplace hazard prevention requires a successful system of management that takes care of the health of the employees. The occupational health and safety policy set by the standard should be appropriate to the concerning company. The system should be capable of identifying the health and safety risks as well as the legal necessities. It is essential to evaluate the objectives, targets, and programs that ensure improvements. The management system, as a whole must be based upon efficient management activities that seek to control occupational health and safety risks. Occupational safety standards are internationally recognized and implemented to provide multiple benefits. They are beneficial in reducing health and safety risks that is brought about by a successful safety management system. Occupational health and safety requires the demonstration of commitment to health and safety. This is achieved by a competitive advantage provided by the health and safety management system. It is important to improve the performance of management skills through improved operational efficiency by means of reducing downtime. The system specification standard has resulted in an improved health and safety management system that has caused a significant reduction in costs. This has been made possible with the help of insurance premiums and compensation or penalties for breached legislation. The standard has indeed enhanced the potential of the health management systems.
|
