ISO 45001 Certification in Dubai, UAE – Occupational Health & Safety

What is ISO 45001 (OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY)?

ISO 45001 Certification is an international standard for establishing and maintaining the occupational health and safety management system (OHSMS) in your organization. The main aim of this management system is to ensure the health and wellbeing of your workforce.

The latest version of ISO 45001 Certification was published in March 2018, and the certification to ISO 45001 standard marks a significant step forward in the company’s commitment in enhancing the safety and wellbeing of the associated parties. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) publishes ISO 45001 standard that enables the organizations to take certain steps for improving the health and longevity of workforce while reducing injuries and occupational death.

ISO 45001 Certification is a revamped version of the previous standard for occupational health and safety (OHS), i.e., OHSAS 18001 certification. For the organizations that is already certified to previous standard, transitioning to the newer one should be done within three years of publication.

Why is ISO 45001 certification Best for my organization?

The most important reason for getting certified to ISO 45001 certification is to demonstrate your commitment for a better and safer work environment. However, there are several other benefits associated with ISO 45001 certification. Following are some benefits-

  • Establishment and maintenance of OHSMS in your organization and setting a framework for its continual improvement in order to minimize any the effect of any OH&S hazard.
  • Conformity with the stated OH&S policy.
  • Continuous upgradation of OHSMS and improvement of its performance, while preventing any accidents.
  • Fulfilment of your legal obligations related to OH&S system.

What are The Benefits of ISO 45001 Certification?

In this highly competitive marketplace, an organization is required to manage risks on several fronts, and the risks associated with occupational health and safety is no exception. With ISO 45001 certification, you can demonstrate an increased safety of your employees and contractors. This greatly helps in enhancing the motivation of your workforce.

Here are some benefits of using the ISO 45001 framework

Establish controls to ensure legal compliance

With ISO 45001 Certification, you can place appropriate controls in your processes to make it compliant to the legal requirements.

Reduction of Insurance Premiums

With an effective OHSMS in place, your organization can benefit from reduced insurance premiums.

Increase Health and Safety Awareness

The ISO 45001 certification helps in building awareness among your workforce regarding the risks associated with their occupational health and safety. This ensures their involvement in an effective OHSMS.

Better Management of H&S Compliance Issues

the regulatory compliance of OHSMS is ensured through ISO 45001 certification. It thus reduces the costs as well as downtime.

Enhance your Reputation

ISO 45001 is an international certification and obtaining it immensely boosts your reputation in the market. This opens up huge business opportunities for you.

Better Manage Health and Safety Risks

by analyzing the health and safety risks, ISO 45001 certification helps in better management of such hazards.

Reduce Absenteeism

With safer work environment, your workforce are motivated. Lack of injuries also leads to lower absenteeism.

Is ISO 45001 certification right for me?

If your organization wants to demonstrate its commitment for the safety and wellbeing of employees and contractors, gaining ISO 45001 certification for your OHSMS is a wise option. The common High-Level Structure of ISO 45001, ISO 14001, and ISO 9001 ensures easy integration between different management systems. Hence, if you already have a QMS or an EMS, implementing OHSMS becomes simpler.

 Organizations that implement ISO 45001 require:

  • A well-defined management structure with a thorough assignment of roles and responsibilities.
  • A set objective for improvement with appropriate measurement of the progress.
  • A systematic analysis of risks and its mitigation methods.

There should be a constant monitoring and measurement of OHSMS performance in order to achieve a continual improvement of your management systems.

How much does ISO 45001 Certification Cost?

The cost of achieving and implementing ISO 45001 Certification is dependent upon various factor, such as:
  • How many working shift do you have?
  • What are the industries that you deal with?
  • What is the strength of your workforce?
  • How complex are your processes?
The required man-days are calculated by the certifying body by thoroughly examining all these factors. Thereafter, an estimated cost is quoted.

What is Requirements of ISO 45001 Certification?

Following are the requirements stated in the document of ISO 45001 certification. These requirements should be fulfilled in order to get awarded with ISO 45001 certification.

ISO 45001 Certification Process

Once you have implemented the OHSMS in your organization, it becomes necessary for you to get yourself audited in order to achieve the ISO 45001 certification. When you choose an external certification body to perform the audits, you need to first fill up the application form. Once you have reviewed all the requirements of the certification, you may plan your audits accordingly.

  1. Internal Audit – this is done to verify the data provided by you in the form.
  2. Management Audit – the administration of your organization conducts a survey to understand the practical realities.
  3. Corrective activities – After the internal and management audits, you are required to analyze and close the gaps that are observed. Make sure to archive information about the actions that were taken to fill those gaps.

The process of obtaining ISO 45001 certification comprises of two stages:

  1. Stage one (documentation survey) – the reviewers from the certification body of your choice will thoroughly verify if the documentation meets prerequisites of ISO 45001 certification.
  2. Stage two (Primary audit) – Here, the consistency between your documentation and the requirements of ISO 45001 certification are verified. This is done by thorough investigation of reports, records and company practices.