OHSAS18001-Occupational Health and Safety Management System

What is OHSAS 18000

OHSAS 18000 is an international occupational health and safety management system specification. It comprises two parts, 18001 and 18002 and embraces a number of other publications.

For the record, the following other documents, amongst others, were used in the creation process:

● BS8800:1996 Guide to occupational health and safety management systems

● DNV Standard for Certification of Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems(OHSMS):1997

● Technical Report NPR 5001: 1997 Guide to an occupational health and safety management system

● Draft LRQA SMS 8800 Health & safety management systems assessment criteria

● SGS & ISMOL ISA 2000:1997 Requirements for Safety and Health Management Systems

● BVQI Safety Cert: Occupational Safety and Health Management Standard

● Draft AS/NZ 4801 Occupational health and safety management systems Specification with guidance for use

● Draft BSI PAS 088 Occupational health and safety management systems

● UNE 81900 series of pre-standards on the Prevention of occupational risks

● Draft NSAI SR 320 Recommendation for an Occupational Health and Safety (OH and S) Management System

OHSAS 18001 is an Occupation Health and Safety Assessment Series for health and safety management systems. It is intended to help an organizations to control occupational health and safety risks. It was developed in response to widespread demand for a recognized standard against which to be certified and assessed.

Benefit

The OHSAS specification is applicable to any organisation that wishes to:

● Establish an OH&S management system to eliminate or minimise risk to employees and other interested parties who may be exposed to OH&S risks associated with its activities

● Assure itself of its conformance with its stated OH&S policy

● Demonstrate such conformance to others

● Implement, maintain and continually improve an OH&S management system

● Make a self-determination and declaration of conformance with this OHSAS specification.

● Seek certification/registration of its OH&S management system by an external organisation

Essentially, OHSAS helps in a variety of respects... it helps: minimise risk to employees/etc; improve an existing OH&S management system; demonstrate diligence; gain assurance; etc. The benefits can be sustained.