ISO 45001 Job Security
Customers and consumers have increasing expectations from the organizations they purchase products and services from. It is no longer enough to just provide quality products or services; organizations are also expected to fulfill their social responsibilities. These expectations have caused the classical definitions of “quality” to lose their validity; definitions have begun to include terms related to occupational health and safety, and the definition has been expanded with the addition of social responsibilities. Now, when it comes to “quality,” it is also questioned to what extent organizations comply with the legislation on occupational health and safety, whether they create a safe and healthy working environment for the relevant parties, and whether they continuously improve this environment.
Work environments are full of various environmental factors that pose personal health and safety risks due to the processes performed and the materials used and produced. Every employee and manager has a fundamental responsibility in the measures that need to be taken in order for us to live healthier and safer in our workplaces where we spend an average of one third of our daily lives. Providing these safe environments worthy of humans can only be achieved by adopting the rules in this regard as a lifestyle.
ISO 45001 is an effective tool that can be applied to all types of sectors and all organizations, and is used to systematically address occupational health and safety activities in line with the general strategies of organizations and to resolve them within the framework of a continuous improvement approach. With the help of this standard, it is possible to establish a management system in which occupational health and safety risks are identified, analyzed and minimized with measures, in compliance with legal regulations, in which occupational health and safety-related targets are established and applications are implemented to achieve these. In this way, employees will be part of a system that is ready for emergencies, monitors occupational health and safety performance, uses monitoring results to initiate improvement activities, audits their activities, reviews and documents their actions, and gives the necessary importance to occupational health and safety activities in an organization.
The main purpose of ISO 45001 is to create and manage a healthy and safe working environment by eliminating or minimizing the risks in the organization in light of the legal regulations regarding occupational health and safety. In more detail, the purposes of ISO 45001, which can be grouped under three main headings, are as follows:
1) Protecting employees: The primary goal of occupational health and safety is to protect employees from the negative effects of the workplace and to ensure that they work in a comfortable and safe environment.
2) Ensuring production safety: One of the aims of occupational health and safety is to minimize the loss of labor and working days that may occur due to work accidents and occupational diseases, thus protecting production (product and/or service) by increasing work efficiency.
3) Ensuring business security: By taking precautions in work environments, the elimination of fires, explosions, machine failures and outages that may endanger the business will ensure business safety.
Many organisations implement an Occupational Health and Safety Management System as part of their risk management strategy to comply with changing legislation and protect their workforce. This system promotes a safe and healthy working environment by providing a framework that allows organisations to consistently identify and control health and safety risks, reduce the risk of accidents, assist with regulatory compliance and improve overall performance.
ISO 45001 is an international standard that specifies the requirements for occupational health and safety, and is also compatible with quality and environmental standards. For this reason, ISO 45001 can be easily integrated into other management systems. ISO 45001 both shows that organizations comply with legal regulations regarding occupational health and safety, and increases productivity and efficiency in the workplace by continuously improving the work environment. ISO 45001 is a standard that focuses on the health of employees and the safety of work rather than the safety of the products and services of organizations.
What are the Benefits of ISO 45001 Occupational Health and Safety Management System?
- In the workplace, death, disease, injury, damage and other losses and causes of undesirable events, which ensures that it is prevented to a large extent.
- Other activities will help to conserve resources by integrating occupational health and safety studies.
- Hence the importance of management's commitment to health and safety issues indicates that it is.
- By increasing the credibility of the institution in the eyes of the public earns a reputation as a reliable company.
- Employee motivation and increases participation, provides confidence in institutions, contributes to the commitment to organizational values.
- Indicates compliance with national and international laws requirements and occupational health and safety.
- Systematic deployment provides occupational health and safety activities within the organization.
- Provides a decrease in the number of potential accidents and occupational diseases, prevents the loss of manpower.
- Resulting in potential leads to decrease in downtime and costs.
- Both today and in the future allows for better management of Health and safety risks.
- Taken to ensure occupational health, while providing a continuum of products to suit the demands of the customer by contributing to customer satisfaction and loyalty.
- It is possible to control the accidents with business risk management. Precaution practices clearly defined and allows the execution of these activities. As a result of these accidents are prevented.
- Slowing to stop production due to accidents and illnesses, by preventing the reduction of the compensation provides for punishment and compensation of expenses, reduces operating costs.
- Provides a competitive edge by enhancing the organization's reputation.
- The measures in the work environment, the business that could endanger fire, explosion, mechanical failures, etc. the abolition of the state as a result of a culture of safety ensures the safety and operational efficiency.
- Accidents at work and occupational diseases that may occur due to the business by minimizing losses and workforce, allows us to reduce costs and increase business efficiency.
- In front of the authorities, demonstrate the organization's commitment to safety.
- The advantage of implementing an integrated system of the document with other management system standards, the effort, the system saves.
Who Can Use/Apply the ISO 45001 Standard?
The ISO 45001 Occupational Health and Safety Management System Standard can be adopted by any organization that wants to implement a formal procedure to reduce, eliminate or minimize health and safety risks to employees, customers and the public in the workplace. As it is a generic standard, it can meet the needs of organizations of all sizes and sectors.