A new handbook, published jointly by the International Organization for Standardization and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization, provides additional guidance specifically for small organizations regarding the implementation of ISO 45001.
Health and safety are essential to effective business performance, and ISO 45001 is the first and only International Standard for occupational health and safety management, a result of agreed good practice from throughout the world.
About 2.78 million people die from occupational-related accidents or diseases every year, in addition to hundreds of millions of nonfatal accidents and health conditions. ISO 45001, Occupational health and safety management systems—Requirements with guidance for use, aims to improve those statistics by providing an agreed framework to reduce workplace risks, enhance health, increase safety and promote well-being at work.
Prepared by the group of experts who developed the standard, ISO 45001:2018—Occupational health and safety management systems—A practical guide for small organizations gives an overview of the requirements of ISO 45001 and outlines ways in which small organizations can establish an occupational health and safety management system, taking into account their particular challenges and needs.
The benefits of such a system include reduced risk of work-related illness and injury; greater protection for people who work with or for the organization; a more positive company culture; and an improved reputation among clients, suppliers and the community.
