Why is OHSAS 8001 Standard Important for an Organization?
Health and safety is one of the important aspects of an organisation’s smooth and effective functioning. Good health and safety performance ensure an accident free environment in industry. With the continuous and untiring efforts of various legislative authorities as well as NGO’s, the awareness of Occupational Health and Safety (OHAS) has improved all over the world considerably.
OHSAS 18001 offers a framework to an efficient management of OH&S including compliance with the legislation that applies to your actions and identified hazards. The OHSAS 18001 standard recommends requirements for an Occupational Health & safety (OH&S) Management system to help an organisation to formulate a policy and objectives, taking into account legislative requirements and the information regarding major hazards and risks that the organisation can control and over which it can be expected to have an influence, to protect its workers and others, whose health and safety may be affected by the activities of the organisation.
Many organisations will have aspects required by OHSAS 18001 already in place which can be supplemented to provide a more consistent management system to meet the requirements of the standard.
Organisations that implement OHSAS 18001 have a clear management structure with defined authority and responsibility, clear objectives for improvement, with measurable results and a structured approach to risk assessment. This includes the monitoring of health and safety management failures, auditing of performance and review of policies and objectives.
The OH&S management system can be integrated with the management of other aspects of business performance in order to:
• Assist organisations to establish a responsible image
• Minimize risk to employees and others
• Improve business performance
In today’s cut throat competition, your customers are looking for more than just keen pricing from their suppliers. Companies need to show that their businesses are managed efficiently and responsibly. They can offer a reliable service without excessive downtime caused by work-related accidents.
Due to OSHAS 18001 standard, the organisation can gain the following benefits:
• Improved stakeholder relationships – by protecting the health and property of staff, customers and suppliers.
• Customer satisfaction – through providing products that consistently meet customer requirements whilst safeguarding their health and property.
• Reduced operating costs – by lowering down-time through incidents and ill health and reducing costs associated with legal fees and compensation.
• Improved risk management – through apparent identification of potential incidents and implementation of controls and measures.
• Legal compliance – by understanding how statutory and regulatory requirements impact the organisation and its customers.
• Ability to win more business – particularly where procurement specifications require certification as a condition to supply.
• Proven business credentials – through independent verification against recognized standards.
Thus,OHSAS 18001 Standard focuses on creating a safe and healthy work environment. Global Manager Group – an ISO consultancy and training company assists to get OHSAS certifications. The company offers a complete range of Occupational Health and Safety Management System Documents.