In this article we will understand a little more about ISO 45001:2018 requirement 4.4 and the aspects that are relevant to your company that is seeking this certification!
Knowing Requirement 4.4
We are aware that ISO 45001 is an international standard for creating and managing Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems (OHSMS). Its main objective is to improve the performance of any company in terms of Occupational Health and Safety(OHS).
In addition, it focuses on providing a structure that assists in the management of risks and opportunities in the company, in order to prevent possible accidents and provide safe working environments.
Although many companies know the importance of maintaining occupational health and safety, accidents at work happen very often. This is due to the fact that many companies are not aware of the basic OHS requirements, present in standards such as ISO 45001:2018.
In order to raise awareness of the need to carry out OHS management in your company, we have brought this article that addresses the requirement 4.4 of ISO 45001:2018. It provides guidelines on what organizations should pay attention to. So let’s go!
What is mentioned in ISO 45001:2018 requirement 4.4?
First of all, let us analyze in full what the ISO 45001 standard says:
The organization shall establish, implement, maintain and continuously improve an OHS management system, including the necessary processes and their interactions, in accordance with the requirements of this document
As in other standards (due to annex SL), in requirement 4, the emphasis is always on what the organization must “establish, implement, maintain and improve” punctuating how these are important aspects for any management system.
In this way, companies need to understand more the importance of these four words for the processes of the health and safety system.
Bearing this in mind, organizations can implement improvements, reduce the number of accidents and minimize financial losses, thus promoting an improvement in the quality of life of their employees.
From this, we will then understand what are the essential points that the implementation of ISO 45001 can promote for companies.
“Establish” processes, hazards and risks
The first step for a company that seeks to identify risks and hazards at work is to seek to know and establish its processes (scope).
The activities that are under the organization’s control must be considered, establishing who are the people who participate in the processes, what equipment and materials are used. After that, establish whether there are possible risks arising from all these aspects.
After determining what the hazards and risks of the system are, it is simpler to find ways to eliminate them or to create controls to minimize their effects and so that they have the least possible negative impact on the safety or health of the worker.
“Implement” OHS processes
Maintaining an OHS system depends on the commitment and participation of everyone involved in the organization.
It is important, then, that companies create processes and procedures, follow the standards and requirements established by the standard, analyze everything the company needs and execute the planned actions. Thus, it is important to implement processes and procedures that will be able to guarantee the safety and health of employees in the work environment. Items such as the implementation of PPE’s, machines that work properly, adequate space for workers. All this is important so that the processes in the company work properly and bring security to the environment.
“Keep” your certification
It is important to keep constant checks on whether employees understand, agree with and are complying with the guidelines established by the requirements of ISO 45001.
Therefore, it is important to verify that everyone actually executes the implementations to ensure that risk prevention practices really ensure a better working environment.
Conducting audits and receiving feedback is a way to ensure that the guidelines and rules that have been established are being followed! It is only through this analysis that the company begins to achieve compliance in the management of safety and health at work.
It is worth mentioning: maintaining an OHS system is a task that requires a lot of commitment! But the more we dedicate ourselves to this function, the better our results will be.
Always “Improve”
An essential item, which companies should always be aware of, is continuous improvement. It is very important both for the maintenance of certification standards and for the evolution of a company’s results. Thus, improving processes and always looking for innovations should be a management strategy for every organization.
Continuous improvement within ISO 45001 is the constant effort to improve your business and ensure the safety of stakeholders. This, always with the objective of avoiding the recurrence of accidents and absences, improving performance and guaranteeing the participation of its employees in the OHS, thus promoting a more positive culture of health and safety, avoiding non-conformities.
So by establishing and improving controls it is possible to reduce work accidents and occupational diseases, thus boosting the improvement of the quality of life of employees. And that’s continuous improvement! ?
The importance of knowing the requirements of the standard
It is the company’s responsibility to cherish the health and safety of people, especially employees who may be affected during the performance of their functions.
Therefore, having effective management in the area of occupational health and safety can bring numerous benefits to the company that adheres to it. Whether controlling organizational hazards or implementing process improvements, one of the biggest results will always be more opportunities in the market!
In this way, we understand how certification in the OHSMS demonstrates the companies’ commitment to complying with legal requirements and preventive practices. So, if you are looking to implement the ISO standard in your company, you can count on QMS! Which offers certification to ISO 45001:2018 and many other standards.
