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Change in Occupational Health and Safety Management System: ISO

45001:2018

Conference Paper · November 2018

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5th international Project and Construction Management Conference (IPCMC2018)
Cyprus International University, Faculty of Engineering, Civil Engineering Department, North Cyprus

Change in Occupational Health and Safety Management

System: ISO 45001:2018

Mert Uzun1
1
Yildiz Technical University, Industrial Engineering Department, Turkey
mertuzunn@gmail.com

G. Emre Gurcanli2, Senem Bilir2

2
Istanbul Technical University, Civil Engineering Department, Turkey
gurcanlig@itu.edu.tr, sbilir@itu.edu.tr

Abstract

Establishing an effective occupational health and safety management system at

workplaces is crucial for organizations to prevent work accidents and occupational
diseases. OHSAS 18001 occupational health and safety management standard, which
has been the reference standard for many years all over the world, leaves its place to the
newly issued ISO 4500:20181 standards. ISO 45001, which was first published by ISO
(International Standards Organization) in the area of occupational health and safety, will
be different from OHSAS in that it will be integrated with other management system
standards like ISO 9001 Quality Management System and ISO 14001 Environmental
Management System. In addition, the new standard includes innovations in many of the
topics not mentioned in OHSAS 18001 or mentioned in limited scope. In this study, the
innovations introduced by the new Occupational Health and Safety Standard are
addressed, the differences between the OHSAS 18001 and ISO 45001 standards are
presented, and various suggestions on the process of transition to the new standard are
presented.

Keywords: Management System, Safety Management, ISO 45001, OHSAS 18001

Introduction

Every year, millions of people in the world are hurt by work accidents and occupational
diseases. The following data (ILO, 2018) show how large the losses in occupational
health and safety worldwide are:

• Over 6000 deaths every single day,

• 160 million victims of work-related illnesses annually,
• 2.3 million deaths annualy,
• 340 million accidents annualy,
5th international Project and Construction Management Conference (IPCMC2018)
Cyprus International University, Faculty of Engineering, Civil Engineering Department, North Cyprus

This dramatic picture has been going on for years. It is unfortunately not possible to say
that statistics are improving even though many organizations, especially the ILO, have
organized workshops and campaigns to prevent occupational diseases. It has long been
said that organizations need to carry out long-term and systematic occupational health
and safety activities in order to improve this grave table. OHS management systems are
a key element in ensuring the health and safety of employees in organizations. It has
now been accepted all over the world that it is not possible to avoid losses in
organizations where this system is not applied at an adequate level.

In the past, hundreds of recommendations on health and safety management around the
world have been included, with the most recent round of generalizations being made in
1999 with the publication of the BS OHSAS 18001 standard(OHSAS,2007). OHSAS
18001, the commonly used quality (ISO 9001) and other management such as the
environment (ISO 14001) to international standards prepared for it is configured
similarly. From time to time, tens of thousands of organizations have adopted this
standard as a guide, and over one hundred countries have accepted this standard.
Although the OHSAS 18001 standard has established guidelines for a worldwide
implementation, different standard comments and practices in many countries have
created some obstacles for organizations. In addition, revisions to other management
standards and compliance issues with the OHSAS 18001 standard have caused some
disruptions in implementation. As mentioned before, OHSAS 18001 has been prepared
with content similar to other management systems, but with the revisions of other
management standards published by ISO, OHSAS compliance with these standards has
also become controversial. The development of OHSAS 18001, which has been
discussed for a long time for all these reasons, reached its conclusion in 2018 and was
published by ISO as ISO 45001:2018(ISO,2018) as a new standard of occupational
health and safety. In this study, the basic characteristics of the new occupational health
and safety standard were introduced in the light of this information, and the standard
itself was highlighted by its previous standard.

Understanding Concept of ISO 45001:2018

ISO 45001 is the first occupational health and safety standard issued by ISO. The new
international standard for occupational health and safety(OHS) providing framework for
managing the prevention of death, work-related injury and ill health, with the intended
outcome of improving and providing a safe and health workplace for workers and
persones under an organization’s control. ISO 45001 is just like the successors and
other management standards, it is based on plan-do-check-act (PDCA model), which
provides a framework to organizations to plan what they need to put in order to
minimize the risk of harm. ISO 45001 is based on the new ISO High Level Structure
(HLS), which can be integrated with other management system standards, has a content
compatible with the management of the organization, and helps to improve the
organization's competences in the complex processes of organizations (BSI,2018).
5th international Project and Construction Management Conference (IPCMC2018)
Cyprus International University, Faculty of Engineering, Civil Engineering Department, North Cyprus

Figure 1. PDAC Circle(ISO,2018)

Key Changes in ISO 45001:2018

Along with the new standard, some changes have been made in OHSAS 18001 and
some other aspects not included in OHSAS 18001 have been added.
Key changes made with ISO 45001 can be summarized as follows.

Structure of Standard

ISO 45001 complies with the substance structure set out in Annex SL, which sets out
the currently necessary framework for all new and revised ISO management system
standards. This guarantees that the latest version of ISO 45001 will comply with other
management system standards such as ISO 9001 and ISO 14001. The use of the Annex
SL structure will ensure that the requirements of the OHSMS are more consistent and
available in a closer and more rational manner to the language of the industry in use.
Annex SL consist of ten clauses; scope, Normative References, Terms and Definitions,
Context of the Organization, Leadership & Worker Participation, Planning, Support,
Operation, Performance Evaluation and finally clause 10 Improvement.
Terminological changes are other important changed issues in ISO 45001.
In ISO 45001, a number of new definitions have been added and some existing
definitions such as “hazard identification, risk, worker/workplace, legal and other
requirements, preventive actions” have been redefined.

Context of organization

The structure complies with the standard Annex SL, which provides a detailed
description of the organizational context. In this framework, it is required to describe
elements that can affect the organization's overall responsibility for OHS in a positive or
5th international Project and Construction Management Conference (IPCMC2018)
Cyprus International University, Faculty of Engineering, Civil Engineering Department, North Cyprus

negative sense. In this way, it is expected that all internal (culture, knowledge, values
and performance) and external factors (technological, economic, market, competition,
culture, legal and other social factors) that may affect the activities to be carried out in
order to realize the OHS targets of the organization. Another important point in the
context of the organization is to envisage the integration of the value chain and OHS
into the life cycle. The organization should determine how to manage the OHS in all of
its processes in this framework.

Figure 2. Life cycle & value chain

Understanding needs of interested parties

The identification of the parties involved in the OHS management and the inclusion of
the expectations of the parties into the management system has been described in the
new standard. Accordingly, the organization should understand all parties' expectations
for the OHS management system and demonstrate the ability to optimally meet these
expectations but this is not a necessity.

Figure 3. Internal Interested Parties(a), External Interested Parties(b)

When the organization agrees to adopt the needs and expectations of the interested
parties, it becomes a necessity for the organization. It is also meaningful to establish an
5th international Project and Construction Management Conference (IPCMC2018)
Cyprus International University, Faculty of Engineering, Civil Engineering Department, North Cyprus

integrated OHS management in terms of internal and external factors within the life
cycle stated in the organizational context within and outside the organization

Leadership and Worker Participation

The new standard contains key differences in OHSAS 18001 under the leadership title.
The responsibilities of the top management of the organization are addressed in a
broader context. It has been underlined that the top management should take a greater
role in establishing the OHS policy, setting OHS goals and ensuring sustainability of
OHS activities. It is described that the senior management should be in an approach
that supports, leads and contributes to the development of OHS activities in all
processes. In this way top management's involvement in processes has been defined. In
OHSAS 18001, the management system, which is often represented by a single person,
stands out as a title that should be handled more by top management. It is also stated in
the standard that the top management should ensure that the workers participate in the
process in order to carry out effective leadership. Mechanisms to be established for the
development of communication with workers, participation in training, hazard
identification and risk assessment processes, accident investigations, etc. in many
chapters it has been emphasized that top management should understand the needs of
workers and lead them accordingly.

Hazard identification and risk control

Just as in the previous standard, this standard also focuses on identifying hazards and
assessing their risks. In the new standard, more emphasis was put on the planning in this
chapter and it was stated that the organizations should plan the control measures by
defining the risks related to all routine and non-routine activities. Also more attention
has been drawn to opportunities than in past texts in order to achieve OHS goals.
Organizations should consider not only the risks of OHS but also the opportunities that
are provided to carry out the most effective risk management process. In this context, it
is stated that the risk management process should take into account all the legal and
other requirements related to the operation of risks, opportunities and management
system.

Support

Most of the support provisions in OHSAS 18001 have been reviewed in this chapter.
The new standard underscores the need for organizations to identify and acquire the
resources needed to establish an effective OHS management system. In this framework,
a content covering the entire OHS resource needs, such as human resources, natural
resources, infrastructure and financial resources, has been defined in order to establish,
implement, maintain and continuously improve the OHS management system. Aslo the
terminology in the term of “documentation” has been changed into “documented
information” and a more comprehensive documentation system has been described.
The new definition includes the creation and updating of documented information and
the control thereof. There is also emphasis on ensuring the effectiveness of the OHS
communication in line with the organizational context and leadership headings. It is
required that organizations have a defined process to determine internal and external
information and communication about OHS management.
5th international Project and Construction Management Conference (IPCMC2018)
Cyprus International University, Faculty of Engineering, Civil Engineering Department, North Cyprus

Outsourcing, Procurement & Contractors Management

In the operational sections of the new standard, it is expected to describe all internal and
external processes that are likely to affect the OHS management system of the
organization. It is expected that products (e.g. raw materials, equipment, services)
supplied in this framework will have an adequate and effective control mechanism for
procurement processes to ensure that they meet the OHS requirements of the
organization. It is also expected that the OHS management system of the organization
will not only focus on the employees of the related organization, but also the activities
of the contractors providing services to the organization. This approach, which is
expected to include change management, aims to manage the risks most effectively if
the contractors are integrated into the activities of the foundation.

Performance Evalution & Improvement

Performance appraisal covers many areas previously mentioned in OHSAS 18001 but
also includes some innovations. For example, performance and monitoring results must
be documented with the new standard. In addition, in order to be able to make a useful
assessment, the basic performance indicators are specified in detail, such as being
specific, measurable, achievable, accountable and time dependent. Due to the new risk-
oriented structure of the standard, the requirements for preventive action for
improvement have not been defined. However, it is a requirement that the organization
follow proactive measures as part of continuous improvement and risk management.

Comparions of ISO 45001:2018 and OHSAS 18001:2007

A detailed comparison table of the contents of the two standards is prepared for easier
understanding of the differences(Surgical Units,2018).

Table 2. Comparasion Matrix of OHSAS 18001&ISO 45001

ISO 45001:2018 OHSAS 18001:2007

1 Scope 1 Scope
2 Normative References 2 Reference Publications
3 Terms and Definitions 3 Terms and Definitions
4 Context Of The Organizaton (Title)
4.1 Understanding the organization & its context
Corresponding Clause does not exist
4.2 Understanding the needs and expectations of
interested parties
4.3 Determining the scope of the OH & S
4.1 General requirements, paragraph-2
management system
4.1 General requirements, paragraph-1
4.4 OH & S management system
Corresponding Clause does not exist
5 Leadership (Title)
4.4.1 Resources, roles, responsibility,
5.1 Leadership and commitment
accountability and authority, paragraph-1
5.2 OH & S policy, paragraph-1
4.2 OH&S policy
5.2 OH & S policy, paragraph-2
4.4.1 Resources, roles, responsibility,
5.3 Organizational roles, responsibilities and
accountability and authority, paragraph-2.b & 3 to
authorities
6
5th international Project and Construction Management Conference (IPCMC2018)
Cyprus International University, Faculty of Engineering, Civil Engineering Department, North Cyprus
5.4 Consultation and participation of workers
6 Planning (Title)
6.1 Actions to address risks & opportunities (Title)
6.1.1 General
6.1.2 Hazard Identification and assessment of risks
and opportunities
6.1.3 Determination of legal requirements and other
requirements
6.1.4 Planning action
6.2 OH & S objectives and planning to achieve them
(Title)
6.2.1 OH & S objectives
6.2.2 Planning actions to achieve OH & S objectives
7 Support (Title)
7.1 Resources
7.2 Competence
7.3 Awareness
7.4 Communication (Title)
7.4.1 General
7.4.2 Internal Communication
7.4.3 External Communication
7.5 Documented information (Title)
7.5.1 General
7.5.2 Creating and updating
7.5.3 Control of documented information, paragraph-1
7.5.3 Control of documented information, paragraph-2
&3
8 Operation (Title)
8.1 Operational planning and control
8.2 Emergency preparedness and response
9 Performance Evaluation (Title)
9.1 Monitoring, measuring, analysis and evaluation
(Title)
9.1.1 General, paragraph-2, 4, 6
9.1.1 General, paragraph-1, 3, 5
9.1.2 Evaluation of compliance
9.2 Internal audit (Title)
9.2.1 General
9.2.2 Internal audit programme
9.3 Management review, paragraph-1
9.3 Management review, paragraph-2
9.3 Management review, paragraph-3
Corresponding Clause does not exist
10 Improvement (Title)
10.1 General
Corresponding Clause does not exist
4.4.3.2 Participation and consultation
4.3 Planning (Title)
Corresponding Clause does not exist
4.3.1 Hazard identification, risk assessment, and
determining controls, paragraph-1 part, 2 to 4 & 7
4.3.2 Legal and other requirements
4.3.1 Hazard identification, risk assessment, and
determining controls, paragraph-1 part, 5 & 6
Corresponding Clause does not exist
4.3.3 Objectives and programme(s), paragraph-1
to 3
4.3.3 Objectives and programme(s), paragraph-4
&5
4.4 Implementation and Operation (Title)
4.4.1 Resources, roles, responsibility,
accountability and authority, paragraph-2.a
4.4.2 Competence, training & awareness,
paragraph-1 & 2
4.4.2 Competence, training & awareness,
paragraph-3
4.4.3 Communication, participation &
consultation (Title)
4.4.3.1 Communication
Corresponding Clause does not exist
4.4.4 Documentation
4.4.5 Control of documents, paragraph-2 part
4.5.4 Control of records, paragraph-2 part
4.4.5 Control of documents, paragraph-1
4.5.4 Control of records, paragraph-1
4.4.5 Control of documents, paragraph-2 part
4.5.4 Control of records, paragraph-2 part & 3
4.4 Implementation and Operation (Title)
4.4.6 Operational control
4.4.7 Emergency preparedness and response
4.5 Checking (Title)
Corresponding Clause does not exist
4.5.1 Performance measurement and monitoring
4.5.2 Evaluation of compliance
Corresponding Clause does not exist
4.5.5 Internal audit, paragraph-1
4.5.5 Internal audit, paragraph-2 to 4
4.6 Management review, paragraph-1
4.6 Management review, paragraph-2
4.6 Management review, paragraph-3
4.6 Management review, paragraph-4
Corresponding Clause does not exist
4.5.3 Incident investigation, NC, CA & PA
5th international Project and Construction Management Conference (IPCMC2018)
Cyprus International University, Faculty of Engineering, Civil Engineering Department, North Cyprus

10.2 Incident, Nonconformity & corrective action,
paragraph-1, 2
10.2 Incident, Nonconformity & corrective action,
paragraph-3
10.3 Continual improvement
(Title)
4.5.3.1 Incident investigation, paragraph-1 to 3
4.5.3.2 Nonconformity, CA and PA
4.5.3.1 Incident investigation, paragraph-4
Corresponding Clause does not exist

Conclusion
It is easy to see that it has significant changes when compared to the successors of the
new standard. ISO 45001 describes a more advanced management system than OHSAS
18001, with terms, definitions, roles and scope defined more clearly. The standard's
compliance with other management system standards such ISO 9001 and ISO 14001
will provide a great advantage for organizations. Organizations that have established the
OHSAS 18001 structure in the past periods will be able to easily improve their
management systems by following the transition process to the new standard. The
transition period, which will last for about 3 years, is considered to provide enough time
for the institutions in this respect. The organizational context described in the new
standard provides an important framework for the establishment of an integrated
management system. Furthermore, the risk and planning-oriented nature of the standard
will bring significant changes in the management of processes. The expanded scope
under the leadership of OHS has a stronger structure than the new standard successors
with the innovations introduced in the operational processes and the participation of
employees and related parties in the processes.

References

BS OHSAS 18001(2007), Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems-

Requirements,

BSI(2018), ISO/DIS 45001 Understanding the new international standard for

occupational health & safety brochure, https://www.bsigroup.com/LocalFiles/sv-SE/iso
45001/ISO%20DIS%2045001%2012%20page%20guide%20Final%20Feb%202016.pdf
, Date of access: 10.07.2018.

BSI, Introducing Annex SL Whitepaper brochure,

https://www.bsigroup.com/LocalFiles/nl-nl/iso-9001/BSI-Annex-SL-Whitepaper.pdf

Surgical Units, 2018, http://surgicalunits.com/comparison-matrix-on-iso-450012018-ohsas-

180012007-461.html, Date of access: 10.07.2018.

ILO,World Statictis, Occupational Health and Safety, http://www.ilo.org/moscow/areas-

of-work/occupational-safety-and-health/WCMS_249278/lang--en/index.htm, Date of
access: 10.07.2018.

ISO(2018), ISO 45001:2018, Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems-

Part 0 General Guidlines for the application of ISO 45001, 2018
 5th international Project and Construction Management Conference (IPCMC2018)
Cyprus International University, Faculty of Engineering, Civil Engineering Department, North Cyprus

ISO(2018), ISO 45001:2018, Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems-

Requirements with guidance for use, 2018

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