OHSAS 18001

• Quality management
• Environmental management
• Health and safety
• Integrated management
• Process improvement
• Contact the MCR
• Customer feedback
• Become a registered consultant

Specification for Occupational Health and Safety management systems

In 1991 the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) published HS(G)65 'Successful Health and Safety Management' in an attempt to encourage organisations to implement health and safety management systems. At about the same time (1994) a standard for environmental management systems, BS 7750, was published in the UK. This had many similarities with the ISO 9000 series of quality management system standards and within two years was adopted by ISO and published as ISO 14001. Although focused on environmental management, this standard, with very few minor changes, could be adapted to cover the management of health and safety.

UK organisations wishing to implement a health and safety management system had two choices; HS(G)65 or adopt the ISO 14001 model.

BSI responded to this situation by publishing BS 8800 'Guide to Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems' in 1996. As the title infers, this was a guide, not a standard designed for assessment purposes, and combined the requirements of HS(G)65 and ISO 14001

Assessment bodies in the UK started to experience pressure from their client organisations for a health and safety management system standard that could be implemented alongside ISO 9001 and/or ISO 14001, be subject to assessment, and if the requirements were suitably met, be acknowledged by the granting of a certificate of registration. Some leading assessment bodies, in response to this demand, produced their own standards or assessment criteria and started to assess organisations against these criteria and award certificates as appropriate.

These organisations then pooled their resources and, with the support of BSI, published Occupational Health and Safety Assessment Criteria OHSAS 18001 in 1999 and the accompanying guidelines for implementation OHSAS 18002 in 2000. The content, layout and style of OHSAS 18001 is very closely matched to ISO 14001.

The next logical step is for OHSAS 18001 to be adopted world-wide as an international (ISO) standard but there are currently no moves in this direction (neither is there any intention to update OHSAS 18001 : 1999).

Most leading certification bodies are now assessing organisations to OHSAS 18001 but this activity is not currently accredited by UKAS therefore the certificates of registration cannot bear the familiar 'tick & crown' logo.

BS 8800 was updated in 2004 to include reference to OHSAS 18001 and reflect the updated ISO 14001: 2004.

benefits of OHSAS 18001

• Provides a framework to assist in identifying applicable legislation (from approximately 300 items currently in place)
• Requires monitoring of compliance with identified legislation (approximately 25 company directors are currently serving prison sentences as a result of health and safety violations)
• Promotes communication and consultation with all employees on matters relating to health and safety
• Health and safety training needs to be identified and addressed (eg first aiders)