Written by ISO 45002:2023 Occupational health and safety management systems — General guidelines for the implementation of ISO 45001:2018
As we all know, an organization is responsible for the occupational health and safety (OH&S) of its workers. This responsibility includes promoting and protecting their physical and mental health and for taking steps to protect others who may be affected by its activities. This is best achieved through an OH&S management system.
ISO 45002’s main goal is to instruct businesses on how to implement one of these systems within their workplace.
In short, this document gives guidance on the establishment, implementation, maintenance, and continual improvement of an OH&S management system that can help organizations conform to ISO 45001.
In addition, for illustration, most of the clauses in ISO 45002:2023 include real life examples of how different types of organization have implemented the requirements.
The OH&S management system approach that ISO 45002 addresses is founded on the concept of Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA). It can be applied to an OH&S management system and to each of its individual elements, as follows:
- Plan: determine and assess OH&S risks, OH&S opportunities and other risks and other opportunities that can influence the intended outcomes of the OH&S management system, establish OH&S objectives and processes necessary to deliver results in accordance with the organization’s OH&S policy;
- Do: implement the processes as planned;
- Check: monitor and measure activities and processes with regard to the OH&S policy and OH&S objectives, and report the results;
- Act: take actions to continually improve the OH&S performance to achieve the intended outcomes.
The PDCA concept outlined above is an iterative process used by organizations to achieve continual improvement. This is intended to help companies implement the ISO 45001 standards effectively and to routinely maintain them as their workplace evolves