OHSAS 18001 Occtupational Health & Safety
Implementing an OHSMS
There ae key steps that every organization implementing an Occupational Health and Safety Management System will need to consider:
Review support literature
There is a wide range of publications designed to help you i..riderstand and implement an Occupational Health & Safety Management
Consider Training
There are a range of workshops, seminars and training courses available to help you implement and assess your Ocaçatlonal Health & Safety Management System *
Review Consultancy Options
You can receive advice from independent consultants on how best to Implement your Ocapatlonal Health & Safety management system. They may have the experience In implementation that can help you avoid costly mistakes.
Design the OHSAS 18001 Management System
The OHSAS 18001 Specification follows the Plan-Do-Check-Review cycle, with a concurrent emphasis on continual Improvement. This model fits in neatly with the structure of other management system documents such as ISO 14001.
This alignment of the management system documents helps in the facilitation of Integated Management Systems.
The following steps help form the basic structure of the management system and link into the structure of OHSAS 18001.
Plan
During the planning stage you should:
Ensure you have the commitment of top management.
Define, with the authorization of top management, the companfl occupational health and safety policy.
Plaming must be completed to estthlish a framework for identifying hazards, the assessment of risks and the implementation of necessary control measures.
Legal obligations must be Identified and understood, objectives set and a management proqamme for achieving them implemented. This entire process should be documented.
Implement your Health and Safety Management System
At this point you should:
Establish roles and responsibilities.
Develop procedures for the consultation and communication of Cl-IS information to employees and other interested pates.
Document your processes and develop a system of document and data control.
Apply a system of operational control.
Estthlish plans and procedures for emergencies.
Check your management system and take any necessary corrective action
You should aim to continually improve your management system by:
Intro&icing performa-ce, measuring and monitoring practices.
Esttlishing and documenting responsibility and authority for accidents, incidents, non-conformities and corrective & preventative action.
Establishing a procectre for records and records management.
Auditing and assessing the performance of the management system.
Performing management reviews of the system at identified and defined intervals.
Gain registration
Registration is a phased approach adding value and facilitating the development of the system. During registration yotr OHSAS 18001 management system will be reviewed.
Continual assessment
Once you have received registration and been awarded your certificate, you can begin to advertise ycxr success and promote your business. Your registrar will periodically check this to ensure that your system continues to meet the rec.iirements of the Specification.
