Interpretation: ISO 45001 replaces OHSAS 18001

Occupational Health and Safety Standard: ISO 45001 Replaces OHSAS 18001

The occupational health and safety (OH&S) community will witness a major event on October 1, 2021: the OHSAS 18001 occupational health and safety management system standard, led by the UK, will become history on this day, passing the baton to the internationally recognized voluntary ISO 45001 standard. This "handover" in the field of standardization came somewhat late; safety (S) is now established as an ISO standard, having been published in 2018 several years ago, while the other two elements of the QSE management system triad, quality (Q) and environment (E), had already become ISO certification systems in 1987 and 1996 respectively, namely the quality management system standard ISO 9001 and the environmental management system standard ISO 14001.

Project manager Florence Saillet, representing the French Standardization Association (AFNOR), tracked the development process of the ISO 45001 standard.

Florence Saillet explained why this new ISO standard was delayed: "The reason the ISO standard only came out now is that many countries opposed the plan, including France. Members of the French standardization commission were generally hostile to the prospect of standardizing occupational health and safety issues. They preferred to rely on laws, hoping to regulate occupational health and safety practices through strict measures." However, at the same time, the OHSAS standard was gradually becoming "old" and could no longer fully meet current needs. Florence Saillet added: "Many companies wanted to adopt an integrated approach, combining their occupational health and safety management with the quality management system standard ISO 9001 and the environmental management system standard ISO 14001. In 2013, after several attempts, the British held a consultation meeting. The project was then launched by ISO, with about 60 countries participating.

As is well known, France did not vote in favor of the project in the 2018 ballot, but despite this, French representatives actively participated in the work to uphold France's position and protect its interests. The French National Committee, which included many occupational health and safety experts and institutional representatives, played a leading role in this process. Through discussions, proactive risk prevention measures were proposed instead of reacting only after accidents occur; moreover, the talks emphasized the importance of consulting employees and personnel representatives when formulating occupational health and safety regulations. These two prominent measures have been incorporated into the 2018 version of the ISO 45001 standard.

1. Employee-Driven Standard

Although a large part of the requirements in the ISO 45001 standard come from the previous OHSAS 18001, unlike it, this new international standard strives to ensure that the occupational health and safety management system is clearly employee-centered and also recommends organizations consult their employees' opinions, encouraging active employee participation. This initiative was recently written into French law, requiring organizations to establish social and economic committees as the sole bodies representing employees. Similarly, the new standard also takes into account employees' expectations, such as the need for working from home, and fully considers other relevant parties like subcontractors.

Another point worth emphasizing is that, like other management systems, establishing an occupational health and safety management system compliant with ISO standards enables organizations to adopt voluntary best practices while fulfilling their regulatory obligations. Compliance with laws and regulations is a prerequisite for declaring conformity with the standard. Auditors must have an in-depth understanding of their country's specific regulations. If a company applies for ISO 45001 certification for its occupational health and safety management system, auditors will check during visits whether the company complies with relevant regulations. Click to read the case of Afric-Phar laboratory, a laboratory located in Casablanca, Morocco, to learn about its journey to obtaining ISO 45001 certification.

Finally, for QSE managers, an important point is that migrating from OHSAS 18001 to the new ISO 45001 simplifies the process of coordinating the three QSE management systems simultaneously. Béatrice Poirier, AFNOR certification auditor and product manager responsible for the ISO 45001 standard, emphasized: "The ISO 45001 standard, ISO 9001, and ISO 14001 are all built on the same framework. In the field of standardization, we call this the High Level Structure. This is very attractive to QSE managers because it means they can coordinate their work within a common framework." Like its two "relatives," the ISO 45001 standard also helps anticipate risks and identify opportunities, concepts well known to professionals in the QSE management field. Béatrice Poirier explained: "To identify hidden opportunities and determine real action plans, the key is to be good at listening to the opinions of relevant parties, and this entire process helps improve occupational health and safety performance."

2. Easy Migration

All companies that have already implemented integrated management systems have adopted the ISO 45001 standard. If necessary, they have even received training to ensure successful migration from the old standard to the new one. Séverine Lesage, responsible for occupational health and safety supervision at AFNOR Skills, an AFNOR training institution, stated: "Between 2017 and 2021, more than 1,000 people enrolled in training. Additionally, nearly the same number of people received our support and guidance during the transition from OHSAS 18001 to ISO 45001 or while learning to master the ISO 45001 standard.

The first to acquire new skills were auditors, followed closely by QSE managers and occupational health and safety managers, who also updated their knowledge." Therefore, from the release of the ISO 45001 standard until now, companies have had three years to catch up, with an additional six-month grace period considering the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Regarding this, Béatrice Poirier said: "So far, among French companies certified under OHSAS 18001, 85% have switched to the ISO 45001 standard, mainly in the construction and industrial sectors. When the migration deadline for the 2015 versions of ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 was just weeks away, the conversion rate was about the same."

Marie-Hélène Lefebvre, an AFNOR certification auditor for 20 years mainly responsible for the Île-de-France region, observed: "The first organizations to be certified were equally enthusiastic about both standards, whether ISO 45001 or OHSAS 18001. Most of them belonged to companies with the highest accident rates, whose production processes required the highest level of safety assurance." Axon Cable, an electronic component manufacturer located in the Marne region of France, is a good example. This company was the first French organization to be certified in 2018. According to the latest survey by the International Organization for Standardization, as of December 31, 2020, there were 1,385 valid ISO 45001 certifications across 5,034 sites, including those issued by the AFNOR group. Just one year earlier, the statistics were 524 compared to 1,523. In other words, the number tripled in one year! By the end of 2020, there were 190,429 valid certifications worldwide, covering more than 250,000 sites, nearly five times the number in 2019.

Correspondingly, companies that have never been certified under OHSAS 18001 but have obtained ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 certifications use the advantages of ISO 45001 to further strengthen and integrate their comprehensive management systems. Of course, there are pros and cons. Marie-Hélène Lefèvre explained: "Emphasizing consultation with employees and encouraging their active voice is certainly an advantage because employee participation is crucial to launching a solid management system. Some decision-makers may initially see this approach as an obstacle, but they often quickly realize the value behind it once they see that these requirements perfectly align with existing regulations, including training programs, risk prevention plans, risk identification, accident investigations, and so on." One thing is very clear: if an organization already has a mature and well-functioning OHSAS 18001 certified management system, migrating to the new standard is not difficult. Our 2019 study showed that since the release of the ISO 45001 standard, over time, auditors have found fewer and fewer nonconformities.

3. Has the early revision of the ISO 45001 standard already been scheduled?

Since 2018, the COVID-19 pandemic has brought about earth-shaking changes, and the entire occupational world has undergone significant transformations. After auditors conducted on-site inspections of organizations applying for certification, some clarifications were requested. The ISO/TC 283 technical committee responsible for issuing this international standard is currently seeking to start the revision work immediately rather than waiting for the 2023 systematic review. So, will ISO 45001 undergo an update? Florence Saillet responded: "The answer will be revealed by the end of this year. If a revision is necessary, work will begin in 2022. Some new issues should be incorporated into the standard, such as workplace well-being, social reintegration, and return to work, among others. France has already expressed its views on these topics and will continue to advocate for them."

Since the release of the standard, the ISO/TC 283 technical committee has been studying related topics and, based on this, has introduced a series of derivative standards, including the "Practical Guide for Small Organizations Implementing ISO 45001," "Safety Work Guidelines During the COVID-19 Pandemic," and in June 2021, the ISO 45003 standard on "Psychosocial Risk." Moreover, Florence Saillet added: "In 2022, ISO 4500 'General Guidelines for Implementing ISO 45001' will be released, followed by ISO 45004 'Guidelines for Occupational Health and Safety Performance Evaluation' and ISO 45006 'Standards for Prevention and Management of Infectious Diseases.'"