ISO 45001 is a performance-based occupational health and safety management standard published on March 12, 2018. It is patterned after widely used management standards such as ISO 14001 and ISO 9001 and is applicable to many industries, including refining, chemicals and pharmaceuticals. Among the benefits of the standard are improved regulatory compliance, cost-effective risk management and improved commitment to safety by workers as well as managers.  ISO 45001 certification could also serve as a marketing tool to demonstrate your company’s commitment to safety and social responsibility. You will need to do a cost-benefit analysis to determine the value of ISO 45001 to your company.  ISO 45001 will replace the existing safety management standard OHSAS 18001 in three years. ISO 45001 puts top emphasis on worker participation and management involvement. It emphasizes safety programs and de-emphasizes prescriptive slant of safety and health procedures. Instead, emphasis is on performance. However, this does not mean that you abandon structured procedures which are vitally important for compliance with numerous prescriptive OSHA standards.  ISO 45001 takes a systems approach in determining safety requirements: workers, management, machines and processes, contractors, and neighbors are some of the key systems which interact with safety performance (see Figure 1). There are ten major clauses:Clause 1. Scope.Clause 2. Normative References.Clause 3. Terms and Definitions.Clause 4. Context of the Organization. This clause considers internal and external issues which could affect the business and as a consequence, its safety management practices. In a broad sense, this clause combines the objectives of OSHA and the risk management plan. This clause requires that a company considers these factors in developing a safety management system. Some of the examples of this are multi-company sites, mergers/acquisitions, neighbors, employee turnover, and equipment or operational/maintenance changes. Clause 5. Leadership. Key thrust of this clause is that top management should show greater involvement in EHS management. It elevates EHS management to the highest levels of management. Clause 6. Planning. This cause is pervasive in the sense that it applies to almost all phases of your safety management system. A safety management system should be proactive in risk management as well as robust enough to respond to emergency situations. Clause 7. Support systems. The ISO-45001 requires specific emphasis on infrastructure or resources required to achieve an organization’s safety objectives. Clause 8. Operation. This clause is similar to the Management of Change (MOC) system. Clause 9. Performance Evaluation. The standard takes a data-centric approach to managing safety. This is also called Key Performance Indicators—both leading and lagging indicators. Clause 10. Improvement. This is similar to ISO quality standards. Intent is ongoing improvements. SHOULD YOU CONSIDER ISO 45001 CERTIFICATION? As you can see, this standard, like many other ISO standards, can be implemented to any organization or safety and health systems. Qualitatively, benefits of ISO 45001 include effective management of risk and opportunities, improved safety culture and worker/management commitment, reduction in injuries and consequently insurance premiums, and improved public image of your company. Thus, internally ISO 45001 could be an effective tool for improving cost-effective safety, while externally it could open up significant marketing opportunities.  European governments are encouraging companies to become ISO 45001 certified. For companies doing business with these companies, certification could be beneficial. You need to do a cost-benefit assessment before applying this standard. Should you decide to implement this standard, consider the following: • As may be expected, implementation for smaller, one-site organizations would be simpler compared to that for large, multi-site, or multi-employer organizations. • Keep workers apprised of your broad objectives. Their buy-in is also vital for the long-term success.• Evaluate each of the ISO 45001 clauses systemically: Internal systems such as operations, maintenance, procurement and other support systems. External systems such as contractors, public, regulations and competitors. • Consider your existing safety management system and how you can adapt it to the ISO 45001 clauses. The migration or modification of the system should be gradual and should be seamless to users.  AVOID EXCESS BUREAUCRACY ISO 45001 is a flexible set of requirements designed to manage risk. It is not procedure-based, but process based. Like any other system, excessive bureaucracy will severely diminish its effectiveness.  Let's block ads! (Why?)

If you look at safety statistics for the construction industry, it is likely you will get a deep sense of disappointment. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the construction industry workforce represents 4% of the total U.S. workforce, but it accounts for 21% of workplace fatalities. The “fatal four”—falls, electrocution, struck by an object, and caught-in-between—account for most of these incidents. Similarly, non-fatal injury statistics are also relatively high. In the face of such dismal statistics, it is very easy to lose sight of successful construction projects. Successful construction projects share numerous features in common, ranging from the old-fashioned trust and teamwork, to recent applications of technological gadgets, including mobile devices. Let’s look at some of these tools that are helping enable safe and successful construction projects. The Big Picture First of all, what is streetsmart construction safety? Simply put, it is a pragmatic management style and practice that minimizes bureaucracy, encourages teamwork, minimizes project risk, ensures robust compliance with applicable regulations, and minimizes cost. However, cost minimization does not mean “cutting corners.” Any construction project, by its sheer nature, involves a multitude of activities, noise, and heavy concentration of workers and equipment. Construction sites can be dangerous. As we might expect, lack of communication, poor safety practices, inadequate outdated tools or documents, and lack of cohesive work environment are some of the factors that contribute to unsafe incidents. In addition, high worker turnover and changes in the environment (heavy rains, storms, flooding) also can contribute to unsafe events. Above all, if management is or is perceived by workers as cavalier or dismissive about safety, then the chances of unsafe incidents will increase. The importance of having a safety culture cannot be over emphasized. Streetsmart construction safety begins before the start of a project, as discussed below. Risk Assessment At the start of a project, get a good understanding of the top-level management expectations. Conduct a broad risk assessment to identify major risks. Of course, specific risks are site- and project-dependent. However, in general, consider areas such as contractor selection, training, resources for emergency response, site topography and climate, and overall budgeting. Keep top-level management apprised of major potential risks and mitigation measures for their impact. Some issues to consider: ● Most construction projects involve several contractors and sub-contractors. A poor contractor selection process could cause major safety mishaps. Selection criteria for contractors should include, for example, their past safety record, training, safe-work procedures, worker turnover, a review of their recent safety incidents, and limiting your liability. Each contractor and sub-contractor should be in a position to implement your safety practices and safety enforcement policies. For multi-company sites, overall safety policies will need to be agreed on by various parties. ● Develop a broad framework for training/testing of new hires as well as continuing training of all workers. Establishing a continuing safety emphasis is vital; without that, workers could become oblivious to risk. ● In today’s environment, it is less likely that top management is not familiar with the importance of safety. However, they may not share the zeal and perception of safety that you have. Brief them on potential hazards and safeguards for mitigating their impact. The managerial briefing should avoid safety jargon and instead use business and financial jargon. In a nutshell, “talk their language.” ● It is vitally important to keep neighbors “happy.” As the project progresses, keep them informed of progress and safety/environmental milestones. The key is to let them know that their safety is not being compromised. Robust Infrastructure The term “infrastructure” (in the context of this article) includes all safety-relevant documents for the project, such as applicable safety regulations (e.g., 29 CFR 1926) and cross references (e.g., OSHA regulations may refer to NFPA), safe work plans, site safety and site security procedures and forms, the construction plan and drawings, equipment information (dimensions, weights, metallurgy, any special handling requirements), and Safety Data Sheets (SDS). Consider the following: ● Systems should be in place to ensure documents are updated promptly as needed and are quickly accessible. This is often the task of document control. It should be streamlined. ● Safety studies, environmental studies and fire risk studies should be performed and recommendations should be incorporated in the construction. As construction progresses, it is possible some recommendations could change—you need to have mechanisms in place to update drawings and incorporate changes without significant delays. ● During construction, questions could arise that may entail modifications from the original design. This poses risk that needs to be assessed. Expert help should be available without significant delays so that changes can be made and documented (MOC system) while minimizing risk. Safety Technology Today, a number of safety software packages are available for documenting and analyzing safety performance. Cloud-based systems are becoming commonplace. Safety software along with an incident reporting system should be part of your company’s database system. Avoid islands of information. Consider the following: ● The key purpose of safety software is to provide information on actionable items promptly. It should be easy to update, retrieve and analyze data. ● IT help should be available without delay. Also consider alternate sources (such as hard copies) for safety-critical items. ● Although incidents of cyber attacks on construction sites are rare, it is always a good idea to consider appropriate measures for cyber security—for example, firewalls, data access rights based on roles of personnel, and log-in processes. ● Mobile devices/platforms are proving to be a valuable tool for productivity and safety. It is not uncommon to run into situations where you need quick access to data. Managers can access vital information instantly on mobile platforms. At the start of the project, a framework should be in place for data access and access rights through mobile platforms. For very large construction sites, drone application may be considered for monitoring sites (as a part of the site security). Safety Culture Above all, safety culture is on the top of the list of streetsmart practices for construction safety. You are the key for establishing and maintaining a safety culture. Workers take their cues from your statements, from your actions, from your interaction. Establish an environment of team spirit and cooperative work relationships. Consider the following: ● Empower workers to voice their concern when they see unsafe or potentially unsafe conditions. Respond to their concern appropriately. ● Make sure workers understand and feel comfortable in the use of their tools and PPE. ● Keep your criticism of worker performance positive and prompt. Ensure that they understand that safety is the top priority for everybody. As is the case with many other professions, construction safety has benefited immensely by software tools, IT and mobile platforms. Along with digital tools, it is also worth noting that the old-fashioned practice of trust and openness, even today, continue to be valuable tools in attaining cost-effective safety. G. C. Shah, CSP, CFSE, PE, is a senior consultant, process safety, environmental engineering and industrial hygiene at Wood Group, a global project management, engineering, procurement and construction operations company serving the upstream oil and gas, refining and chemicals, pipeline, automation and control, and industrial markets.