Are you ready for an OHSMS?

OHSMSs have been around for almost 30 years. In 1989, OSHA created the “Safety and Health Program Management Guidelines,” recognizing that command/control compliance has limited impact on injury rates, in addressing:

• Management leadership;
• worker participation;
• hazard identification and assessment;
• hazard prevention and control;
• planning and evaluation;
• and training.

In 1991, California implemented the Injury and Illness Prevention Program (IIPP). In 2005, ANSI Z10 debuted and in 2018, ISO 45001 debuted as the global standard for occupational health and safety management. ISO 45001 brings about some significant changes to developing, implementing and maintaining an OHS management system including: placing more responsibility on top management to demonstrate leadership, commitment, and the promotion of a positive OHS culture; facilitating greater worker involvement; considering new and emerging risk such as psychosocial risks; and introducing the concept of risk and opportunity, which may serve to identify areas of improvement and which are different than the organization’s historical objectives.

OHSMS success relies heavily on management leadership, therefore it is pertinent that leadership understands their role and responsibility in the process.

 Questions for leadership prior to developing and implementing an OHSMS:

1. Are you committed to providing a safe and healthy workplace beyond compliance?
2. Will you provide competent resources? Competent safety professionals who can develop, implement and maintain an SMS are required.
3. Are you prepared for transparency, continuous learning and communication that empowers the workers?
4. Are you willing to change the way that work gets planned and completed in the name of performance improvement?
5. Are you willing to evaluate, disclose, and manage organizational risks?
6. Are you willing to lead by example, participating in the continuous improvement of safety performance?

 ZERO is a high hazard communication tool that allows workers and management to communicate effectively around safety hazards and risks, ideas, quality improvements and incidents. Start your journey to ZERO with an OHSMS today.