OHSAS 18001

What is OHSAS 18001?

OHSAS 18001 is a certification specification for Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems. It is based on already published criteria such as BS 8800 and the Management Regulations 1992. OHSAS 18001 is a process of audit and certification. There is no legislative requirement to achieve OHSAS 18001. There are other H & S Management models that can be used to achieve compliance.

Why seek certification to OHSAS 18001?

Registration to OHSAS 18001 by an independent, third party, certification body does demonstrate a commitment to implement, maintain and improve the way in which you manage your Health and Safety system.

Organisations registered to OHSAS 18001 can be more confident about meeting the requirements of H & S legislation.
Occasionally there is a business or commercial advantage to being able to demonstrate compliance, although there is no guarantee that it will help.

How do you start to implement OHSAS 18001? What is involved?

Firstly, evaluate the Health and Safety needs of your organisation. Then identify the degree to which your existing Health and Safety system, the documentation and procedures meet the requirements of OHSAS 18001.

Identify the areas where your existing systems fall short of the required standards and ensure these procedures are fully implemented.
Once developed, as with any H & S Management system, internal audits are needed to ensure the system continues to be effective.

Assessment to OHSAS 18001

You will need to choose a third party certification body for your audit. That body will review your documentation to ascertain that it meets all the requirements of OHSAS 18001. This is followed at a later date by an audit to check that records are being kept and documented working practices are being followed.
After a successful audit, a certificate of registration to OHSAS 18001 will be issued. There will then be continual surveillance visits (usually once a year) to ensure that the system is maintained and continues to be effective.

What is the cost of assessment to OHSAS 18001?

The Health and Safety management needs of companies vary significantly therefore it is impossible to produce a standard price. We recommend that you approach several certification bodies and get quotes.

Joint OHSAS 18001, ISO 9000 and ISO 14001 systems

There are several common elements between these three systems, such as management review, document control, corrective action and the requirement for trained personnel. These can be integrated into a single, joint system or a combination of any of the above.

Where to obtain further information or help

The OHSAS 18001 specification is available from The Stationery Office (formerly HMSO) bookshops

The British Standards Institution can also help. The telephone help line is 020-8996 7000.

Call us today on 01326 375422 to discuss your requirements or click here to order a demonstration of our Risk Master health and safety management software.