The ISO 45001 Standards can help businesses ensure 2022 is a safe, productive year for them.

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An important message that businesses learned during the pandemic was that nothing should be taken for granted. Actions that they had performed for years on end, like being allowed to trade at normal hours and having a fully staffed office were no longer a given, and organisations across Australia were required to find innovative ways of conducting business amidst myriad COVID restrictions. Companies had to adjust their operations to both meet their compliance obligations and provide customers with an assurance that it was safe to do business with them. An important way that businesses worked at overcoming this challenge was by adopting clear, structured processes. Particularly, the ISO 45001 Occupational Health and Safety Standards helped businesses across Australia achieve and maintain work health and safety goals, reduce costs, and continue to meet customer demands, and businesses yet to certify to it should look to do so by early 2022.

ISO 45001 helps businesses be proactive

The ISO 45001:2018 OH&S Standards is an internationally recognised Business Management System that helps companies across the world develop and maintain an Occupational Health and Safety Management System, and proven successful WHS strategies. It replaced the OHSAS 18001 Standards, distinguishing itself by adopting a proactive approach to achieving and maintaining compliant OH&S practices.

While OHSAS 18001 focused on controlling identified workplace risks, ISO 45001 places a firm emphasis on identifying potential risks before they can impact staff, thereby preventing workplace injuries and accidents from occurring.

The past two years have been extremely challenging for businesses, and companies across Australia are hoping that 2022 will be a more productive, less stressful year for their operations. By certifying to ISO 45001, companies advance from the ‘hoping’ to the ‘doing’ stage, by taking straight-forward action to prepare their business for 2022, ensuring they are in the best position to deal with any challenges they may encounter.

Some ways that ISO 45001 can help companies

How ISO 45001 certification helps your business achieve its WHS goals will depend upon several factors, including its industry, size, work type, and so on. However, it is important to note that these Standards can be applied to all businesses, regardless of whether they are a family run store operating from a single location, or a national corporation with offices across Australia.

Some of the ways ISO 45001 can help organisations include:

• Minimising operational expenses: ISO 45001 helps businesses understand, meet, and maintain the scope of their OH&S obligations. Through the heightened safety focus that certification brings there will be fewer workplace injuries and increased productivity, both of which will help reduce the company’s overall expenses.
• Increased employee engagement: Another advantage to certification is utilising its top-down approach to developing compliant WHS practices. This means that all staff will be involved in the development and maintenance of the business’ OH&S practices, from senior management to floor staff. All employees will be trained on their role and responsibility when it comes to WHS practices, and what they need to do in the event of an incident.
• Strengthen the confidence of stakeholders and develop new growth opportunities: By certifying to ISO 45001 organisations are proving that they are committed to compliant WHS practices. This can reassure existing stakeholders and customers that they should continue to deal with your company, while also leading to new growth opportunities. Lots of organisations that are 45001 certified want an assurance that their trading partners comply with the same Standards. Through certification, your business is demonstrating that it is committed to maintaining compliant WHS practices, which mitigates concerns from businesses who may be reluctant to work with uncertified organisations.

Begin 2022 in a strong, safe position

While luck can certainly play a part in good fortune, most successful businesses achieved their goals through a combination of hard work, preparation, and determination. It is about identifying clear operational goals, and then working to achieve them.

Businesses that want to ensure 2022 is a safe year for their staff, and a productive one for the operations, should start preparing. By implementing these Standards, companies will be in a stable position for beginning the new year, as they will have straight-forward processes in place for preventing and managing WHS risks.

Reading this blog has probably left you with some questions about how these Standards can be specifically tailored to your operations, how long the process takes, how it can be done with minimal operational disruption, and so on. Please contact our Health and Safety consultants today by filling out this online contact us form, or by calling them for a short, no-obligation consultation. Simply tell them a bit about your company, including information about its industry, work type, and location, and they can discuss with you how these Standards could be implemented across your workplace to help it realise its operational goals. Wouldn’t you agree that idea doesn’t sound risky?

Please click here to learn more about how ISO 45001 helps organisations protect a valued asset.