What is OHSAS 18001?

OHSAS 18001 is an Occupation Health and Safety Assessment Series for health and safety management systems. It is intended to help an organizations to control occupational health and safety risks. It was developed in response to widespread demand for a recognized standard against which to be certified and assessed.

OHSAS 18000 is an international occupational health and safety management system specification. It comprises two parts, 18001 and 18002 and embraces a number of other publications.

OHSAS 18001
This is the "Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems Specification". It was developed in response to urgent demand for a recognized standard against which occupational safety management systems can be assessed. It is compatible with ISO 9001 and ISO 14001.

It covers issues such as:
Planning for hazard identification
Risk assessment/control
OHS (Occupational Health and Safety) management, awareness and competence, training, communication, emergency preparedness and response, performance measuring and improvement

OHSAS 18002
This provides guidelines for the implementation of OHSAS 18001. It explains the requirements of this and how to work towards implementation/registration.

The following other documents, amongst others, were used in the creation process: BS8800:1996 Guide to occupational health and safety management systems
DNV Standard for Certification of Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems(OHSMS):1997
Technical Report NPR 5001: 1997 Guide to an occupational health and safety management system
Draft LRQA SMS 8800 Health & safety management systems assessment criteria
SGS & ISMOL ISA 2000:1997 Requirements for Safety and Health Management Systems
BVQI SafetyCert: Occupational Safety and Health Management Standard
Draft AS/NZ 4801 Occupational health and safety management systems Specification with guidance for use
Draft BSI PAS 088 Occupational health and safety management systems
UNE 81900 series of pre-standards on the Prevention of occupational risks
Draft NSAI SR 320 Recommendation for an Occupational Health and Safety (OH and S) Management System

Implementation of the standards is intended to provide multiple benefits.
Reduced risk (via improved safety management of health and safety risks)
Competitive advantage (via demonstration of commitment to health and safety)
Improved performance (via improved operational efficiency through accident management reduction and reduced downtime)
Reduced costs (via reduced insurance premiums and compensation/penalties for breached legislation/etc)

We're now looking at November 2008 for the release of the revision to 18002. I just got my draft for comments.

We're now looking at November 2008 for the release of the revision to 18002. I just got my draft for comments.

Randy,

When you have time, anything you can share about the differences/changes?

Stijloor.

Interesting observation: International standard bodies such as ISO are not involved in establishing this standard.

Randy,

When you have time, anything you can share about the differences/changes?

Stijloor.

The format is going to be quite different (I personally don't like it, but that argument was lost:lol:). The original format of requirement-intent-input-process (activity)-output has been changed to a claused based one. A great deal more explanitory information is going to be provided, but some of the clauses go down to 5 digits.

Due to copywrite I don't think I can do a cut ans paste at this time.

Due to copywrite I don't think I can do a cut ans paste at this time.

Randy,

Understood! :agree1:

Stijloor.

Randy,

When you have time, anything you can share about the differences/changes?

Stijloor.:confused: I am confused. The draft was available via a link in this post (http://elsmar.com/Forums/showpost.php?p=236679&postcount=54). Since you thanked me for the post, I guessed you had downloaded it.

:confused: I am confused. The draft was available via a link in this post (http://elsmar.com/Forums/showpost.php?p=236679&postcount=54). Since you thanked me for the post, I guessed you had downloaded it.

Sidney,

I was going to download it. It then escaped my mind...:bonk::bonk:and now it's no longer at that link.

Stijloor.

That's because we are now in Working Draft #2 which I have received for comment. Not really that much different than #1.

Interesting observation: International standard bodies such as ISO are not involved in establishing this standard.

Now it is my understanding that ISO was asked about supporting a management systems approach to health & safety through a standard and a number of delegates (whose countries shall of course remain nameless) said something to the effect of:
No way!

Health and safety is all about legislation and regulation by national bodies like OSHA (oops, sorry if I gave the game away :lol:) and will never be an ISO.

It is only in the 2007 edition of 18001 that the requirements standard is even endorsed as a national standard by BSI.

Paul, that is the story that has gone 'round. But, I have no idea if it is true or not.

Paul, that is the story that has gone 'round. But, I have no idea if it is true or not.

It's true and ANSI was, according to rumor one of the originators of the comment. Of course the record would have to be checked.....(;)) ANSI ( the Z10 guys remember).

This has been subject of ISO press releases like the one that I cut and pasted in this post (http://elsmar.com/Forums/showpost.php?p=96126&postcount=19).

Just like ISO 26000 received a lot of push back in the early stages, so does the drive for an ISO OHSMS standard, but we are "inching" closer.

Anyone has an audit checklist for OHSAS 18001:2007 that I could use for my department own internal audit program?? Thanks!

If ISO has not issued this standard then which other organization has been in issuing, rivising etc of this standard? Any help is appriciated. :thanks:

If ISO has not issued this standard then which other organization has been in issuing, rivising etc of this standard? Any help is appriciated. :thanks:

These organizations have been involved..........


This edition of OHSAS 18001 has been developed with the assistance of the
following cooperating organizations:
American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA)
Asociación Española de Normalización y Certificación (AENOR)
Association of British Certification Bodies (ABCB)
British Standards Institution (BSI)
Bureau Veritas
Comisión Federal de Electricidad (CFE), (Gerencia de la seguridad industrial)
Czech Accreditation Institute (CAI)
Det Norske Veritas (DNV)
DS Certification A/S
EEF the manufacturers’ organisation
ENLAR Compliance Services, Inc.
Health and Safety Executive1)
Hong Kong Quality Assurance Agency (HKQAA)
Inspecta Certification
Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH)
Instituto Argentino de Normalización y Certificación (IRAM)
Instituto Colombiano de Normas Técnicas y Certificación (ICONTEC)
Instituto de Normas Técnicas de Costa Rica (INTECO)
Instituto Mexicano de Normalización y Certificación (IMNC)
Instituto Uruguayo de Normas Técnicas (UNIT)
ITS Consultants
Japan Industrial Safety and Health Association (JISHA)
Japanese Standards Association (JSA)
Korea Gas Safety Corporation (ISO Certificate Division)
Lloyds Register Quality Assurance (LRQA)
Management Systems Certification Limited
National Standards Authority of Ireland (NSAI)
National University of Singapore (NUS)
Nederlands Normalisatie-instituut (NEN)
NPKF ELECTON
NQA
Quality Management Institute (QMI)
SABS Commercial (Pty) Ltd.
Service de Normalisation Industrielle Marocaine (SNIMA)
SGS United Kingdom Ltd
SIRIM QAS International
SPRING Singapore
Standards Institution of Israel (SII)
Standards New Zealand (SNZ)
Sucofindo International Certification Services (SICS)
Swedish Industry Association (Sinf)
TÜV Rheinland Cert GmbH – TÜV Rheinland Group
Standards Association of Zimbabwe (SAZ)

great topic to help beginners...