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What is the difference between ISO 45001 and OHSAS 18001?

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ISO project committee developed ISO 45001 and published it on March 12, 2018. Since then, many organisations have been certified by it. OHSAS 18001 has been since 1999. And it is an occupational health and safety management system (OHSMS).

They’re a lot of differences between iso 45001 and Ohsas 18001. 

Differences between ISO 45001 and OHSAS 18001

1.ISO 45001 has a structure called Annex L structure. It is a high-level structure for all management systems formerly called Annex Sl. The structure enables the efficient harmonisation of the management system. Below is the structure as follows 

  • Scope 
  • Normative references 
  • Terms and conditions 
  • The context of the organisation
  • Leadership 
  • Planning.
  • Support.
  • Operation.
  • Performance evaluation.
  • Improvement. 

So this structure does not exist in OHSAS 18001. 

2.ISO 45001 ensures that companies maintain focus on the context of the organisation. They have to look beyond what they do internally and consider what their interested parties expect from them regarding health and safety. OHSAS 18001 has nothing in the context of the organisation.

3.ISO 45001 identifies risk, but OHSAS 18001 is focused more on hazards.

4.ISO 45001 requires organisations to know how their suppliers and contractors and managing their own risk 

5.ISO 45001 has a new definition of terms not seen in OHSAS 18001. These terms include monitoring, measurement effectiveness process oh and s performance, and OH and S risk.

Differences between ISO 45001 and OHSAS 18001

6.ISO 45001 have documented information which replaced document and record as seen in ohsas 18001 

7. Organisations can now determine the external and internal issues in the environment of their businesses and how it affects them. Called the context of an organisation in ISO 45001 

8. The needs and expectations of interested parties and workers are now to be defined. Interested parties are the shareholders, customers and board members of an organisation in iSO 45001. 

9.ISO 45001 wants organisations to incorporate health and safety aspects in the organisation’s business and overall management system. The top management has a more vital role to play regarding safety. In OHSAS, under some organisations, the safety manager handles those roles. 

10. There is more focus on organisations having their objectives and Performance reviews. The organisation have to retain documented information on them.  

11. Preventive Action has been removed from Corrective and Preventive Actions in iso 45001 but undertaken in Risk Management Processes during risk and opportunities determination.

12.ISO 45001 allows for consultation and participation of workers in health and safety 

13. ISO 45001 defines communication and who, what, and when it should take place

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