- Published On: 27.12.2023
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The ISO: 45001 and OHSAS: 18001 are two different standards for managing occupational health and safety.
They were developed by the International Organization for Standardization and Occupational Health and Safety Assessment Services, respectively, to provide general guidance on model occupational health and safety management systems.
Both these standards are voluntary. Businesses can obtain certification in a standard for occupational health and safety management in order to prevent and reduce onsite work accidents.
ISO 45001 and OHSAS 18001 are two well-known standards—but what is the difference between the two?
What is ISO 45001?
ISO 45001 is a new management system standard for occupational health and safety published by the International Organization for Standardization in 2013. It is the first ISO standard where the requirement for business involvement was included.
To pursue its goal, ISO 45001 has incorporated new concepts, requirements, and ideas into a single, inclusive management system standard that provides a valuable tool for workplaces to improve their occupational health and safety performance.
Scope: This international management system standard applies to an organisation or entity that needs an overall management system to meet occupational health and safety requirements and achieve good working conditions based on specific regulatory, contractual, or self-regulatory requirements.
What is OHSAS 18001?
OHSAS: 18001 is an occupational health and safety management systems standard published by the British Standards Institution in 1999. It is used globally to help organizations manage their occupational health and safety risks. OHSAS: 18001:2007 is the most recent version, which occurred on 1st January 2010.
This certification standard aims to help organizations identify and manage health, safety, and welfare risks at work to ensure employees’ relative safety and health at work. It has been revised to reflect the new requirements placed upon organizations in health and safety and changes in the workplace since 1999.
Scope: The scope of this standard applies to an organization or entity that needs an overall management system to meet occupational health and safety requirements and achieve good working conditions based on specific regulatory, contractual, or self-regulatory requirements.
What is the Main Distinction Between OHSAS 18001 and ISO 45001?
ISO 45001 and OHSAS 18001 are two independent management system standards, and they share many common general elements, but each has its distinctive features. Both are voluntary management system standards to provide an overall framework for ensuring occupational health and safety at work.
Both ISO 45001 and OHSAS 18001 provide a framework for a high level of occupational health and safety performance, including a statement of scope, objectives, and the competence requirements that need to be fulfilled to implement the management systems.
Two different organizations developed both standards, but their interpretation was based on a similar philosophy or purpose of occupational health and safety management.
The standards differ in a variety of ways as well:
OHSAS: 18001 has a more specific focus on particular occupational health and safety risks and objectives related to health and safety at work, whereas ISO 45001 has a more general focus on improving organizational performance.
ISO 45001 covers more risks than does OHSAS: 18001. OHSAS: 18001 covers the specific concerns of employers for legal compliance, whereas ISO 45001 includes the common-sense understanding that some risk factors exist in any workplace environment, such as noise pollution or chemical hazards.
There are very few OHSAS: 18001 elements not included in ISO 45001. However, OHSAS: 18001 features are not included in ISO 45001. This can happen when a specific standard is developed to achieve a goal, but the plan does not apply to all organizations or entities.
OHSAS: 18001 specifies requirements for training, competence, and continuing competence of people in risk management roles, while ISO 45001 includes this as an optional element rather than a mandatory part of its standards.
ISO 45001 includes new concepts that were not part of OHSAS: 18001 because they were considered necessary by most stakeholders developing the ISO system standard.
The significant difference between ISO: 45001 and OHSAS: 18001 are the following:
1. Management Commitment
ISO: 45001 has a mandatory initial commitment phase, which is usually a barrier to getting on board with the new management system. It is difficult to see how an organization can get from point A to B. OHSAS: 18001 has no such commitment phase, and the standard allows good performance in one’s workplace over time.
2. Training
OHSAS: 18001 requires more training documentation than ISO: 45001, which will be cost-effective for the employers’ organizations that use this standard. The training documentation required in OHSAS is a much better fit with most employers or organizations, depending on their size and their level of risk perception or risk exposure. Also, OHSAS requires no additional training for some employees whose jobs involve less risk.
3. Risk Assessment
The two standards have different approaches to risk assessment. ISO: 45001 has a strategy-based system, while OHSAS: 18001 uses a goal-based process that identifies risks and eliminates or reduces them through appropriate risk management activities. This goal-based approach makes OHSAS: 18001 more practical for most organizations since the standards guide selecting appropriate control measures and methods.
4. Structure
OHSAS: 18001 is structured in a much more detailed manner, with a much greater set of supporting requirements for organizations. The significant aspect of this difference is that the OHSAS: 18001 frameworks can be successfully implemented at two different levels:
Organizations implementing OHSAS will have to consider more options regarding this management system standard. As per the recent reports, ISO: 45001 has been adopted by many organizations, and it remains one of the most popular management systems and standards worldwide among many industries.
5. Documentation
The documentation requirements in OHSAS: 18001 are more detailed, but this specificity can serve as a tool for improving management and communication within any organization. The documentation requirements in ISO: 45001 are less specific, but this does not mean that the standard does not guide the completion of particular documents.
6. Environmental Management
ISO: 45001 includes an element on environmental management, while OHSAS: 18001 does not have any such features beyond those necessary to address general, occupational health, and safety concerns. The ecological management element in ISO: 45001 is based on a generic management system standard. Its main goal is to expand the ISO standards to be used more widely in many organizations.
7. Health and Safety Management
The ISO 45001 standard is less detailed than OHSAS 18001 but covers the essential elements of a management system for occupational health and safety (OH&S) professionals. The critical difference between the two standards is that OHSAS 18001 is very specific to meeting specific regulatory or contractual requirements.
At the same time, ISO: 45001 is more generic and can be applied to any organization. Key elements covered in both standards include risk assessment, organizational structure, and common parts of a management system.
8. Documentation
OHSAS: 18001 has extensive documentation requirements detailed in the standard, which will help control the quality of the management system. ISO: 45001 does not have any documentation requirements beyond what the organization would generally use in its daily business operation.
The documentation requirements of OHSAS are considered too burdensome by some employers and organizations. In contrast, others see this as a positive aspect because it helps to ensure that their management system is being implemented correctly and effectively.
9. Operation
The critical difference between the standards is that OHSAS: 18001 follows a phased approach with structured implementation phases, while ISO: 45001 does not specify any particular implementation strategy.
The OHSAS: 18001 standards allow the organization to tailor the standards to its own specific needs. At the same time, ISO: 45001 is more generic and can be used by any organization seeking a management system that complies with defined best practices.
10. Performance Evaluation
Both standards allow for performance evaluation, but the scope of assessment varies between the two measures. Under OHSAS: 18001, performance evaluations can be carried out by different individuals and independent organizations to ensure consistency and quality of the information provided. However, under ISO: 45001, the management system owner only conducts the performance evaluation.
11. Improvement
Both standards have provisions for improvement, but the process for improvement is different between the two measures. Improvement is addressed in terms of trends, targets, and indicators under OHSAS: 18001, whereas ISO: 45001 has a separate module on continuous improvement that focuses on using management tools.
12. Management Representative
ISO: 45001 requires a management representative for the management system, but this is not necessary for OHSAS: 18001. The management representative role is essential for any organization that implements ISO: 45001. It provides evidence of commitment to the overall management system and can help ensure that all aspects of the system are being implemented correctly and effectively.
How do ISO: 45001 and OHSAS: 18001 in safety management work?
Regulatory requirements have become the most widely used tools for achieving an effective integrated management system for occupational health and safety (OHSAS). It is not always the most effective. Management systems based on regulatory requirements are often implemented due to legislative or regulatory pressures, emphasizing compliance. Compliance efforts are rarely successful.
In contrast, management system–based approaches are increasingly being employed to facilitate the integration of OH&S policies and programs with business strategies, encourage continuous improvement, and promote long-term commitment to OHSAS.
An integrated management system is an organization’s process for managing and controlling its occupational health, safety, and environment (OHS&E) risk. Management systems usually consist of strategies and activities for planning, organizing, coordinating, measuring, controlling, and communicating the results of these processes. Guiding principles are often included within a management system to ensure that its actions reflect its culture.
The Benefits of ISO: 45001 and OHSAS: 18001 in Safety Management
ISO: 45001 Certification is an ideal international standard for any organization looking to set up a safety management system. While OHSAS: 18001 is a suitable standard for large organizations, ISO: 45001 is ideal for all types of organizations that have the technical capability to implement the requirements of this standard.
ISO: 45001 Certification is an ideal international standard for any organization looking to set up a safety management system. While OHSAS: 18001 is a suitable standard for large organizations, ISO: 45001 is ideal for all types of organizations that have the technical capability to implement the requirements of this standard.
Beyond being a safety management standard, ISO: 45001 is an effective way to measure the effectiveness of any organizational safety management system. A management system's energy can be gauged by using the elements of this system and producing reporting against these elements.
The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) is recognised as an authority to set technical standards across many different industries and sectors. By using ISO: 45001, organizations can ensure that their management system complies with high-quality standards.
OHSAS: 18001 is considered one of the most widely used occupational health and safety systems today, with many organizations choosing to implement this compliance management system for their organization's safety concerns.
Final Thoughts
These standards are established and well recognised in the safety management system. Because safety management is an essential part of any company’s business and ISO: 45001 and OHSAS: 18001 are the pressing need to be included in an organization’s business.
Depending on an organization’s nature, size, and complexity, either can be used. The difference is that OHSAS 18001 is more detailed than ISO: 45001, making it a little more complicated to use. But ISO: 45001 also has a lot of flexibility with the many different models that can be adopted, but it all depends on what system suits the particular organization.
Knowella AI Inc. offers an industry-leading digital solution to managing EHS&Q. We provide workers, supervisors, EHS&Q professionals, and top-level management the tools they need to improve workplace safety. We use AI-powered data analysis to optimize your approach to EHS&Q, resulting in lower operating costs and quantifiable improvements to your safety performance.
- 27.12.2023
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