Understanding OHSAS 18001 – 2007 – Second Part
In my last article, I had listed principal changes which have come about in OHSAS18001:2007 standard. Some of these changes were discussed there. Few of the important changes which has come about in the standard is the way OHS management system addresses Accident vs. Incident, Hazards and management of change. The OHS management system now stipulates conditions and factors that affect, or could affect, the well-being of employees, temporary workers, contractor personnel, visitors and any other person in the place of work. The management system now not only talks about the factors and conditions which are affecting but it also takes “could affect factor” in to consideration. Similarly the accident word gets replaced with Incident. Incident carries with it broad perspective encompassing both accident and “near misses”. The “near misses” in fact signify the potential. The incidents, being classified as “near misses”, have the potential of getting in to full blown accidents. The ambit of OHSMS has been widened to cover all incidents. A study in 1969 by Frank E. Jr.has declared 600 near misses precede each serious accident. Another change is ”Acceptable risk” replacing ”Tolerable risk”. Risk management process involves five basic stages:
Hazard identification methodology.
Hazard identification.
Risk assessment – determination of risk.
Risk control.
Update and review.
The journey through these five stages ensures that acceptance level of risks is defined and adequate steps are taken to control the risks. Management of change which was not elaborated in earlier version finds its place in the new version. Any change whether in process, materials, workplace; organization etc is expected to be followed by the process of identification of OH&S hazards and OH&S risks. Evaluation of compliance is a new clause added to ensure organizations’ compliance to legal requirements. Records of the results are required to be maintained for periodic evaluations. Participation and consultation by workers in hazard identification, risk assessments and determinations of controls has been made a new clause. Consultations with contractors have also been made a part of this process. To summarize, the new OHSAS 18001:2007 has strong focus on alignment with ISO 9001:2005 & ISO 14001:2004. Organizations who have either adopted Integrated Management system or mulling switching over, will find this 2007 standard quite beneficial. Another notable point is widening of scope, workplace & involvement of workers and contractors in formulation of management system.
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