ISO 45001 to move onto next development stage
The plans for a new worldwide safety and health standard is set to move onto the next stage of development and is on target for its intended publication date of October 2016.
ISO 45001 would be the first occupational safety and health management system to be recognised globally.
The ISO PC 283 – the committee responsible for developing the standard – met in Dublin to discuss and reconcile comments which have been made about the draft standard by safety and health experts from around the world.
IOSH is a Category A Liaison body on the committee, which was established by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO).
Richard Jones, Head of Policy and Public Affairs at IOSH, said: “This will be a major milestone and will keep the draft standard on track to achieve the publishing date of October 2016.”
“IOSH was pleased to take part in two task groups helping to examine and resolve nearly 2,500 comments from all across the world, including almost 50 from IOSH,” Richard added.
“When the Draft International Standard (DIS) is issued, there will be a further opportunity for IOSH members to comment on the draft standard and we will keep members informed.”
Once the DIS is submitted to the ISO Secretariat, a consultation period, whereby ISO members will have the opportunity to vote and comment on the draft, will run for three months. Following on from this point the draft can either proceed straight to publication or advance to the Final Draft International Standard stage.
The standard which is intended to replace OHSAS 18001, will require that safety and health is managed in a systematic and integral way within organisations, and is not just looked on as an added extra.
With the successful introduction of ISO 45001, the objective of the standard is to drive down workplace deaths, injuries and illnesses and lead to improved safety and health performance. According to statistics from the International Labour Organization (ILO), about 6,300 people die every day in the world as a result of work-related injury or disease – more than 2.3 million deaths per year.
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