Certification of Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems to ISO 45001: a global challenge for occupational safety

ISO 45001 "Occupational health and safety management systems" is an international standard that specifies the requirements for the implementation of an occupational health and safety management system, with a view to enabling every organisation to proactively improve its performance in terms of accident prevention.

When the health and safety of your workforce is a priority, certification to ISO 45001 is a good starting point, regardless of whether your organisation is a construction company, a service company, a small or medium enterprise or a multinational. In addition to its primary aim, the standard enables organisations to work to improve other aspects of health and safety, such as the welfare of workers.

ISO 45001

ISO 45001 follows the HLS (High Level Structure) approach already applied to other ISO system standards such as ISO 9001 (Quality) and ISO 14001 (Environment). It specifies the requirements for an occupational health and safety (OHS) management system and offers guidance on its use, so as to enable organisations to provide safe, healthy workplaces, prevent work-related illness and injury and proactively improve their OHS performance.
It is applicable to any organisation, regardless of size, type and nature of business, that wants to establish, implement and maintain a management system to improve occupational health and safety, eliminate risks, minimise OHS hazards (including shortcomings in the system), take opportunities for OHS and take charge of non-conformity of the OHS management system associated with its business activitie.

The benefits of ISO 45001 certification

Beyond the socially virtuous consequences, efforts to make workplaces less hazardous result in significant benefits to company performance. In other words, occupational health and safety is becoming a strategic lever for competitiveness. The most immediate benefits include higher quality of the work environment, lower costs relating to accidents, more motivated personnel, improved effectiveness and efficiency indicators and better quality and service for the market. All of the above bring substantial economic benefits too.

Assurance that the company’s occupational health and safety management system conforms with the standard
Recognition of the validity of the system, which from a legal point of view constitutes a safeguard in terms of administrative responsibility pursuant to Legislative Decree 231/01 (art. 30 of the consolidated act)
Development and application of a practical policy on occupational health and safety
Definition of systematic processes that take account of the context of the organisation and enable it to consider risks, opportunities and legal and other requirements effectively
Evaluation of occupational health and safety performance within the organisation, with a view to improving it by taking appropriate action
Establishment of operational controls to manage occupational health and safety risks in the company
Strengthening of corporate culture regarding workplace safety
Improvement of its ability to respond to issues of regulatory compliance
Involvement of employees in a motivating project, which concerns them directly
Guarantee of compliance with the relevant legal requirements and conformity in the event of audits
Reduction in costs due to increased efficiency and fewer accidents
Reduction in downtimes and the associated costs
Savings on insurance premiums, due to evidence of prevention and improvement measures in place
Upgrading of corporate image and relations with customers and stakeholders
International recognisability
Definition of systematic processes that take account of the context of the organisation and enable it to consider risks, opportunities and legal and other requirements effectively
Identification of the risks associated with the organisation’s activities, with a view to eliminating them or introducing specific controls to minimise their criticality

Why opt for CSQ ISO 45001 certification from IMQ?

The more authoritative the awarding body, the higher the value of your management system certification in the market. IMQ is Italy’s leading conformity assessment body and is one of the top players by number of certifications issued, within the framework of management system certification. Its auditors operate nationwide and, backed up by long experience and up-to-date skills, provide a useful service not only to organisations, but also to the latter’s customers, consumers and stakeholders.

Certification for CSQ schemes is awarded to organisations that operate in accordance with the applicable standards. Certificates are valid for three years. The audits are planned on the basis of the customer’s requirements and in accordance with international standards. After the award of the certificate, the organisation undergoes periodic audits and an overall system review every three years. The auditors make on-site visits to organisations to analyse their ability to plan and manage their business processes. Management system certification is the endorsement enjoyed by organisations that have chosen to equip themselves with efficient management systems and suitable skills and structures, aimed at continuous improvement. And the higher the prestige of the awarding body, the higher the value of the guarantee. Equipped with state-of-the-art technology, our laboratories have full capability to put products through all the checks required by the major European directives and international standards. The certifications issued by IMQ are synonymous with trust. They guarantee safety, performance, efficiency and quality standards. More than 10,000 companies have turned to IMQ to certify their products and stand out on the market. Notified body for the main EU directives, IMQ offers tests and CE certifications to assess the conformity of the products to the requirements required to be marketed on the European market. Inspections and audits validate the conformity of electrical installations, equipment, supplies and services with the applicable technical and legislative specifications.