ISO 45001:2018 provides several important benefits for organizations that implement it. As an internationally recognized occupational health and safety management system standard, ISO 45001 puts organizations that adopt it in an elite category of businesses that are seen as leaders in worker safety and wellbeing.
Some key benefits of ISO 45001:2018 include:
- Helping organizations develop and implement an occupational health and safety policy and objectives. The standard provides a framework for setting goals and action plans to proactively improve worker safety.
- Improving business performance by reducing workplace illnesses, injuries, and incidents. By implementing better safety practices, organizations can expect to see reductions in missed time, insurance/workers compensation claims, and other downstream impacts of poor safety. This leads to increased productivity.
- Creating consistency and establishing best practices for occupational health and safety throughout the organization. ISO 45001 requires documenting procedures, training workers, and formalizing the safety program. This promotes consistency across locations/shifts.
- Enhanced hazard and risk identification. The standard requires ongoing hazard identification, assessment, and control processes. This systematic approach results in improved risk mitigation.
- Demonstrating effective loss control to attract lower insurance premiums. Insurers recognize ISO 45001 implementation as a sign of a company invested in safety. This can lead to lower premiums.
- Promoting management oversight of safety via monitoring and measuring key performance indicators. ISO 45001 requires organizations to monitor and analyze metrics to detect issues and measure improvement. This data allows management to have visibility and drive accountability.
- Embedding proactive behaviors focused on prevention rather than reactive post-accident response. The standard's emphasis on learning and continuous improvement cultivates proactive thinking, risk awareness, and personal responsibility for safety.
In summary, implementing ISO 45001:2018 can lead to reduced workplace injuries and illnesses while also improving an organization's safety culture, risk management, insurance premiums, regulatory compliance, and brand reputation. The internationally recognized standard demonstrates a commitment to worker health and safety.