Integrated Management Systems Consultancy/Kenya-IMSC/Ke

05/10/2025

15/01/2020

ISO 45001:2018

Occupational health and safety management systems

IISO 45001 defines good practices in OH&S management and specifies requirements for a management system. The standard applies to all forms and sizes of organization, performing any types of activities.

What is OH&S management?
OH&S management controls the conditions and factors that affect, or could affect, the health and safety of workers (including temporary workers and contractor personnel), visitors, or any other person in the workplace, to avoid their ill health and/or injury.

What is ISO 45001?
ISO 45001 defines the requirements for a management system for OH&S management, as well as giving guidance on its use.

An ISO 45001 management system provides a framework to establish OH&S management policies, objectives, processes and governance, and facilitates an organization's achievement of its strategic goals. ISO 45001 utilizes a structured, effective, and efficient process that drives continual improvement for an organization's OH&S performance.

Note: This standard focuses on the need for a management system, not the management of specific types of hazards and risks.

Note: Today, many organizations use "OHSAS 18001 - Occupational health and safety management systems - Requirements" for minimum requirements for occupational health and safety management best practice. OHSAS 18001 will be withdrawn 3 years after the publication of ISO 45001.

Why is ISO 45001 important?
Meeting the requirements of the ISO 45001 standard can support organizations that are striving for a culture of proactive, continual improvement, and can drive an organization's effectiveness and efficiency in the realization of the highest levels of OH&S performance. It reflects the latest thinking and best practices in OH&S management.

Developing and implementing an OH&S management framework based on the ISO 45001 standard demonstrates to internal and external interested parties (e.g. workers, regulators, customers, investors, insurers) that the organization manages its risks and performance in a very effective and efficient manner.

Recognized globally, the ISO 45001 management standard will offer organizations a trustworthy framework enabling consistency in OH&S management practices. It aligns with other ISO management standards such as ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and ISO 31000, and can contribute to an organization's development of a coherent set of management practices across all facets of its operation.



Key benefits of adopting ISO 45001
-An ISO 45001 based OH&S management system will enable an organization to improve its OH&S performance by:

-developing and implementing an OH&S policy and OH&S objectives
-establishing systematic processes which consider its “ context ” and which take into account its risks and opportunities, and its legal requirements and other requirements
-determining the hazards and OH&S risks associated with its activities; seeking to eliminate them, or putting in controls to minimize their potential effects
-establishing operational controls to manage its OH&S risks and its legal requirements and other requirements
-increasing awareness of its OH&S risks
evaluating its OH&S performance and seeking to improve it, through taking appropriate actions
-ensuring workers take an active role in OH&S matters
-In combination these measures will ensure that an organization’s reputation as a safe place to work will be promoted, and can have more direct benefits, such as:

-improving its ability to respond to regulatory compliance issues
-reducing the overall costs of incidents
-reducing downtime and the costs of disruption to operations
-reducing the cost of insurance premiums
-improving morale, as well as reducing absenteeism and employee turnover rates
recognition for having achieved an -international benchmark (which may in turn influence other interested parties, such as customers who are concerned about their social responsibilities)


Is ISO 45001 for me?
All organizations, public or private, for-profit and not-for-profit, small or large, will have hazards that can impact on health and safety. These can range from the more traditional items of mechanical or chemical hazards, to more modern issues such as the risks from nanoparticles or workplace stress. All can benefit from the use of an ISO 45001 compliant OH&S management system, which can be scaled to fit a particular organization's needs. Organizations aiming to improve their OH&S performance can leverage an OH&S management system that complies with an International Standard, for international recognition.

Who needs to be involved?
OH&S management is everyone’s business. It encompasses everyone in an organization, from the highest level down; including temporary as well as permanent workers; and visitors and neighbours. It also has to be across all departments and divisions in an organization, to ensure that they develop collaborative and engaging relationships between their functions.

Audit and certification
Contact us for information on Internal Auditing and external accredited verification of conformity and certification to ISO 45001

15/01/2020

Benefits of ISO 14001
It is becoming more and more important to demonstrate that organisations are thinking about their environmental impact and putting in place systems that will not only benefit the environment but will also reduce costs and improve efficiency within the organisation.

The benefits of showing conformance to the ISO 14001 standard are numerous:

-Cost savings in waste, recycling and consumption
-Advantage over competitors when tendering for business
-Management of environmental risks
-Compliance with individual countries environmental regulations
-Demonstrates your commitment to improving the environment
-Shows you are a responsible future focused organisation
-Can reduce insurance cover costs
-Can increase employee engagement in the knowledge that they are working in an environmentally friendly organisation

Having a well-defined Energy Management System (EMS) framework will provide your organisation with a systematic approach to compliance. In some cases regulatory bodies are more flexible with companies with performance and public accountability records.

In addition, Officials from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) have indicated that certification may lead to a reduction in the number of inspections required for obtaining permits. In unique circumstances, the EPA has reduced fines on the condition that financial resources are put into better practices, including compliance to ISO 14001.

Through the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), ISO 14001 is expected to become a prerequisite for doing business worldwide. Experts say that it is the market forces, which will drive acceptance of the new global environmental standards.

ISO 14001 is also compatible with other management standards such as ISO 9001, ISO 45001 &ISO 27001.

To find out more about getting ISO 14001 certification kindly contact us.

14/01/2020

Benefits of ISO 9001:2008/ISO 9001:2015 to your business

ISO 9001 aims to provide a practical and workable Quality Management System for improving and monitoring all areas of your business.

Achieving the ISO 9001 standard is not about establishing a set of procedures that are complicated and difficult to manage. The aim is to provide a workable management system that is suitable for your organisation. With the right support and the knowledge of your employees, you will end up with a system that will improve all areas of your organisation.

Implementing an effective and robust ISO 9001 Quality Management System (QMS) will help you to focus on the important areas of your business and improve efficiency. The management processes that are established throughout your business will provide a sound foundation, leading to increased productivity and profit. This in turn will improve your customer acquisition and retention.

Some of the main benefits of ISO 9001 certification include:
Suitable for both small and large organisations
Better internal management
Less wastage
Increase in efficiency, productivity and profit
Improved customer retention and acquisition
Consistent outcomes, measured and monitored
Globally recognised standard
Compatible with other ISO standards

A valid ISO 9001 certificate will be a prerequisite for some of your customers and a “nice to have” for others, when they are considering suppliers. It gives your customers confidence that you are working to standards and procedures that will provide them with a high standard of customer service.
Benefits of ISO 9001 to your customers
The ISO 9001:2008/ISO 9001:2015 standard is recognised worldwide and your customers will understand the benefits of working with companies that are ISO 9001 certified. In fact, some of your customers will only do business with certified companies because it gives them assurance that you management systems are constantly assessed and approved.

They will know from experience that working with ISO 9001:2008/ISO 9001:2015 certified companies provides many advantages:
Minimises mistakes
Improves reporting and communications
Better quality products and service
More reliable production scheduling and delivery
Standards maintained by annual assessments

To find out more about getting ISO 9001:2008/ISO 9001:2015 certification and the assessment process:

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13/01/2020

IMSC/Ke offers wide variety of professional and customized services for business owners depending on their business needs. This includes ISO Certifications Consultancy, Trainings, Implementation,internal quality audits, Certifications & External Audits.