Following a successful implementation, Lucion Services is proud to have achieved the transition to ISO 45001 Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems standard.

 

ISO 45001:2018 is the international occupational health and safety management standard from ISO, the International Organization for Standardization that provides a new framework for organisations to determine the measures they need to put in place in order to minimise the risk of harm from work activities. Developed by the British Standards Institution (BSI), ISO 45001 supersedes previous occupational health and safety standards, including OHSAS 18001.

ISO 45001 is regarded as a new standard rather than a revision or update of OHSAS 18001. The transition from that standard to ISO 45001 was mandatory as the International Standards Organization fully implemented ISO 45001.

Even though ISO 45001 constitutes a fully new standard, its foundations are formulated from OHSAS 18001. As a result of having already implemented an occupational health and safety management system in accordance with OHSAS 18001, it was a smooth transition to ISO 45001 for Lucion.

As a business working primarily in the environmental and risk management sectors, we are well aware of our responsibilities to our staff, the environment and our communities in which we work.

We have invested in effective business management systems to ensure that we operate in line with UK statutory requirements. The management system is also used as a platform for continuous improvement and development of our environmental, social & governance (ESG) and sustainability procedures and objectives. These systems are integrated into our business operations and ensure that we are all actively working towards achieving targets and objectives in cooperation with our clients and supply chain.

Speaking about Lucion’s achievement, Technical Director Chris Parr said:

“ISO 45001 for Occupational Health and Safety Management adds to our existing ISO certifications of 9001 for quality management and 14001 for environmental management and reflects on our holistic approach to quality management. The ISO Certifications collectively ensures we operate in line with UK statutory requirements as a quality-focused, safe and sustainable organisation.

“ISO 45001 has helped Lucion build and improve an effective occupational health and safety (OH&S) management system. With the certification, we are proud to achieve an added endorsement from BSI that demonstrates our full compliance with the standard.”

The core vision statements of Lucion centre around the delivery of trusted services to our clients. To do this effectively, it is essential we have an unwavering commitment to the health, safety and general wellbeing of our employees, customers and contractors, as well as protecting the communities in which we live and work.

Our site and office staff help us to achieve this collective goal by demonstrating good working practice each day through our Take Care Be Aware (TCBA) initiative. It allows us, as an organisation, to share best practices on a number of operational procedures and is used to encourage cohesive communications throughout the company.

Our TCBA Representatives are there to ensure new operational procedures are communicated to help promote best practices relating to Health and Safety, Team Wellbeing and Environmental Sustainability

Championing the efforts of the TCBA Representatives Chris added:

“The certification further highlights and recognises the positive impact consultation with our Take Care, Be Aware Representatives has had by improving our reporting, awareness and wellbeing culture.”

More than 70 countries across the world were directly involved in the creation of the new standard with the aim to improve working standards across global supply chains. However, the standard’s framework process is also designed to be flexible enough to apply to all employers, irrespective of size, industry or activity so that its principles, relevance and impact will be widespread. 

Integrating Occupational Health & Safety (OH&S) with other essential management standards and systems, compliance with ISO 45001 demonstrates that an organisation is committed to setting higher standards for the wellbeing of its people and to a safer and healthier workplace.

 

How will our clients benefit from Lucion Services  ISO 45001 accreditation?

By the nature of the services we deliver, we are often present on our clients' sites, properties and inspecting their assets across their portfolio. Often, we visit remote sites that are infrequently visited, where we have an opportunity to raise to our clients any signs of degradation or identify health and safety concerns that may not otherwise be identified. In other cases, we visit properties with significant footfall on a daily basis, where there may be a risk to the general public and building users if health and safety issues are not identified, raised and acted upon. 

Our Take Care Be Aware initiative extends beyond our teams and our own portfolio of properties, to our clients' sites, where staff are continuously encouraged to identify and share health and safety best practice, or to immediately flag any hazards and near-miss events. 

The key benefit of transitioning to ISO 45001 for Lucion is the enhanced opportunity for integrating OH&S management into the overall business processes.

We are proactively managing all types of risk to the business, and the issue of occupational health and safety is no exception. ISO 45001 naturally aligns with the formal management approaches adopted for other business risks in the suite of ISO management systems standards and will benefit us in the management of multiple requirement standards.

ISO 45001 will provide new impetus for occupational health and safety practices within the organisation and will help us improve safety for employees, clients and contractors. This translates into additional opportunities for protecting and promoting our team’s health and performance, as well as a sustainable improvement of employee motivation. It also enables to integrate other aspects of health and safety, such as wellbeing.

Benefits of the BSI standard:

• Increase organisational resilience through proactive risk prevention, innovation and continual improvement
• Strengthening of legal and regulatory compliance whilst reducing business losses
• Demonstrates brand responsibility by committing to safe, healthy and sustainable work
• One global occupational health and safety system for all businesses, of all sizes

 

What are the major differences between ISO 45001 and OHSAS 18001?

The main change is that ISO 45001 concentrates on the interaction between an organisation and its business environment, while OHSAS 18001 was focused on managing OH&S hazards and other internal issues. But the standards also diverge in many other ways:

These points represent a significant shift in the way health and safety management is perceived. OH&S is no longer treated as a stand-alone but must be viewed within the perspective of running a sound and sustainable organisation.

 

How does ISO 45001 relate to other standards?

ISO 45001 follows the high-level structure approach that has been applied to other ISO management system standards, such as ISO 9001 (quality) and ISO 14001 (environment). In developing the standard, consideration has been given to the content of other international standards (such as OHSAS 18001 or the International Labour Organisation's ILO –OSH Guidelines’) and national standards, as well as to the ILO’s International Labour standards and conventions (ILSs).

As ISO 45001 requirements are consistent with the other standards, migration to it from using an existing OH&S management system standard also allows for the alignment and integration with the requirements of other ISO management system standards into Lucion’s overall management processes, thus creating a fully integrated system.

 

How is ISO 45001 helping organisations?

The International Labour Organisation in their latest calculation estimated that some 2.78 million people die from work-related accidents or diseases every year, with a further 374 million non-fatal injuries and illnesses annually.

Within these figures, the ISO 45001 recognises that people often suffer prolonged health problems and illness from their exposure to risks at work and that these cases should not be ignored by placing the focus entirely on avoiding accidents.

ISO 45001 is designed to both avoid workplace injuries and, at the same time, prevent longer-term ill health by providing a comprehensive approach to occupational health and safety and the provision of a healthy working environment.

Lucion’s achievement of the standard ensures greater business continuity by reducing workplace absences caused by injuries and illnesses, improving our team’s overall health and wellbeing, and passing on these benefits to our clients, as we continue to deliver trusted risk management services globally.