What to Cover in ISO 45001 Procedures and Policy Documents

A key part of the ISO 45001 standard is the preparation and implementation of safety procedures for effective OH&S controls. These procedures should cover all functions, activities and processes that have, or could have (if uncontrolled), a significant direct or indirect effect on the Occupational, health and safety management system.

The type and scope of the ISO 45001:2018 procedures should be appropriate to the nature, complexity and OHS significance of the function, activity or process that they address. In all cases, however, the objectives should be to control the activity in question in accordance with specified requirements.

ISO 45001 Procedures need to be written down, made available to relevant employees, monitors, documented and updated. The safety procedures should not be issued in isolation; they should be an integral part of the enterprise's OH&S Policy and management system as a whole. Their purpose is to define clearly the organisational structure and management controls. In order for procedures to be effective, employees at all levels of the enterprise will need to be given training in their use and control.

The enterprise's OH&S policies, objectives and programmes need to be translated into specific safety procedures, which set out:

• Actions necessary to support the ISO 45001 Policy and to carry out tasks without detriment to the OH&S performance of the enterprise.
• Uniformity of understanding and action.
• Continuity and consistency of performance when personnel and changes occurs and
• A basis for control of the OH&S management system and its effectiveness.

Occupational Health and safety management system procedures are likely to be required for the areas given below. However this is not the exhaustive list. Depending on the requirement of the proposed OH&S many more procedures may need to be developed.

• Work instructions covering day-to day activities and arrangements, abnormal working and emergency situations.
• Monitoring and control arrangements and activities.
• Contractor, supplier and other procurement activities and arrangements.
• Product, process and other change procedures; and
• Other requirements necessary to achieve the OH&S Policy and Programme; these may relate to:
• Achieving compliance with particular programme requirements.
• Research compliance with particular programme requirements.
• Selection and use of raw materials, purchasing, product take back, energy use, life cycle analysis; and]
• Support functions such as finance, personnel and recruitment, marketing and publicity, and general administration.

Development Structure of ISO 45001 Safety Procedure:

The ISO 45001 safety procedures may be developed in the format given below.

1. Purpose: Here the objectives of the procedure are clarified.
2. Scope: Define the area/dept./activities to which the procedure is applicable.
3. Responsibility: Determine the person who is responsible for execution of the purpose. Write the designation of that person.
4. Activities: Here steps of the activities should be mentioned i.e. the sequence of the actions required for achieving the purpose.
5. Verification and Monitoring:Here the answer to the following question should be given.
   • Who will verify that the set procedure is being followed?
   • How will the procedure be verified?
   • What will the frequency of verification?
6. Records: Every procedure may generate some document e.g. procedure Deviation Report (PDR), Action Taken Report (ATR) etc. Here all records should be compiled in a table.

Ian Colin has published many articles regarding ISO Certification. Ian has rich experience as a online publisher and prepared various Certification documents as per ISO guideline since large amount of years in his professional career.