Occupational diseases and occupational accidents cause important human and social problems as well as economic problems. According to the findings of the International Labor Organization (ILO), only two percent of occupational accidents are accidents that cannot be protected. The remaining percent 98 are generally accidents that can be protected.
Occupational safety is the whole of the measures to be taken in order to create a safe working environment in order to prevent employees from experiencing work accidents. In parallel with the industrialization and technological developments in our country and in the world, the safety of the people working in the work places creates problems from time to time. It is necessary to take certain precautions in advance and to make working environments safe.
The aim of the efforts to ensure occupational safety is to provide safe and healthy working environments to the employees, to protect the employees from the negative effects of the working conditions, to ensure the best possible harmony between the work done and the employee, to eliminate the risks that may create a danger in the working environments or to minimize these risks, to eliminate the material and moral damages caused by accidents and to increase the working efficiency.
Workers' health today is a branch of health in medicine, and this branch of medicine, regardless of which occupation of the health of employees physically, mentally and socially at the highest level, working conditions and production tools to bring health-appropriate form and to protect employees from harmful effects to operate.
What are the current regulations?
The Occupational Health and Safety Law was enacted in 2012 in order to regulate the duties, responsibilities and obligations of employers and employees in order to provide occupational health and safety in the workplaces and to further improve the existing health and safety conditions. This law is applied to all workplaces and all employees working in these offices without making any distinction between official and private sector and regardless of their field of activity.
The provisions of this law do not apply only to the following activities and employees:
- Activities of the Turkish Armed Forces, general law enforcement officers and the Undersecretariat of National Intelligence Organization, except those working in factories, maintenance centers, sewing houses and similar workplaces
- Response activities of disaster and emergency units
- Home Services
- Persons who produce goods and services on their own behalf and who do not employ an employee
- Employment, training, security and vocational training activities for convicts and detainees
OHSAS 18001 Occupational Health and Safety Management System Standard
In the British Standards Institute 1996, BS 8800 has published the Occupational Health and Safety Management System Guide. However, this guiding health and safety standard did not provide a basis for the certification work of the firms. As such, other standards based on this standard and related to occupational health and safety have been published. In order to eliminate these differences, the British Standards Institute initiated a study involving independent auditing companies and certification bodies. Work was completed in 1999 and OHSAS 18001 Occupational Health and Safety Management System standard was prepared. The aim of the studies was to prepare an internationally accepted health and safety standard. This was achieved and the OHSAS 18001 standard was internationally recognized. However, this is not an ISO standard.
The basic principles of the OHSAS 18001 Occupational Health and Safety Management System standard can be explained as follows:
- There must be an Occupational Health and Safety Management System policy approved by the top management of the company applying this standard.
- Comprehensive planning, procedures are identified and written business processes should be prepared in order to identify potential hazards, identify risks and take necessary measures in relation to the activities of the Company.
- Risk management practices and activities should be defined where plans need to be controlled and measures should be defined and plans should be prepared to be prepared for emergencies.
- Control and corrective actions should be planned, system performance should be monitored and measured regularly, and corrective and preventive actions should be taken when necessary. In addition, risk assessments should be made and the system should be subject to internal audits at regular intervals.
- The top management of the company should periodically review the established system.
OHSAS 18001 Occupational Health and Safety Management System Certificate
In order to be able to cope with their competitors, companies have to make more systematic and planned works on the health and safety of their employees. The most serious problem for the employees is not having a safe and healthy working environment. The International Standards Organization has so far failed to provide occupational health and safety. Therefore, OHSAS 18001 standards were needed and accepted by the world.
The OHSAS 18001 standard covers the conditions necessary for companies to control their occupational health and safety risks and improve their performance in occupational health and safety. The OHSAS 18002 standard is an application guide that describes the requirements of OHSAS 18001.
This OHSAS 18001 standard, which is a management system based on risk analysis, is the most appropriate tool to comply with frequently changing laws and to reduce possible risks in the enterprises.
OHSAS is the initial letter of the English Occupational Health and Safety Assessment Series. First published in 1999, this standard was revised twice in 2004 and 2007. During the last revision, ISO 14001 Environmental Management System and ISO 9001 Quality Management System standards.
Certification organizations, OHSAS 18001 standard in their businesses on the request of the companies that set up and apply, at the end of the conformity assessment work, if found appropriate by the OHSAS 18001 Occupational Health and Safety Management System Certificate is issued. This document proves that the organization fulfills the requirements of the standard on occupational health and safety and also operates in compliance with standards related to quality and environment.
New ISO 45001 Occupational Health and Safety Management System
In line with the awareness of quality and environmental conditions, consumers no longer seek quality products or services. In addition, it is also concerned with the social responsibilities of the manufacturing companies. Because of this expectation, companies are now making statements of quality, and they also include statements about occupational health and safety. Today, it is being questioned whether the companies act in accordance with the legal regulations related to occupational health and safety, whether they establish a safe and healthy working environment and continuously improve this working environment.
It has been mentioned above that the International Standards Organization has been insufficient to develop standards to ensure occupational health and safety and thus the OHSAS 18001 standard fills an important gap. In order to complete this deficiency, the International Standards Organization, BS OHSAS has prepared the ISO 18001 standard that will replace the 45001 Occupational Health and Safety Management System standard. This new standard was also prepared in accordance with the ISO 2015 Quality Management System standard, which was revised in September, and the ISO 9001 Environmental Management System standard. ISO 14001 standardIs composed of ten items in accordance with the new structure called Annex SL which forms the roof of the quality systems.
The draft of the ISO 45001 Occupational Health and Safety Management System standard was not approved by the technical committee in some aspects in the first vote after completion. The revised draft was adopted in the second vote. The current OHSAS 18001 standard will be valid for a while after the ISO 45001 standard is published.
Draft The ISO 45001 standard was released in February this year. The final version of the standard is expected to be released in December of this year or in January of 2017. In the second half of 2017 ISO 45001 standard will be implemented.
ISO 45001 Occupational Health and Safety Importance of Management System Standard
With the establishment and implementation of this standard in companies employees will be prepared for emergencies, the company's health and safety performance will be monitored, improvement activities will be initiated according to the monitoring results, company activities will be audited, reviewed and reported. The fact that this standard is applied for employees is an important trust factor, and employees will be a part of the system in this way.
Almost one-third of the daily life of the employees takes place in the workplace. Some workplaces create personal health and safety risks both by the way things are done and by the materials used and produced. It is a necessity to take the necessary measures to make the workplaces healthier and safer. For this reason, the OHSAS 18001 standard or the ISO 45001 standard to replace it should be considered as a way of life.
What ISO 45001 Standard Will Bring
The companies that will establish and manage the ISO 45001 standard in their enterprises will gain significant benefits. OnceThanks to the measures to be taken in advance, explosions, fires, machine failures and similar incidents which will endanger the company and its employees will be prevented. Various occupational diseases and possible occupational accidents will be prevented in this way. By protecting employees from negative conditions and accidents in the workplace, a comfortable and safe working environment will be created in the company. This situation will also result in increasing the motivation of the employees and ensuring the participation of the employees in the system.
Occupational diseases and occupational accidents are generally an important factor that causes production and labor losses of enterprises. Eliminating them will result in significant savings. In this way, companies will reduce their costs and increase their productivity.
Firms applying the ISO 45001 standard will also comply with the provisions of the relevant laws and regulations, so they will not face any sanctions. At the same time, the company's sensitivity to the workplace safety against official organizations will be proven.
Finally, they will gain superiority over their competitors in the sector in which they operate and increase the reputation of the company. Likewise, they will create an image of a sensitive and responsible company.
Which Companies Can Apply OHSAS 18001 Standard
Businesses from any sector who want to prevent possible risks in their businesses, identify risks that cannot be prevented and want to intervene at these sources at their source can establish and apply OHSAS 18001 standard. This standard is suitable for companies of all sizes and sectors. However, it is an important need especially for companies in the construction sector, machinery manufacturers, food producing companies or companies operating in the chemical sector, which carry risks in terms of occupational health and safety.
our organization TÜRCERT Technical Control and Certification Inc., OHSAS 18001 Occupational Health and Safety Management System certification studies, national and international accreditation organizations based on the authorization is carried out.