ISO 45001 – Occupational Health and Safety is an international standard. It ascertains particular requirements to establish an occupational health and safety management system at an organization. The standard can be implemented, ensuring the guidance provided for its proper use, which enables a company to improvise its OH&S performance proactively. ]]

The implementation of OH&S helps organizations in preventing ill-health and injury. The standard is intended to be used by any organization without regards to its type, nature or size. When an organization implements ISO 45001, the standard, through its occupational health and safety management system, fully integrates all other aspects related to health and safety, including worker wellbeing/wellness.

However, in gulf countries, it should be taken into account that a company may be required to address all such issues by applicable legal requirements.

How ISO 45001 Helps Organizations?

An OH&S management system based on ISO 45001 enables a company to improvise its OH&S performance by:

• Development and implementation of an OH&S policy as well as OH&S objectives
• Development of system processes which fits the standard’s context and take into account all possible risks and opportunities, including its other and legal requirements
• Determining the risks and hazards associated with the organization’s activities while seeking to prevent them or taking steps to control them or keeping them to minimize potential effects
• Establishing proven operational controls in order to manage the OH&S risks and its other and legal requirements
• Creating and increasing awareness related to organization’s OH&S risks
• Ensuring that organizations’ workers take up an active role in matters related to OH&S

In addition to these direct benefits, these measures provide and strengthen an organization’s reputation and establish it as a safe working place. When this image is further promoted, it can lead to various other indirect benefits for a company such as;

• Improving an organization’s ability to respond to legal and regulatory compliance issues adequately
• Reducing the insurance premiums costs
• Reducing the costs of possible disruption to various operations and downtime
• Reducing employee turnover rates and absenteeism
• Recognition for achieving an international benchmark. This may further influence clients, considerate about their social responsibilities.

To conclude, the ISO 45001 in Saudi Arabia and other countries is a simple answer for all organizations, which aim to adopt a systematic approach to establishing health and safety management system. It is a high-level structure approach that can also be integrated with the company’s other management systems