Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems

Abstract

Abstract The advent of organizational management system ideas, approaches, frameworks, standards, etc. and their application to improving worker health is significant. Occupational health and safety management system (OHSMS) approaches provide industrial hygienists and occupational health and safety (OH&S) professionals with a robust set of tools: to reduce and eliminate workplace injuries, illness, and fatalities; and integrate OH&S with business and operational processes. As well, they assist in strengthening technical competencies and systems thinking skills. In 2018, the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) published ISO 45001: 2018, which was its first OHSMS. Prior to this, it had published ISO 9001 (quality) and ISO 14001 (environment) management systems (MS) which impacted the development of OHSMSs in numerous countries and at the International Labour Organization. Historical background is provided on the evolution of the OHSMS arena. The distinction is made between a management system and its certification by a third party. It is often incorrectly assumed that having an OHSMS in place, or other system, means it has to be certified. Important concepts associated with organizational MS are presented. These include the following: systems thinking, conformity assessment, risk‐based thinking, organizational context, and process focus. The most recent generation of management system approaches includes not only stronger risk management focus, but also a focus on performance improvement opportunities. This shift in thinking, while seemingly small, has potentially large implications for industrial hygienists and OH&S professionals. Opportunity‐thinking and business process integration–thinking provides a portal to make a larger contribution, for instance, in enterprise risk management efforts and in designing “the workplace of the future.”