OHSAS - Occupational Health and Safety Management System

The (OHSAS) specification gives clearer direction to an occupational health and safety management system. OHSAS 18001 is an audit/certification specification, not a legislative requirement or a guide to implementation. It should be noted that OHSAS 18001 does not state specific performance criteria, or give detailed specifications for the design of a management system. Instead, the system is geared towards reducing and preventing accidents and accident-related loss of lives, resources, and time.

OHSAS 18001 has been developed to be compatible with the ISO 9001 (Quality) and ISO 14001 (Environmental) management systems standards. It is its hope that any organization that implements OHSAS 18001 can easily integrate it with other quality, environmental or occupational health and safety management systems. The OHSAS 18001 Specification follows the Plan-Do-Check-Review cycle, with a concurrent emphasis on continual improvement. This model aligns well with the structure of other management system documents such as ISO 14001, thus aiding the progress of integrated management systems.

The elements of OHSAS 18001 includes Policy and commitment, Hazard identification, risk assessment & risk controls, Legal requirements, Objectives and Programs, Organization and personnel, Training, Communication and Consultation, Documentation and records, Operational Controls, Emergency Readiness, Measurement and monitoring, Accident and incident investigation, corrective and preventive action, Audit and Review, and Application and Relevance in the Industry.