OHSAS 18001

PLANNING, DEVELOPMENT AND APPLICATION OF SYSTEMS FOR HEALTH AND SAFETY AT WORK (OHSAS 18001)

What is OHSAS 18001?

The acronym OHSAS stands for:
Occupational
Health and
Safety
Assessment
Series
i.e. hygiene and safety at work.
It is an international standard defining the requirements for the management system to ensure hygiene and safety.

Who are the beneficiaries?

ISO 18001 is a general standard that can be adapted to the specific characteristics of each company and can be applied, regardless the company size and sector of activity.

What are the benefits for the company?

The benefits of implementing a system for health and safety are manifold:

  • Moral: working conditions should not be dangerous for the worker. The employee must have confidence in the security systems, so that he/she can work without stress.
  • Economic: accidents have large direct and indirect economic cost to the firm, such as lost working hours, recovery time, compensatory damages, legal fees, lost goodwill from the workforce, from customers and from the wider community.
  • Legal: The health and safety at work have been established with national and EU legislation. The certification according to the OHSAS shows that the company takes every precaution for the health and safety of its employees, beyond the minimum legal requirements. It eliminates or restricts the civil and criminal liability of the company in case of accident, as the implementation of preventive measures is evidenced.

What is the role of IDEC S.Α.?

Give the long experience in management systems and business consultancy, IDEC has the necessary expertise to develop a system based on the standard’s requirements. The services of IDEC include the following:

  • Diagnostics studies to identify the shortages of the company based on the requirements of the standard.
  • Specification of action plan. Registration and confirmation of system processes.
  • Staff training.
  • Carry out internal audits to confirm proper maintenance of the system.
  • Presence and support during the external audit by the Certification Body.
  • Completion of non-conformities that may arise.
  • Support the company after its certification by conducting internal audits and providing consulting services.