There has been a lot of talk, and not a lot of action, regarding the changes to the OHSAS 18001 standard, however things now seem to be moving along so we thought you would benefit from a quick update of where we are.
Firstly, 18001 is being revised as it isn’t actually an international standard, although it was used internationally. To overcome this situation the business community have pushed for a formal standard recognised by the International Standards Organisation. ISO have confirmed that this new standard will be designated as 45001.
The new standard was due to be published in 2016, however the draft put before the National Standards Bodies was rejected. A revision has now been issued for comment and, if approved, will be published in November 2017. The revisions are aimed at simplifying the terms and wordings used within the standard, so if all goes to plan this will be easier to use and understand.
For those of you that currently hold the 18001 standard, we anticipate that there will be a three year transition period so there should be no need to radically change your management systems immediately. You should have the opportunity to gradually meet the requirements of 45001 over this period.
We will continue to keep you updated as and when further information is released.