Occupational Health & Safety

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According to the International Labour Organization (ILO), there are currently more than 2.78 million deaths a year as a result of occupational accidents or work-related diseases, in addition to 374 million non-fatal injuries and illnesses. We believe that everyone has the right to trust that they will return home safely after a day at work. CARES exists to make steel in construction as safe as possible. From manufacture to installation, ensuring we seek the best methods of manufacturing to protect our environment as well as workers and those who will use the constructions when they are completed. Aside from the enormous impact on families and communities, the cost to business and economies is significant.

Since the publication of OHSAS 18001 in 2007 and the later launch of the first international occupational health and safety (OH&S) management system standard ISO 45001 in 2018 progressive businesses have sought Independent Third-Party Certification of their management systems.  They are driven to go beyond compulsory measures and promote continuous improvement in health and safety matters.  

What is CARES OH&S Management System certification to ISO 45001?

A management system dealing with the requirements of ISO 45001 is an internationally agreed standard and provides a framework for a structured, systematic approach to the achievement of its aims and objectives. It will also enable a business to proactively improve its OH&S performance in preventing injury and ill-health.

Like ISO 9001 or ISO 14001, it is a ‘common sense’ set of requirements designed to monitor and improve the occupational health and safety performance, putting in place a basic set of management controls within a formalised documented system. ISO 45001 enables the company to integrate it’s OH&S management system with other management systems such as with ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 as they have all been designed according to Annex XL which is the overarching high-level structure having identical core text applicable to ISO management system standards. Meanwhile additional discipline-specific requirements are applicable to each relevant management system standard.

It can be applied to a business of any size and discipline and is therefore also suitable for use by companies in the reinforced concrete and steel manufacturing and processing sectors.  

Why is it needed?

The key benefits from implementing an effective Occupational Health and Safety (OH&S) management system include:

  • Provision of a safer and healthier working environment in which the rate of incidents have been reduced together with reduced downtime, disruption of operations, absenteeism and employee turnover rates
  • ISO 45001 crosses geographic, political, economic, commercial and social boundaries and sets a single benchmark for the management of occupational health and safety
  • A structured approach to review legal requirements and other requirements and a strengthened response to regulatory compliance issues
  • Understanding the company’s strategic context and engaging with interested parties
  • Strong involvement of top management which demonstrates a leadership commitment with respect to the management system and to ensure consultation and participation of workers in the development, planning, implementation and continual improvement of the OH&S management system and integration of OH&S management into business processes
  • Improved organisational ability to identify and manage risks more effectively across the whole system, making it more resilient and able to contribute to further improvement in OH&S performance and improved worker and workplace safety
  • Providing a competitive and financial advantage through improved efficiencies and reduced costs (e.g. insurance premiums)
  • Improving company reputation, gaining a competitive advantage and the confidence of stakeholders through strategic communication
  • ISO 45001 is based on Annex SL (ISO high level structure HLS) that brings a common framework to other management systems, helping to keep consistency, alignment with different ISO management system standards such as ISO 9001 & ISO 14001, and apply common language across all integrated systems.

Construction clients, designers and contractors are under ever increasing pressure to be 'best practice' operators in every aspect of their business and health and safety considerations are of high importance. They therefore look to suppliers of products and services to actively demonstrate a strong effective approach to Health and Safety Operational Health and Safety management system certification is the right thing to do for your employees and independently verification makes sense for your business.   

How do you achieve certification?

Companies wishing to achieve certification must operate in accordance with a documented OH&S management system that satisfies the requirements of ISO 45001.

Companies that would like to work towards operational health and safety management systems certification can contact CARES for information on how to start.

The assessment procedure commences with a detailed review of the Management System Manual against the requirements of ISO 45001. Providing the Management System Manual meets the requirements of ISO 45001, a two-stage assessment of the company’s system is carried out. The assessment team may comprise one or more auditors depending upon the size and complexity of the company's activities. After a successful assessment and the payment of fees a Certificate of Approval will be issued.  

Why choose CARES?

As an independent profit for purpose company CARES is completely focussed on the quality of the products and processes we certify. Achieving certification to ISO 45001 requires considerable effort and commitment from a company and it is frequently the beginning of improvements to process and business performance.  

We know that a business relationship is based on mutual trust and understanding. Our experts who have hands on experience in this industry work alongside our customers to get under the skin of their operations ensuring we always deliver the quality assurance that our brand stands for. The CARES difference is the guarantee of an independent and impartial review and the unrivalled knowledge provided by our specialist team.

It makes sense to work with specialists in your field to achieve this standard. Once approval is issued CARES provides free marketing support to promote successful certification and allows a certificated company to display the relevant CARES "ISO 45001 management system certification mark" on publicity and stationery. 

All certified companies are automatically included in the CARES Certified Companies section of this website.

If you are investing so much of your time and business resource in an Operational Health and Safety Management system, make sure you entrust your assessment to a certification body that understands the product, processes and supply chain. Only CARES offers industry experts with hands on industry experience.