What is OHSAS 18000?

The task of the company's labor protection system is to ensure a safe and secure work environment in order to avoid accidents at work and achieve a high level of employees' ability to work throughout their working lives. The most important principles and requirements of the labor protection system are defined as mandatory in the regulatory enactments regulating labor protection. In Latvia, the basic principles of labor protection are regulated by the Law “Labor Protection Law”, a number of regulations of the Cabinet of Ministers and orders of the Ministry of Welfare.

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The goal of OHSAS 18000

The company's occupational safety issues can be successfully addressed by implementing a safety and occupational health management system. An occupational safety and health management system is a special management system intended for use in an undertaking with the aim of achieving a high level of occupational safety and health.

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OHSAS 18000 principles

The structure and operating principles of the occupational safety and health management system are defined in the harmonized series of standards OHSAS 18000 (Occupation Health and Safety Assessment Series), which was developed by the British standardization institution in cooperation with standardization organizations and consulting specialists from other countries. The standardization and certification bodies that contributed to the development and implementation of OHSAS 18000 currently manage 80% of the global management system certification market, and a very high level of international agreement has been reached.

This standard is designed to be applicable to businesses of all sizes and types and to different geographical, cultural and social conditions.

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Who needs OHSAS 18000?

This series of standards enables companies to both implement a management system and certify it in accordance with the requirements of the internationally recognized OHSAS 18001: 1999 standard. By implementing this standard, the company demonstrates concern for the health and safety of its employees, as well as for the interests of existing and potential customers, owners and society as a whole. This standard certification indicates the way in which a company controls and manages all significant risk factors that arise in the day-to-day operations of a company and in crisis situations.

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Basic elements of occupational safety and health management system

The Occupational Safety and Health Management System is based on the Deming Circle of Continuous Improvement (see image) - Think, Do, Evaluate, Take Action, which runs through five successive steps:

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• Occupational safety and health policy,

• Planning, implementation and action

• Monitoring, evaluation and corrective action

• Management report.

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OHSAS 18000 relationship with ISO 14000 and ISO 9000

Conceptually The occupational safety and health management system is based on the same management principles that underpin the ISO 14000 and ISO 9000 standards.

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This ensures that the OHSAS 18000 is compatible with the ISO 14000 and ISO 9000 series of system standards. By implementing a complex management system, the company gains maximum efficiency at significantly lower costs.

This standard certification indicates that your company controls and is aware of all significant risk factors that arise from the company's day-to-day operations and crisis situations.