ISO 45001 is an internationally recognized standard for building and implementing the occupational health and safety management system (OHSMS) in an organization. This standard not only improves your OHSMS but also helps you in proactively recognize risks and take actions in order to prevent and mitigate them in the future. Kuwait is a fast-growing economy, with a number of industries popping up frequently.

Thus, getting an ISO  45001 certification in Kuwait will help your organization in gaining a competitive edge in the market. It will help in building the confidence of your workforce, clients, customers as well as your stakeholders that your business practices take well-being into consideration.

ISO 45001:2018 certification replaced the earlier OHSAS 18001:2007 standard. The organizations were given a window of three years to convert into this new certification. However, due to the current pandemic situation, this date might get extended.

Industries of all types and sizes can apply for ISO 45001 certification. The main aim of this certification is to establish a safe and healthy work environment as well as ensure a continual improvement of the OHSMS performance.

Becoming ISO 45001 certified comes with its own set of benefits. They are as follows:

In a highly competitive market, it becomes quite difficult for most of companies to stay relevant. With the growing consumerism, the demand and expectations of customers are exponentially increasing. Organizations are now needed to ensure that they are capable of functioning smoothly even in times of crisis. The customers, workforce, clients, and stakeholders need to be assured that their safety and well-being are being taken care of. The best thing about ISO 45001 is that it can be applied to industries of any scale and type.

The compulsory requirements for the effective implementation of OHSMS in an organization are listed in sections 4 to 10 of the Annex SL of ISO 45001. The first three sections in this document are just introductory in nature.

Section 4: Context of the organization– It refers to the factors, both internal and external, that affect your organization and the concerned people, including contractors and sub-contractors.

Section 5: Leadership– It involves ensuring that your staff has tools and resources for running the OH&S management system; and communicating the roles and responsibilities clearly.

Section 6: Planning– Identifying and managing OH&SM risks so that your organization is able to react and adapt to the changes. This also requires well-structured communication between the personnel.

Section 7: Support– This requires providing tools and resources for proper implementation and maintenance of OHSMS.

Section 8: Operation– This involves assessing the existing procedures and complying with the legal obligations. Regular and formal risk assessments are the key requirements.

Section 9: Performance evaluation– setting the right criteria for evaluating the performance of the OH&S management system.

Section 10: Improvement– Regular monitoring, evaluation, and gradation ensure continual improvement.