ISO Developing New Workplace Safety Standard

The Organization for Standardization (ISO) is working to develop a new global safety standard. Known as the ISO 45001 Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems, it's a voluntarily framework designed to create safer workplaces by protecting workers from potential hazards. Unlike the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's (OSHA's) standards, however, the ISO 45001 is completely voluntary, meaning employers aren't required to follow it.

The ISO 45001 is being developed by ISO in collaboration with the American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) as well as the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). The three organizations have been working on the new standard for over five years, and it appears they are finally wrapping up its production. In March, the ISO is expected to release the new 45001 Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems standard to governments and private companies throughout the world.

According to Vic Troy of ISO, the goal of the new standard is to create a universal framework that all companies can implement to create a safe workplace. While many existing workplace safety standards are restricted to specific regions or industries, the ISO 45001 eliminates these borders by providing a universal framework. Troy explains that all companies, regardless of size, location and industry, can take advantage of the new 45001 framework to protect their workers from injury and illness.

"The goal was to create a widely accepted standard that can produce a highly effective safety and health management system for an increasingly interconnected world, regardless of an organization’s size, location, supply chains or nature of work," explained Vic Toy of ISO.

According to OSHA, 5,190 U.S. workers were killed on the job in 2016. That translates into roughly 3.6 fatalities per 100,000 full-time workers. In many other countries, however, rates of fatality, injury and illness are much higher. The new ISO 45001 Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems standard is designed to lower these rates by providing employers with a safety framework to implement in their operations.

Although it's voluntary, the ISO 45001 will be promoted in the United States. The ASSE, for example, says it will offer training and development materials to workplace safety professionals and employers. Using these materials, employers can identify and correct potential hazards, thus creating a safer working environment for their employees.

You can learn more about the ISO 45001 standard by visiting the official ISO website at http://iso45001.asse.org/.