What is OHSAS 18001?

OHSAS 18001 Overview

​​OHSAS 18001:2007 is an international standard developed by the OHSAS Project Group, an association that includes government agencies, certification bodies, national standards, industry associations, and consultants.

​Revised in the year 2007 (hence the designation OHSAS 18001:2007), the intent of this standard is to provide organizations with the elements of an effective Occupational Health & Safety Management System (OHSMS) that can be integrated with other management requirements and help organizations achieve their Occupational health & Safety (OH&S) and economic objectives.
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OHSAS 18001 Principles

The OHSAS 18001:2007 standard is based on the methodology known as Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA), which is a four-step model for continuous improvement:
  • Plan: establish the objectives and processes necessary to deliver results in accordance with the organization’s OH&S policy.​
  • Do: implement the processes.
  • Check: monitor and measure outcomes against OH&S policy, objectives and compliance obligations, and report the results.
  • Act: take actions to continually improve OH&S performance.
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Intended Benefits of OHSAS 18001

The benefits of adopting OHSAS 18001 are considered to include:​
  • Increased emphasis on Occupational Health & Safety Management, including the prevention of injury and ill health; 
  • Improved internal OH&S performance levels; 
  • Enhanced internal OH&S awareness; 
  • Reduced EMR and TRIR statistics; 
  • With OHSAS 18001 certification, demonstrated compliance with customer, regulatory, management and/or other requirements; and
  • Lower worker compensation claims leading to reduced insurance cost to the company.​
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OHSAS 18001 - Getting Started