How can you adapt your ISO 45001 health and safety management system to changing business risks?

1 Identify and assess risks

The first step is to identify and assess the sources and impacts of potential or actual changes that may affect your health and safety performance. These could include changes in technology, equipment, materials, products, processes, regulations, customer expectations, market conditions, or other external or internal factors. You should use a systematic and proactive approach to identify the hazards, evaluate the risks, and determine the controls and opportunities for improvement. You should also involve your workers and other relevant stakeholders in this process, as they may have valuable insights and suggestions.

2 Review and update policies and objectives

The next step is to review and update your health and safety policies and objectives to reflect the changes and risks you have identified. Your policies should express your commitment to providing a safe and healthy workplace, complying with applicable laws and standards, and continuously improving your health and safety performance. Your objectives should be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound, and aligned with your strategic direction and stakeholder expectations. You should also communicate your policies and objectives to your workers and other interested parties, and ensure they understand their roles and responsibilities.

3 Plan and implement actions

The third step is to plan and implement the actions necessary to achieve your health and safety objectives and address the changes and risks you have identified. You should use the PDCA (plan-do-check-act) cycle to plan, execute, monitor, and review your actions, and apply the hierarchy of controls to eliminate or reduce the hazards. You should also provide adequate resources, training, information, and support to your workers and other relevant parties, and ensure they are consulted and participate in the implementation process.

4 Evaluate and improve performance

The final step is to evaluate and improve your health and safety performance by measuring, analyzing, and reporting on the results of your actions and processes. You should use appropriate indicators, methods, and tools to collect and evaluate data, and compare them with your objectives, policies, and standards. You should also conduct internal and external audits, management reviews, and worker feedback surveys to identify the strengths and weaknesses of your health and safety system, and the opportunities and threats for improvement. You should then take corrective and preventive actions to address any nonconformities, incidents, or gaps, and celebrate and reward any achievements or best practices.

By following these steps, you can adapt your ISO 45001 system to changing business risks and ensure its ongoing suitability, adequacy, and effectiveness. You can also demonstrate your commitment to providing a safe and healthy workplace for your workers, customers, suppliers, and other stakeholders, and enhancing your reputation and competitiveness in the market.

5 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?