ISO 45001: Clause 7 – Support

ISO 45001: Clause 7 – Support

Clause 7 of ISO 45001 provides guidance on the support required to ensure that the OH&S management system is functioning effectively.

The organisation must initially determine and provide the resources necessary to establish, implement, maintain and continually improve its OH&S management system. Resources include human, infrastructure, technology and financial resources.

The organisation must determine the competence requirements for those workers that affect, or could affect, its OH&S performance. This requirement is also applicable to workers operating under the control of the organisation such as contractors.

It is imperative that all workers have the knowledge and skills required to identify the hazards and manage the OH&S risks associated with their workplace activities and operations.

Every worker should be aware of:

·         The OH&S policy and objectives;

·         Their contribution to the effectiveness of the OH&S management system, including the benefits of improved OH&S performance;

·         The implications and potential consequences of not conforming to the OH&S management system requirements;

The organisation must have a process for internal and external communications relevant to the OH&S management system, which encompasses the following:

·         What issues that need to be communicated on;

·         When to communicate;

·         With whom to communicate (e.g. internally within the organisation and/or externally with contractors, visitors and other interested parties);

·         How to communicate.

The extent of documented information for an OH&S management system can differ from one organisation to another due to:

·         The size of the organisation and the type of activities it is engaged in;

·         The complexity of the organisation’s processes and how they interact;

·         The competence of workers.

ISO 45001 has moved from prescriptive requirements for specific ‘documents’ and ‘records’ towards the more inclusive term ‘documented information’. This allows the organisation to customise its occupational health and safety documentation to better reflect its particular circumstances.

Submitted by our training partner Antaris