Ensuring Occupational Health & Safety in the Workplace During the COVID-19 Outbreak

ISO 45001 is an internationally recognised certification for compliance with Occupational Health and Safety standards and regulations. Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic and the crazed paranoia that comes with it, such a certification is not only beneficial internally, but also externally.

The main directly intended internal benefits are that ISO 45001 ensures that all risks to the health and safety of employees are eliminated, and measures already implemented are actively practised and improved. A resultant benefit of the health and safety of employees is decreased staff turnover, increased productivity, less sick leave, decreased medical expenses, and thus increased profits and efficiency.

Since this certification is globally recognised, immediate trust is given to the company by the consumer, giving your company a competitive advantage, together with an enhanced brand image. Additionally, consumers want to know that whatever product they are buying has been produced and handled hygienically and safely, which will pose no threat to their health.

With COVID-19, and any other infectious disease, the ISO 45001 Occupational Health and Safety Management System can be used in the following ways;

1. Follow the news and updates on viral outbreaks to ensure you are prepared for what is to come if it is to come.
2. Inform and discuss the virus with employees, the signs and symptoms, repercussions, and the ease and speed of the spread of it. Training to upskill staff on their emergency responses, their hygiene, and safety, as well as of others. This measure, in turn, enables you to create an ‘emergency system,’ in which each employee plays a role, systematically.
3. Review your company’s emergency response, sick leave, and health and safety policies, procedures, and processes and improve upon or implement new rules and regulations. Inform and discuss these with all employees.
4. Assess the impact of the virus on your company’s functioning, as well as your supply chain, and develop strategies to protect them.
5. Create rules and regulations for remote working.
6. Ensure an ‘open door policy’ for all employees should they want to speak about or ask about the virus.
7. Investigate which employees are of ‘higher risk’ due to current health problems, and develop measures that ensure their safety and the people around them.

Implementing prevention measures and regulations for COVID-19 in compliance with ISO 45001 does not only have the benefits right now but also prepare companies for worst-case scenario situations. Although the virus is spreading at such a pace, many people are still afforded the option of prevention. The cure for Coronavirus is your own body and health, and so ensuring that your occupational health and safety, as well as your employees’ and colleague’s, is vital.

Find out more about ISO 45001 here.

NICAID Group consultants provide professional business partners to help you reach your business goal and achieve compliance through the implementation of integrated management systems.