Mark Hammar There is no doubt that training employees will be a key activity when implementing an Occupational Health & Safety Management System (OHSMS) using the requirements of ISO 45001:2018. However, this training can sometimes be seen as a necessary evil of the implementation process rather than an activity that provides actual benefits for the organization. This could not be farther from the truth; occupational health & safety (OH&S) training can give real benefits to your company. In this article, we’ve singled out the top seven ISO 45001 training benefits.
What benefits does ISO 45001 OHSMS training give you?
In clause 7.3 Awareness, the ISO 45001:2018 standard includes certain information that workers in your organization need to be aware of, but there are benefits to OHSMS training apart from just meeting this requirement. Here are seven of the top benefits that you can gain with good ISO 45001 training:
1) Better worker buy-in – When workers know why you are implementing an OHSMS and how it works, they are much more likely to be helpful with the implementation of new processes, and better able to adapt to changes in existing processes. Common goals for the company, such as the OH&S policy and objectives, can also help workers to realize that workplace safety, and improving OH&S performance, is everyone’s responsibility.
2) Better process conformity – When changes need to be made in processes, workers need to be instructed in the content of these changes. When everyone is trained consistently in the process requirements, this will lead to consistency of the processes. This is important because consistent processes not only allow you to better manage hazards and risks to OH&S, but also to create more consistent products and services. This not only helps OHS& performance, but also the company’s bottom line.
3) Common understanding of OH&S outcomes – When you ensure that employees are trained in the OH&S aspects of their jobs, they become aware of the implications and potential consequences of not following the OH&S rules for the job. No one wants to be injured at work, and training that highlights why rules and safety controls are in place, and what happens when these safeguards are not used, will bring to light for workers how they need to be involved to maintain their safety and prevent accidents and injuries. This training can be in any medium you find useful, such as short videos.
4) Safer workplace – One thing that workers need to be aware of are the hazards and risks that are relevant to them. By being trained in the risks of their jobs, workers are better able to avoid situations that will lead to injury or ill health. This activity has the added benefit of helping you to identify additional hazards that might have been missed in the first assessment, since employees who work in a process know the process better than anyone else. After training, you can further motivate worker participation using, for example, a reward program for identifying hazards.
5) Accident prevention – One of the awareness trainings that needs to be included is emphasizing that workers can remove themselves from unsafe work situations. This training can make workers more aware to look for conditions that are an imminent and serious danger to life or health, and doing so will help employees to better identify the situations that could lead to accidents in the first place. Protection of everyone’s safety becomes everyone’s responsibility.
6) Fewer repeat accidents – With training and awareness of the findings from accident investigations, workers become more aware of how things went wrong so that they can help correct the situation and prevent it from happening again. This includes implementing preventive actions for processes similar to those where an accident occurred.
7) Culture of improvement – When employees understand that the OHSMS is all about making their workplace safer, and that they can be an integral part of making the workplace better, you can drive continual improvement throughout the organization. This can not only improve your OH&S performance, but can also help to save time, money, and resources when processes are made more efficient as well as safer.
For more about awareness training in the OHSMS, see the article The importance of awareness training in ISO 45001.
OH&S training: All about worker involvement
OH&S performance is greatly affected by the involvement of workers in the safety of their workplace, and OH&S training is the starting point for this involvement. When workers are trained, they immediately know that they are worth putting resources into, and this can help to solidify that fact that the OHSMS is all about the workers. Workers need to know that they must be an integral part of the system for the OHSMS to work.
When workers know that the reason you are implementing ISO 45001 is to make their working lives better and safer, you will find more willingness from the workers to make the processes of the OHSMS work, and work well. OH&S performance improvement is the main goal of the OHSMS, and getting workers on board for the improvements is critical. Using good ISO 45001 training to bring everyone together to work toward this goal can be a beneficial first step, so plan your training well.
To learn more about the requirements of OHSMS training, download this free white paper: Clause-by-clause explanation of ISO 45001:2018.
