OHSAS 18001: OHSAS 18001, material provided by LRQA

Achieving and maintaining certification

In today's business environment, many organizations are seeking to manage risk, reduce cost and demonstrate good governance to their various stakeholders. OHSAS 18001 certification can contribute towards the achievement of these goals through a systems approach to occupational health and safety management.

Demonstrate your commitment to health and safety with certification from LRQA. We provide OHSAS 18001 assessment, certification and training services to leading organizations.

What is OHSAS 18001?
OHSAS 18001 is a specification for Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) management systems that was published in 1999. It was jointly developed by a number of the international third party certification bodies - including LRQA - and national standards bodies from around the world.

The specification was developed to provide a model for OHS management systems and their internal or external assessment and/or certification and is closely aligned with ISO 14001:2004 the model for environmental management.

OHSAS 18002:2000: Guidelines for the implementation of OHSAS 18001 have been written to help explain and ensure consistent interpretation of OHSAS 18001. It contains the requirements set out in OHSAS 18001 and provides guidance on how the various parts of the management system interact with each other, using risk assessment as the heart of the management system.

OHSAS certification is applicable to any organization wishing to:

establish an OHS management system to eliminative or minimize risk to employees and other interested parties who may be exposed to OHS risks
implement, maintain and continually improve an OHS management system
assure conformance of its OHS management system and demonstrate this conformance to others

News
LRQA First Certification Body to gain Full Sector and Global Scope UKAS OHSAS Accreditation

How can OHSAS 18001 certification benefit my organization?
Certification to OHSAS 18001 helps create a systematic framework in which organizations reduce risk and drive continual improvement, creating a competitive advantage for your organization because it :

reflects global consensus of good health and safety management practices
helps to reduce and eliminate injuries, accidents and incidents of both employees and subcontractors, resulting in lower legal penalties and higher workforce productivity
provides greater awareness of workplace health and safety risks, resulting in improved employee morale, improved performance and an edge in attracting and maintaining the best employees

Testimonials
“One of my first jobs in starting the program was to talk to LRQA. To start to build a collaborative relationship, to ensure they understood our methodologies in use and for us to benefit from their expertise. We found the LRQA assessment team very supportive in attending seminars, in reviewing the OHSAS toolkit we were preparing and in helping set up scopes for registrations. It was very much a two-way process. The LRQA brand is well known and respected by Thales UK’s operating companies and our customers around the world.”
-Russell Hobbs, Environment, Health and Safety Specialist, Thales UK

“Recognizing that all three standards (ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and OHSAS 18001) have risk management at their heart, we were able to approach ISO certification in a structured format and produce a fully integrated management system with certification from LRQA in less than four years.

Our first combined visit worked very well with LRQA, and that is the way we will go in the future. Overall, the service we have had from LRQA has been good. We have had a number of different auditors over the years and they have all helped to move our system forward. In health and safety, our LRQA 18001 assessor has pointed out areas where we could improve, because while legislative drivers make you do the right thing. OHSAS gives you the framework to deliver a high level of compliance. We previously had health and safety systems in place, but without doubt all of these have improved as a result of the certification process.

It has definitely made us sharper: we look at things differently. It helps us that the auditor comes in and can go anywhere and see anything, because it makes us focus on what needs to be done. It is a good driver. That is the way we want it.”
-Ian Housley, Head of Audit and Compliance, Clancy Docwra

“Our assessor was highly knowledgeable and helpful during both the gap analysis visit and the final audit. Without her support and advice, it is doubtful we would have had a strong enough system in place to achieve certification,”
-Roy Andrews, Health and Safety Advisor, Coors Brewers

How can we gain certification to OHSAS 18001?
We provide a range of services, including assessment and training courses, to prepare you for certification. Our certificates are truly earned and are a reliable and transparent symbol of management achievement and a commitment to continual improvement.

Contact one of our business advisors at 1-866-563-4654.
Alternatively, complete the inquiry form on this website.
For OHSAS 18001 training and development options, please visit our health and safety training section.

Our assessment process involves these primary stages:

Why Choose LRQA?
At LRQA, we are passionate about what we do, and we understand what's at stake for your business. We work hard to apply our expertise to make your management systems more efficient and effective. This is why we are one of the world's most trusted management system assessment companies providing assurance for your business and in turn, your clients.

Reputation and Experience – We have issued over 691 approvals at more than 811 sites to OHSAS 18001. We are recognized and respected worldwide for our own high standards of technical competence, impartiality and independence.

Assessor Expertise – We use a unique qualification coding system that matches our assessors' industry knowledge and expertise with your business needs enabling them to conduct an effective and robust audit of your system.

Assessment Methodology – Our assessments focus on the area and issues that are important to your business. We view the process as more than just certification; we view it as a Business Assurance process that helps you assure key stakeholders that you can deliver on the promises and goals you make.

Assessment Reports – We will provide helpful and insightful overviews in the Executive Summary, tracking of improvements in key areas in the Continual Improvement logs, and advanced views of your long term assessment plan.

Extensive range of services –We can provide your organization with assessment, certification and verification services to support your organization's future growth and development. In addition, our comprehensive training courses offer the tools you need to prepare, implement, maintain and improve your management system.

Integrated Assessments – We will work with you to reduce costs through the effective integration of management system assessments.

Global Capabilities – We have over 2,000 employees offering assessments in over 30 languages. We operate a single system worldwide, which ensures that our certification process is consistent from any of our offices around the world.

LRQA Business Assurance Approach
Our Business Assurance approach to management systems assessment and reporting is unique; it's an approach that enables you to demonstrate how your system is helping to drive your business forward in a measurable and verifiable way. We believe that building trust stretches far beyond the issuing of certificates. It's about us enabling you to deliver on your promises, to be confident in your capabilities and to stand out from the crowd.

Through Business Assurance, we can help you determine whether your management system: