OHSAS 18001 transition deadline

OHSAS 18001 transition deadline

OHSAS 18001 transition deadline: Here's the deadline and how to make it

When is the OHSAS 18001 transition deadline?

The OHSAS 18001 transition deadline is the 21st of March 2021. The OHSAS 18001 new standard, the ISO 45001, was published in March of 2018, and there is a three (3) year grace period for companies to transition to the new standard - meaning the deadline is fast approaching.

Any time there is a regulation change, often the first question from companies and stakeholders is when is the transition deadline?

The OHSAS 18001 transition deadline is of particular importance to many companies are is pertains to their occupational health and safety compliance.

Health and safety compliance is important for every company, because it impacts worker perception, client and stakeholder perception, insurance costs and many other aspects of the business.

Not making the OHSAS 18001 transition deadline can have many negative effects on your business, so it's imperative that first understand the deadline, and then take the necessary steps to ensure you meet that deadline.

What happens after the OHSAS 18001 deadline?

The natural next question a human asks after searching for the OHSAS 18001 transition deadline is "what happens after the OHSAS 18001 deadline?"

While this is not an ideal way to look at the problem, it is a realistic one. There will inevitably companies who continue to push back their safety management system in favour of business as usual only to miss the deadline and leave themselves vulnerable to legislation and other issues.

There are a few things which will definitely happen if you miss the OHSAS 18001 transition deadline:

  • Your OHSAS 18001 certification will no longer be valid as it is not recognised anymore
  • If you do receive an ISO 45001 audit after the deadline and are not ISO compliant, then a stage 2 audit will be required
  • If you don't make the migration in the 6 months after the deadline, then you will be treated as a new applicant rather than a transition applicant meaning both a stage 1 and stage 2 audit will be required

On top of this, there are a number of possible negative externalities which could happen if you are left with your OHSAS 18001 after the deadline:

  • You may lose big or important projects which require better H&S management systems and performance
  • Your brand will be negatively impacted
  • Workers may leave knowing that the organisation isn't in line with regular health and safety compliance
  • You may incur higher costs across the business, including incident costs as well as insurance and other regulatory costs
  • You will not gain the additional benefits of these new management system which save workers, managers and administrators time

Like many things in life, being proactive and ahead of the curve in terms of dates and deadlines often results in less work.

While the OHSAS deadline isn't here now, it is quickly approaching, and it's much smarter to make a smooth and concise transition now than to scramble in the last few months and risk having to start again as a new applicant and spend more of your time and effort on getting to the same place you would have been had you kept an eye on the deadline.

 

What do you have to do before the OHSAS 18001 transition deadline?

The other reason you should make the OHSAS transition deadline is because transitioning from OHSAS 18001 to ISO 45001 can be relatively easy when done properly.

The three (3) major steps involved with getting to the finish line before the transition deadline are:

  1. Audit your current management system and procedures
  2. Fill the gaps and make the necessary changes to the above in accordance with the new standard
  3. Get certified by proactively engaging with

The easiest way to do the transition properly is to engage with a party who can provide you with the knowledge and management system to get everything in place.

While consultants and certification bodies used to be the key piece of the management puzzle, moving away from paper-based systems and word, excel and PDF documents means that technology can carry much of the regulation burden for you.

Software companies like Sitemate specialise in establishing integrated management systems for ISO compliance.

They take companies from traditional document management systems which worked well for OHSAS 18001 to integrated management systems which make demonstrating ISO compliance and all of your health and safety records easy.

Safety inspection software

When attempting to meet the OHSAS 18001 transition deadline alone, some of the steps can be overwhelming with no clear finish line and very little guarantee as to whether your system will be ISO compliant - especially if you have not met ISO guidelines before.

When preparing your systems with a management system which is regularly audited for ISO compliance, you can be sure that you are taking the right steps and that your management system will be in-line with the ISO.

In addition to compliance, your systems also get a natural upgrade, with software and digital streamlining the processes behind your procedures so you workers can save time and improve health and safety on a daily basis.

Get a free consult now to easily meet the OHSAS 18001 deadline

Approaching the deadline the right way

Like all deadlines, the OHSAS 18001 transition deadline can be daunting, but it doesn't need to be.

The best approach and best way to look at this transition period is that it's an opportunity to improve your business. The move to ISO 45001 is an upgrade, an upgrade for worker and company health and safety as well as for your management systems.

When done right, ISO compliance can also help improve and even streamline your business, as illustrated in this ISO case study.

See how you can easily streamline your systems and processes with Sitemate today

Über Lance Hodgson

Lance is VP of Marketing at Sitemate. His aim is to bring awareness to a brighter future for the Built World where industrial workers and companies work smarter.

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