Introduction to OHSAS 18001

Historical reference: OHSAS 18001 has been withdrawn and replaced by ISO 45001. The material below retains the original implementation approach for reference. OHSAS certification references are historical and are not an offer of new certification. Current projects should be planned against ISO 45001 and applicable requirements.

BSI information on the replacement standard

1. Understanding OHSAS 18000

Industrial growth and diversification across the Asia-Pacific region have contributed to economic development while creating new occupational health and safety challenges.

Without appropriate protection, workplace injuries and illness can harm workers and their families and lead to lost working time, lost income and organizational costs. The original article referred to substantial lost working hours in the region without specifying a year or source; this should not be read as a current quantified statistic. Physical and psychological harm are central concerns.

Poor awareness or weak management can contribute to workplace accidents and illness. The OHSAS family provided a structured approach to monitoring and controlling occupational health and safety risks. It included OHSAS 18001 requirements and OHSAS 18002 guidance, drawing on earlier guidance such as BS 8800 and related approaches.

OHSAS was developed through cooperation among standards bodies, certification organizations, consultants and industry specialists. It became widely used internationally; it was not an ISO standard.

The purpose was to control occupational health and safety risks.

The approach could be used by organizations of different sizes and types, including manufacturing and service organizations.

2. Who used OHSAS 18000?

Organizations seeking to:

• Establish an occupational health and safety management system to eliminate or reduce risks to employees and other people exposed through work activities.
• Demonstrate conformity with their occupational health and safety policies.
• Communicate that conformity to interested parties.
• Obtain independent third-party certification of the management system under the programme available at that time.