Awareness about occupational safety and worker health protection is steadily increasing, and the recent Covid-19 virus pandemic has helped raise awareness among companies about the importance of preventing all risks that could endanger their employees.
The pandemic, in fact, has particularly highlighted how crucial worker safety is to ensure the operability of companies (the creation of an outbreak of contagion in the workplace, in fact, can lead to the suspension of activity, with consequent negative economic, health but also image repercussions) and has forced the various production realities to make major investments, at multiple levels: DVR revision, creation of internal safety protocols, provision of appropriate PPE to employees, training of workers on the correct ways to prevent the risk of contagion, and so on.
In light of all this, more and more companies are choosing to have certifications that demonstrate their compliance with international risk prevention standards. These tools allow companies to demonstrate that they have acquired European-recognized protocols and guidelines, and provide important assurance, including criminal liability, in the event of litigation. At the moment, having such certifications is not yet mandatory, but the very pandemic of Covid-19 could lead to an acceleration even at the regulatory level in the EC, and there is a possibility that some certifications (such as ISO 45001:2018) will become essential in the coming months.
ISO 45001:2018 certification: all the benefits for companies
ISO 45001:2018 certification defines criteria and standards recognized at the European level regarding the interventions to be put in place to protect the health of workers and grow safety in the workplace.
Companies that obtain this certification have a valuable tool that demonstrates the effectiveness of their work safety interventions, while at the same time enjoying important organizational, economic and fiscal benefits. Here are some of the benefits provided by certification:
- Legal protection: certified companies have the opportunity to demonstrate the correctness of their safety actions and full adherence to international standards, and are therefore also protected in the event of litigation.
- Increased corporate safety culture: any intervention in the area of prevention must personally involve individual workers, who must be properly informed about risk reduction procedures and who must be involved, through their representatives, in the development of internal protocols. Obtaining certification demonstrates the company’s focus on safety-related issues, and raises the corporate culture and awareness of individual employees.
- Reducing accidents and improving business performance: effectively preventing risks has concrete spin-offs in terms of improving business performance. In fact, prevention decreases workplace injuries and reduces employee days of absence, resulting in increased productivity.
- Reduced insurance costs: the presence of certification allows the company to save on insurance costs, in part due to the reduction in the number of accidents and the resulting improvement in performance.
ISO 45001:2018 certification and Covid-19 risk
In the current pandemic situation, the presence of certification becomes even more significant for companies, since the possible creation of a Covid-19 outbreak could have serious economic and organizational repercussions, and certification instead testifies to compliance with all regulations regarding worker health protection.
It should also be considered that the dissemination of Covid-19 has highlighted how important it is for companies to have an up-to-date risk management system in line with international standards: many realities, in order to cope with the circumstances, have equipped themselves with tools that allow them to fall within the criteria required to obtain certification and have thus taken a significant step forward in protecting their employees.
Relying on the support of experienced professionals in health and safety, as well as privacy protection and environmental compliance, is essential to achieve certification. That’s why Kalmo offers its clients HSE management service, a customized consultancy that accompanies companies in adopting the most suitable safety protocols in relation to their specific needs. The consulting service, in addition to providing the support necessary to obtain certifications, also helps companies equip themselves with advanced software technologies-such as Kalmo Smart Monitoring or Kalmo Health Monitoring-that are designed specifically for Covid-19 risk prevention, and thus allows companies to obtain 360-degree protection, capable of sheltering them from the immediate risks associated with the pandemic and increasing their level of security, with undeniable economic, health and organizational benefits.
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