On the home-front, the construction industry ranks among the top three industries to have high numbers of worker fatalities.
Recognising that the devastation of injury or loss of life cannot be quantified, the impact of workplace accidents on businesses and people often include loss of income, costly insurance premiums, excessive legal fees, workforce absenteeism and early worker retirement, to name a few. From an economic perspective, poor workplace safety leads to an annual 4% increase in the cost of global Gross Domestic Product (GDP),
These figures paint a concerning but very real picture on the state of workplace safety and the cost of the risks, which is why this issue should be at the top of a business’ priority list. For Australian businesses operating in the construction space, or other high-risk industry, this message is amplified.
The new global standard for workplace safety developed by the International Organisation for Standardization (ISO) – ISO 45001, Occupational health and safety management systems – Requirements – is scheduled for publication in March 2018. Importantly, it includes a stringent development process that encapsulates best practice international standards common to ILO-OSH Guidelines, OHSAS 18001, and other national standards and conventions such as AS/NZS 4801.
ISO 45001 will effectively establish new standards that allow for:
- An enhanced capacity for rapid real-time response to regulatory compliance issues.
- Superior methods for pinpointing operational health hazards, leading to a significant reduction in workplace safety incidents, absenteeism and staff turnover.
- Improved implementation of multiple OH&S policies, standards and objectives, and associated worker involvement in OH&S execution.
- Advanced online documentation and reporting processes that confirms complete company-wide commitment to the ISO 45001 guidelines and management system, including better handling of compliance and legal records.
By implementing ISO 45001, Australian businesses will be in league with the international community in reducing work-related accidents, diseases, and injuries – this is because ISO 45001 focuses on cutting-edge measures that improve management’s attention to hazard-related risk factors before they happen.
For construction managers, or any business owner in a high-risk industry considering the upgrade to ISO 45001, here are five reasons why you should:
1. Embrace digital to optimise safety: The construction industry is one of the slowest industries to adopt digital tools but it is crucial that we do. Streamlining OH&S practices, coupled with cloud-based mobile construction management technology will significantly increase the benefits of using ISO 45001. We see this first hand at Assignar – by using our end-to-end cloud platform team leaders can quickly and efficiently manage safety compliance, stay on top of document reporting, track and manage equipment fleet and sub-contractors, plus monitor their mobile workforce. Our platform is designed for easy integration with both the ISO 45001 guidelines and management system, making the transition a smooth one.
Ultimately, the days of manual project management and compliance reporting are over. To embrace ISO 45001, which could now be considered the gold standard in safety, it is necessary to embrace digital.
2. Real data is king: Reliable data acquisition, accumulation, analysis, and feedback are a core component of transitioning to and applying ISO 45001. The ISO 45001 management system, combined with specialised cloud-based tools, together provide construction managers with real-time data on all aspects of construction projects, large-scale and small, meaning managers can have a 360 degree view of projects and people 24/7, and be alerted to potential hazards with enough time for plans to be put in place so these can be prevented, rather than reacted to, according to guidelines set out under ISO 45001.
3. Better identification of safety GAPs: As with any transition or change process, it is always helpful to identify any processes or procedures necessary for adoption or revision before implementing a new system. To get prepared for ISO 45001, it would therefore be worthwhile undertaking a GAP analysis so that it is much easier to develop a transition strategy that best suits your organisation and its operational mechanics.
Keep in mind that ISO 45001 integrates into pre-established construction industry worker wellbeing and wellness health and safety management processes. So why not use the time between now and March to examine distinctions between ISO 45001 and your current programs?
4. Safety is a universal concern, so get everyone on board: Communication and consultation is essential to ensure everyone has a genuine understanding of ISO 45001 and how this impacts them. This includes communication between management and work teams, and between your organisation and other interested parties. Hold workshops, planning sessions and tutorials with your teams to get everyone briefed and running on the new system. Consultation should inform each stage of the migration process so that safety becomes embedded within all-inclusive culture.
5. Better flexibility to satisfy industry requirements: ISO 45001 has been designed to fit every organisation, irrespective of culture or size, and therefore fit harmoniously within the environment of construction and construction-contractor businesses. Understandably, it can be challenging to adapt to legislative and technological changes but the benefit of ISO 45001 is that it provides businesses with the flexibility to satisfy unique needs and circumstances.
To provide a real life example, one of our customers recently had a driver who was entangled in a lethal car accident. Usually, this means that the company’s entire fleet must be grounded until the police can establish that all company vehicles were well maintained and not attributable to the accident. Because the company was using Assignar’s platform, which offers high visibility of workforce connection between the office and the field, including tracking and maintaining fleet quality, our customer was able to show records of the company’s fleet log and demonstrate compliance, which avoided grounding the entire fleet.
Australian businesses have six months to get ready for ISO 45001. While the voluntary Australian Standard AS/NZS 4801:2001 – Occupational health and safety management systems – Specification with guidance for use – is still current, businesses have an opportunity to be on the front foot for creating safe working environments. This is a common goal that the construction industry should be working towards and has an opportunity to lead.
Sean McCreanor is the CEO of Assignar, a software solution provider for worker and asset planning.