International standard for safety published

The first international standard for occupational health and safety management has been published, in an effort to address the global need to improve the health and safety of workers. Personnel Today reports that the standard, ISO 45001, was developed by the British Standards Institution with input from more than 70 countries. It encourages employers to view occupational health and safety as an investment rather than a regulatory burden and is designed to be integrated into an organisation’s existing management systems. It suggests that workers, especially those closest to a particular health and safety risk, should be involved in the decision-making process to help create a healthier, safer and engaged workforce. The standard also emphasises the importance of the role of senior management in embedding and communicating occupational health and safety, although BSI stressed health and safety should be the responsibility of all staff, not just health and safety managers.