Health & Safety Industry Standards

The health and safety industry fosters work environments that have minimal risk to the health and well-being of employees, customers and the general public. ISO certification for the health and safety industry allows businesses to identify workplace risks and implement safety measures. NQA has years of experience with health and safety, and we help clients meet the specifications of their chosen health and safety standards through comprehensive certification audits.

About the Health and Safety Industry

Health and safety in the occupational field maintain employees' physical and mental well-being during work and create a healthy and safe work environment. The industry also seeks to protect customers and the general public from any risks that may affect them. Workplace hazards include chemicals, long working hours, allergens, biohazards and loud environments. These factors vary by industry and work environment. So therefore, health and safety standards are applicable to most industries such as:

Transportation
Lumber
Fishing
Mining
Aviation
Metalworking
Agriculture

Companies are legally obligated to take action to protect their employees. Some countries have government bodies or departments that regulate occupational safety issues.

Some trends in the health and safety industry include:

Smart personal protective equipment (PPE) that collects data on biometrics, movement and location
Workplace safety tools on mobile apps for workers who use mobile devices
Autonomous vehicles (AVs) that will drive more safely and efficiently than human drivers
Employee retraining to ensure compliance with safety measures

Challenges the Health and Safety Industry Faces

Though health and safety measures are prominent in many workplaces, they became even more critical during the coronavirus pandemic. Front-line workers place their health at significant risk, and essential employees and others who interact with the public are also at risk of exposure. Though health and safety may be challenging for some businesses, keeping employees and customers safe is necessary.

Some challenges in the health and safety industry include:

Less experienced workforce: Demographic changes in the workforce create new health and safety challenges that companies need to address. For example, younger workers have less work experience and job skills and are more likely to get injured than older employees with years of experience and stronger skills.
Poor employee engagement: Employees who are not engaged with their work are less likely to follow important safety protocols, risking their health and well-being. Some employees fail to connect safety precautions with their job duties, and experienced employees may want to continue doing tasks the way they're used to instead of the safe way.
Lack of ongoing training: Businesses may find that ongoing training for employees can be time-consuming. However, prioritizing training is essential to keeping workers informed about safe practices for protection at work.
Numerous safety risks: Due to the various tools, equipment, vehicles and machines used on job sites, many safety and health risks are present in the workplace. Identifying and taking precautions against all these hazards is a daunting task for some businesses, which can cause them to neglect this protocol.
Complex safety laws: New laws and regulations are frequently passed to address new workplace hazards. When these rules are introduced, businesses need to understand and implement them and communicate the changes to employees to ensure workers carry them out. These steps can be difficult to complete, especially when changes are frequent.
Changing working practices: Ensuring that workers physical and mental well-being during work are not overlooked and to create a healthy and safe work environment.

Health and Safety Industry Standards Supported by NQA

The most common standards in the health and safety industry are:

ISO 45001: ISO 45001 is the international occupational health and safety standard. It alleviates factors that would harm employees' physical or mental well-being to reduce the likelihood of work-related accidents and illnesses. It was created based on the system management principles of ISO 9001 and ISO 14001, and it also considers ILO's labor standards and OHSAS 18001.
SSIP: Safety Schemes in Procurement (SSIP) mutually recognizes schemes for occupational health and safety standards in the construction industry. It establishes a mutual recognition between the safety and health pre-qualification schemes. This approach saves the time, cost and effort associated with getting multiple certifications. Suppliers who need multiple certifications for different schemes can reduce duplication and focus on important job tasks.
ISO 9001: ISO 9001 is the international standard for quality management systems. Its framework and principles provide a sensible management approach for organizations. These quality control measures improve products and services to surpass industry standards. As a result, business processes will be streamlined, and employees' work will be more effective. This efficiency will satisfy customers and stakeholders and improve your brand image.
ISO 50001: ISO 50001 is a standard for energy management. It provides a framework for optimizing energy efficiency in organizations. Certification to this standard demonstrates a commitment to improving energy management practices, ensuring compliance to regulatory and legislative requirements and being a leader for sustainable practices in your industry. ISO 14001 is the basic framework for this standard, so compliance to ISO 14001 will help you achieve ISO 50001 certification.
ISO 27001: ISO 27001 is an international information security management system standard. It offers a framework for continuing information integrity, availability, confidentiality and compliance. It protects vital brand image information and personal data from cyberattacks, data breaches, vandalism and fire damage. It is compatible with other management system standards like ISO 9001. Certification will assess how well your data is currently protected and identify improvement opportunities to enhance security. ISO 27001 does not cover General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
ISO 39001: ISO 39001 is the international standard for road traffic safety management systems (RTSMS). It provides a framework for safety improvements to reduce the risk of injury or death from road traffic accidents. It is compatible with other management standards like ISO 14001 and ISO 9001, making it more effective for integration in management systems.

Advantages of Health and Safety Industry ISO Certifications

The health and safety industry is prominent in many industrialized countries, yet injuries and accidents in the workplace are still a possibility. ISO standards for the health and safety industry will help your business promote safe practices to reduce the chances of accidents and injuries. Compliance to health and safety industry standards will give you these benefits:

Enhance OHS performance: Compliance to ISO standards for health and safety will reduce illnesses and accidents in your facility. These standards outline systems and tools you can use to prevent injuries and keep workers safe.
Experience cost savings: It is to your business's financial advantage to create a safe work environment. Businesses indirectly pay for worker injuries because they purchase insurance to cover injured workers' medical care and compensation. Reducing the risk of injury decreases the likelihood of a worker filing a claim, lowering your premiums and out-of-pocket expenses.
Demonstration of corporate commitment: ISO certification for the health and safety industry shows employees, stakeholders and the public that you're dedicated to creating a safe environment. These certifications will enhance your reputation and brand image.
Increase productivity: Injured workers are often absent from work for a few days, which hinders productivity. When your employees have a safe work environment, business can continue as usual with no slow-downs or delays.

Why Work with NQA for ISO Certification for the Health and Safety Industry?

NQA is a certification body that helps businesses get certified to ISO standards for health and safety. Our audits will improve your facility and allow you to meet your chosen standard's requirements. This approach is practical and supportive in helping you get the certifications you need for success. We have worked with several clients for certification in health and safety industry standards, including:

NQA has years of experience working with clients in numerous industries. We have issued more than 50,000 certificates in 90 countries. When you work with NQA, you will gain:

Comprehensive service: NQA has many certification services to improve your efficiency. These standards have global coverage and recognition.
No hidden fees: Our pricing is transparent. Our competitive rates have no hidden costs and unlock the best technical support available.
Professional guidance: You'll understand the steps to certification and the technical requirements for each standard.
A worldwide expert network: Our experts help write the standards and participate in technical committees, so you can easily keep up with new developments.
Improvement focus: NQA will assess your compliance to ISO standards for health and safety and identify improvement opportunities your company can make.
Different learning methods: We offer many training methods for our clients, including in-house, classroom and online. Select the option that will allow you to learn new technical skills in your preferred format.

Request a Quote Today

ISO certifications for the health and safety industry will keep your employees and customers safe. NQA offers certification audits that will help you improve your organization by reducing operating costs, improving risk management, achieving legal compliance and enhancing stakeholder relationships while meeting the standard requirements.

Request a quote to start the auditing process today and choose a package that works best for you. For more information about health and safety industry standards, contact us online.