New Standard for Occupational Safety and Health Management Systems

In March 2018, ISO 45001 was published as the new ISO standard for occupational health and safety management systems. ISO 45001 will replace the previously widely used OHSAS 18001 without substitution over the course of a three-year transition period.

The seminar room, filled to capacity with 30 participants, demonstrates the high level of interest among companies in this topic. At the 10th IMS Breakfast, participants were briefed on the requirements of the new standard and discussed how companies have been addressing these issues to date. In line with this, the project manager for occupational safety and energy management in the Quality and Environment Division at Schnellecke Logistics in Wolfsburg (a graduate of our “integrated management” degree programme) delivered a practical presentation via video conference on the topic “Opportunities and Risks of ISO 45001 in the Logistics Industry.” It quickly became clear that this area will see significant changes in the future, as some major German automakers will require all key contractual partners to provide proof of an ISO 45001-certified occupational safety and health management system, in some cases starting next year.

In keeping with the topic—since occupational health and safety management systems prioritize people— a representative from the “Zukunftsschiene” initiative reported under the “Did You Know?” category on the situation of temporary workers in the Görlitz district. This issue is particularly prominent right now, especially due to the closure of the Bombardier Transportation GmbH production facility for rail vehicles. You can learn more about the project, which aims to connect companies with qualified workers, here: www.zukunftsschiene.de

We would like to extend our sincere thanks to the Center for e-Learning for its support in facilitating the virtual broadcast and recording of the presentations, which allows them to be flexibly incorporated into future teaching. We would also like to thank our co-organizer, TÜV Rheinland Akademie GmbH.

The next IMS Breakfast will take place on June 20, 2018, starting at 9:00 a.m., on the topic of “Project Management Methods” and is once again fully booked.