An incident based on OHSAS 18001:2007 is an incident in which
※ physical ill health (regardless of severity) occurred,
※ physical ill health (regardless of severity) worsened,
※ physical ill health (regardless of severity) could have occurred,
※ physical ill health (regardless of severity) could have worsened,
※ mental ill health (regardless of severity) occurred,
※ mental ill health (regardless of severity) worsened,
※ mental ill health (regardless of severity) could have occurred,
※ mental ill health (regardless of severity) could have worsened,
※ injury occurred,
※ injury could have occurred,
※ fatality occurred,
※ fatality could have occurred.
An incident based on ISO/DIS 45001.2:2017 is an occurrence arising
※ out of work or
※ in the course of work
that
※ could or
※ does
result in
※ injury and/or
※ ill health (regardless of severity)
which both are an adverse effect (including occupational disease, illness and death) on the
※ physical,
※ mental or
※ cognitive
condition of a person.
These incident catecories are based on definition 3.8 and 3.9 in OHSAS 18001:2007. The data should be easy to obtain. Just quarterly categorize OH&S incidents using the twelve categories shown below. Then count the incidents per category and enter the sums for each category into the table.
In words: Incidents which …
1.1.1.1 … have caused physical ill health
1.1.1.2 … have worsened physical ill health
1.1.2.1 … could have caused physical ill health
1.1.2.2 … could have worsened physical ill health
1.2.1.1 … have caused mental ill health
1.2.1.2 … have worsened mental ill health
1.2.2.1 … could have caused mental ill health
1.2.2.2 … could have worsened mental ill health
2._.1._ … have caused injury
2._.2._ … could have caused injury
3._.1._ … have caused fatality
3._.2._ … could have caused fatality
Or in other words (even closer to OHSAS 18001:2007): Incidents in which …
1.1.1.1 … physical ill health occurred
1.1.1.2 … physical ill health worsened
1.1.2.1 … physical ill health could have occurred
1.1.2.2 … physical ill health could have worsened
1.2.1.1 … mental ill health occurred
1.2.1.2 … mental ill health worsened
1.2.2.1 … mental ill health could have occurred
1.2.2.2 … mental ill health could have worsened
2._.1._ … injury occurred
2._.2._ … injury could have occurred
3._.1._ … fatality occurred
3._.2._ … fatality could have occurred
The underlined words met resistance from employers when moving from OHSAS 18001:1999 to OHSAS 18001:2007. In internal communications they tried to replace “ill health” by “desease” and “identifiable” by “diagnosable”. They also tried to hide “regardless of severity” from their employees. “Made worse” was not welcome, as the term did not allow them to reject incidents which worsened an already existing ill health. And “could” was a challenge to employers, because due to that term they could not ask affected employees to prove that they actually suffered from ill health. The reasons for resisting against “mental” where quite similar to the reasons for mentioning “psychological factors” only in the notes to clause 7.1.4 of ISO 9000:2015 rather than clearly in the clause itself.
[...] Ebenfalls mehr Relevanz erhält das Thema mentale Gesundheit. Die ISO 45001 spiegelt damit die in den vergangenen Jahren konkretisierten gesetzlichen Anforderungen hinsichtlich psychischer Belastungen am Arbeitsplatz wider. Und: Dass Arbeitsschutz weit mehr als das Minimieren von Gefahren bedeutet, sondern Betrieben auch neue Möglichkeiten eröffnet – beispielsweise durch sinkende Fluktuation oder motivierte, anpackende Mitarbeiter – verdeutlicht der Normentwurf dadurch, dass er den Risiken die Chancen direkt zur Seite stellt. [...]
Frage an TÜV-Süd: Die Begriffsbestimmung 3.9 für “Erkrankung” aus OHSAS 18001:2007 fehlt in der Norm ISO 45001. In OHSAS 18001 haben “physisch” und “mental” den gleichen Rang. Wie sieht der Text in der ISO 45001 aus, der mentaler Gesundheit im Hauptteil der Norm mehr Relevanz gibt?
=== ISO 45001 vs. OHSAS 18001 ===
In contrary to OHSAS 18001, in ISO 45001 there is no definition for “ill health” which puts “mental” and “physical” adverse conditions on a same level. Can employers in countries, where protecting mental health is not reqiuired by laws, claim, that ISO 45001 does not cover mental health issues anymore, as did OHSAS 18001?
May be (hopefully) I am wrong. TÜV SÜD says that there is an even stronger emphasis on mental health.
From the viewpoint of employees, the term “incident” has a much better definition in OHSAS 18001:2007 than in ISO 45001. Here the employers seemingly were successful in watering down the standard. I posted this comment in drafts.bsigroup.com:
“Incident” and “ill health” according to OHSAS 18001:
Incident: Work-related event(s) in which
an injury
or ill health (regardless of severity)
or fatality
occurred, or could have occurred.
Ill health: Identifiable, adverse physical or mental condition arising from and/or made worse by a work activity and/or work-related situation.
“Occurrence(s) arising out of or in the course of work that could or does result in injury or ill-health” as proposed here for ISO 45001 is much less ambitious. Strangely, “fatality” has been dropped completely in the ISO 45001 draft. And “(regardless of severity)” made sure that employers cannot “evaluate” the severity of ill health before it enters the evaluation process defined in the standard.
Use terms from OHSAS 18001:2007. Make sure that incidents are not filtered away before the enter the official process of evaluation of ill health and its severity.
In the comments to the 1st CD it already has been criticized, that one of the most important terms in ISO 45001 has not been defined. Strangely, a definition of the term “ill health” is missing again in the 2nd CD. Thus, OHSAS 18001 still does a much better job: “Ill health: Identifiable, adverse physical or mental condition arising from and/or made worse by a work activity and/or work-related situation.”
In contrary to ISO 45001, the BS OHSAS 18001:2007 explicitely mentions physical and mental health. This is important: Search for “Health Impact of The Psychosocial Hazards of Work: An Overview” in the pages of the WHO.
A standard which does not acknowledge the importance to protect mental health is unacceptable in the 21st century. Sadly, ISO 45001 seems to be on the way back to the last century.
Remedy
In order not to fall behind OHSAS 18001:2007, include the definition “Ill health: Identifiable, adverse physical or mental condition arising from and/or made worse by a work activity and/or work-related situation” into 3 “Terms and definitions” of ISO 45001.
In a ISO TMB 09/2014 “policy issues” document of ISO/TMB N 12 (2014-01-06) it was mentioned that the “concept of the fast-track” had been discussed. There was the question why “in key cases such as the recent ISO 45001 (OHSAS 18001)” with its 3 year time frame the development of that standard was not put on fast track. It was recommended to clarify and promote the fast-track as it is not well known or understood. “It was however felt that it was not suitable for controversial subjects.”
Adctually, it is clear that ISO 45001 is controversial. However, the “ISO 45001 (OHSAS 18001)” could imply that there is no big difference between OHSAS 18001 and ISO 45001. But the standards are quite different. Interestingly, some elements of OHSAs 18001 which are missing in ISO 45001 did not enter the controversy yet. Didn’t anybody notice that there is no definition like “Ill health: Identifiable, adverse physical or mental condition arising from and/or made worse by a work activity and/or work-related situation” in the ISO 45001 Committee Draft anymore? And in the definition of “incident”, the “(regardless of severity)” in “ill health (regardless of severity)” is gone.
[...] ISO 45001 is to be based upon the OHSAS 18001 standard. The current version – OHSAS 18001:2007 is used as the basis for occupational health and safety management systems in thousands of companies around the world. The proposed standard is significantly different from OHSAS 18001; the structure, format and terminology of the new standard will be substantially altered. [...]
2015-03: The 2nd committee draft still is significantly different from OHSAS 18001:2007. The high level structure (HLS) may be seen by formalists as an improvement compared to what OHSAS 18001 offers. But from the employees’ point of view, the content gives them less enforcable protection.
This is about the terms “ill health” and “incident” in the first draft of ISO 45001.
(See also clauses 3.8 and 3.9 in OHSAS 18001:2007.)
Ill health
ISO 45001: The first draft of ISO 45001 explains in line 322, that the overall objective of the OH&S management system is to prevent injury or ill health arising out of, linked with or occurring in the course of work. But there is no definition of “ill health”. (In clause 3.09 the draft states, that “occupational diseases are a type of ill health”, but that doesn’t define “ill health”.)
OHSAS 18001: In clause 3.8 of OHSAS 18001:2007 “ill health” is defined as “Identifiable, adverse physical or mental condition arising from and/or made worse by a work activity and/or work-related situation.”
ISO 45001: In clause 3.19A of the ISO 45001 draft, “incident” is defined as “occurrence arising out of or in the course of work that could or does result in death, injury or ill health”.
OHSAS 18001: In clause 3.9 of OHSAS 18001:2007, “incident” is defined as “Work-related event(s) in which an injury or ill health (regardless of severity) or fatality occurred, or could have occurred.” In ISO 45001 there is no “(regardless of severity)”.
Even though ISO 45001 claims that the overall objective of the OH&S management system is to prevent injury or ill health, the important terms “ill health” and “injury” are not defined in “3 Terms and definitions”. How strange! In OHSAS 18001:2007 there is a definition at least for “Ill health”. Without that good and important definition, ISO 45001 already is in ill health.
The word “mental” only appears once in the ISO 45001 draft. “An organization is responsible for ensuring its people are able to work in a manner that is safe and which protects their physical and mental health.” But that is not part of the standard. You find it in the introduction only (clause “0.1 Background”). So there is no mentioning of mental health in the standard, although this is a very hot topic in these days.
The omission of “(regardless of severity)” is interesting. I know of a large OHSAS 18001 certified European company where the OH&S manual had been upgraded from OHSAS 18001:1999 to OHSAS 18001:2007. Seemingly “(regardless of severity)” didn’t suit them too well, so they just dropped it from the definition of the term “incident” in their OH&S manual. The CAB didn’t mind, but an employee addressed that to the works council. The employer could be convinced to use the complete definition as it can be found in clause 3.9 of OHSAS 18001:2007. A mentioning of “Ill health” in the definition of “Incident” in ISO 45001 without “”(regardless of severity)” makes it easier for employers to avoid the registration and investigation of an “incident” which could or does result in ill health. Especially if mental ill health regardless of severity could have been caused by an incident, the employer may not want to have such incidents to be mentioned in his OH&S reports.
Clause 3.19A (Definition von “incident”) in the first draft of ISO 45001: http://drafts.bsigroup.com/Home/View/3311599 (not online anymore)
