Overview

The Coronavirus pandemic is a time of uncertainty and challenge for all organizations and the workers that work there. Keeping safe and healthy in the workplace is important at any time, but even more so in times like these.

Business activities have been turned upside down not only in the Philippines but around the world during this pandemic. The key challenges of keeping businesses afloat as well as managing safety and security at work have become the prime directive. This is also true for workers that can work and those who will need to prepare for their eventual return to work. All across the world, governments and organizations are taking measures to contain the virus by limiting person to person contact by social distancing. Many organizations such as cafes, bars and places where people gather and congregate have shut down completely and many companies are requiring people to work from home where they can. However, not all workers such as those providing health care, medicine, food, transport, security, or other essential services can do this. It is impossible to implement the recommended level of social distancing to protect workers physical health in many cases specifically the frontliners.

ILOs World Day for Safety and Health at Work last April 28 had the theme Stop the pandemic: Safety and health at work can save lives. They recognized the immediate and unique challenges that all organizations face and raised awareness on the importance of effective occupational health and safety services. The aim was to stimulate national tripartite dialogue on safety and health at work. The ILO used this day to raise awareness on the adoption of safe practices in workplaces and the role that occupational safety and health (OSH) services play. it focused on the medium to long-term, including recovery and future preparedness, in particular, integrating measures into OSH management systems and policies at the national and enterprise levels.

ISO 45001:2018 and Covid-19

ISO 45001:2018 can provide a framework to help organizations manage the different risks to their workers health and safety. Many of the core principles of good OHS management set out in ISO 45001 are extremely relevant during this pandemic: leadership and commitment from the top are paramount, assessing health risks of workers and ensuring that workers remain engaged, having clear communication throughout the organization will encourage safe and healthy working practices that can protect the health, safety, and well-being of workers, guests and all affected stakeholders while at work.

An organization needs to monitor the impact on workers with changes in the ways of working in response to COVID-19. Organizations must help workers adapt by offering practical support and prioritize what needs to be done. They must adapt the current roles and responsibilities if needed to encourage workers to support one another. An example of this would be checking on each others well-being while at work.

Workplace health, however, is not limited to physical safety and well-being. The stresses and fears that this period has induced impact us all. Workers everywhere could be affected by the prevailing uncertainty and their working environment plays a vital role in reducing this.

A companion standard to ISO 45001:2018, ISO/DIS 45003 - Occupational health and safety management Psychological health and safety at work: managing psychosocial risks Guidelines is currently under development. This draft international standard (DIS) according to the ISO website will be available for public consultation sometime in late 2020 or 2021. The current working draft already contains useful guidance that organizations can already implement to help manage the psychosocial risks associated with the pandemic and the activities in the New Normal. The DIS talks about prioritizing tasks and allowing flexible time frames for completion increasing workers control over the way they do their work, enabling workers to control the pace of work tasks, providing greater access to social support such as video conferencing, social media groups, phone calls, etc., providing specific instructions on how to manage foreseeable risks, encouraging and acknowledging workers as well as recognizing that different workers have differing needs.

Organizations need to see that providing appropriate personal protective equipment, implementing physical barriers to protect workers from hazards wherever possible allowing sufficient breaks to manage fatigue, recognition, and reward is in place where there are workers who are unable to work from home.

Strategic Summary Take-away for Organizations

ISO 45001:2018 is applicable to any organization that wishes to establish, implement and maintain an OHS management system to improve occupational health and safety, eliminate hazards and minimize OHS (including system deficiencies), take advantage of OHS opportunities, and address OHS management system nonconformities associated with its activities.

ISO 45001:2018 helps an organization to achieve the intended outcomes of its OHS management system. Consistent with the organizations OHS policy, the intended outcomes of an OHS management system include:

Continual improvement of OHS performance; Fulfillment of legal requirements and other requirements; Achievement of OHS objectives.

As the popular states- SAFETY first, establishing and integrating ISO 45001 to any organizations business process is a timely and valuable strategy in addressing SAFETY in the workplace at the time of this COVID-19 crisis.

We would like to advocate and partner with you as we rally on the implementation of S.A.F.E.T.Y. –

S- Systematic approach for organizational leadership to assess OHS risk and opportunities, monitor and review safety performance and set objectives for continual improvement within the context of organizational activities.

A-Adoption of the high-level structure that enables organizations to integrate ISO 45001 with existing ISO 9001 Quality and ISO 14001 Environmental Management Systems. This approach has reduced the complexity of multiple clauses requirements across different standards applications, saving time and resources

F-Facilitate a supportive and helping relationship on ensuring commitment to safety and health standards compliance and implementation, forging a culture of care and win-win solutions by all stakeholders (interested parties) from management, employees, suppliers, customers and the community.

E-Ensure effective implementation of occupational and health safety programs, projects and activities, either in partnership for internal committees or thru value-adding external experts and consultants.

T-Total and trusted support of QMS processes including timely and accurate tracking of data and analysis thru both internal and external audit programs that provide scrutiny and effectiveness of OHS processes, documented information controls, and input to actions and decisions thru management review process.

Y-Yielding greater organizational performance results that will continuously and consistently improve products and services, increased productivity and bottom- line organizations growth and sustainability. It boosts the organizations reputation as a SAFE PLACE to WORK leading to a greater commitment and social responsibility and making everyone happy BEYOND BLESSED!

The Contributors

This article was jointly contributed by Dr. Benito C. Castillo Jr. EdD, the President and CEO and Jun Villalon, the COO of BCJA Training and Consultancy. They have a combined experience of over 20 years in management, consultancy, training and development.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact them through info@bcjaconsultancy.com