OHASA18001 Certification

OHSAS 18000 Occupational Health and Safety Management System is an international standard jointly launched in 1999 by 13 organizations including the British Standards Institution (BSI) and Det Norske Veritas (DNV). It serves as the foundation for organizations (enterprises) to establish their occupational health and safety management systems and is also used for internal audits and assessments.

1. Introduction

The OHSAS 18000 Occupational Health and Safety Management System is an international standard jointly launched in 1999 by 13 organizations, including the British Standards Institution (BSI) and Det Norske Veritas (DNV). It provides the foundation for organizations (enterprises) to establish occupational health and safety management systems and serves as the primary basis for internal audits and certification body audits. Following the adoption of ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 standards, it has become another focal point in international management system standards.

The OHSAS 18000 series of standards, along with the resulting occupational health and safety management system certification system, has become a globally popular certification standard in recent years. The OHSAS 18000 series, introduced by BSI, DNV, and other organizations in 1999, functioned as a de facto international standard before ISO developed its own standards. The OHSAS 18001 standard is the certification standard within this series and provides the foundation for establishing an occupational health and safety management system. It is also the primary basis for internal audits and certification body audits.

China adopted the standard on November 12, 2000, as a national standard: GB/T 28001:2001 idt OHSAS 18001:1999 “Occupational Health and Safety Management System Requirements.” On December 20 of the same year, the National Economic and Trade Commission introduced the “Occupational Health and Safety Management System Audit Guidelines” and began the certification of occupational health and safety management systems in China. The national standard was updated to GB/T 28001:2011 on December 30, 2011, aligning with the OHSAS 18001:2007 version (English) and was implemented on February 1, 2012.

2. OHSAS 18001:2007 Application Conditions

  1. Business License Validity: The institution’s business license must be valid for more than 3 months.
  2. Address Consistency: For manufacturing enterprises, the address on the business license must match the address of the site being audited.
  3. Industry Qualifications: Relevant industry qualifications must be provided (e.g., production licenses, 3C certificates, gas appliance production licenses, construction licenses, etc.).
  4. Scope of Business: The business license must cover the scope of operations relevant to the certification.
  5. Property Fire Safety Documents: Fire safety inspection documents for the property must be provided.

3. OHSAS 18001:2007 Certification Process

The certification process typically involves several key steps, which may include:

  1. Application Submission: Submit an application for certification along with required documentation and fees.
  2. Pre-audit (Optional): Conduct a pre-audit to assess current compliance and identify areas needing improvement.
  3. Stage 1 Audit: Perform an initial audit to review the management system’s documentation and readiness for the main audit.
  4. Stage 2 Audit: Conduct a comprehensive audit to assess the implementation and effectiveness of the management system.
  5. Audit Report: Review the audit findings and prepare a report detailing compliance and any non-conformities.
  6. Certification Decision: The certification body reviews the audit report and makes a decision on certification.
  7. Issuance of Certificate: If compliance is confirmed, the certification body issues an OHSAS 18001:2007 certificate.
  8. Surveillance Audits: Periodic surveillance audits are conducted to ensure ongoing compliance and effectiveness of the management system.