Siemens Healthcare has been awarded The British Standards Institute (BSI) certificate for Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems, OHSAS 18001. The accreditation is given to companies who have successfully implemented an Occupational Health and Safety Management System (OHSMS) as part of their risk management strategy to address changing legislation and to protect their workforce.
To achieve accreditation, the Siemens Healthcare UK business has been vigorously and comprehensively assessed through eleven assessments by external specialist OH&S auditors. These assessments included Technical Customer Services, product installation, PFI operations, Medical stores, both PETNET Solutions sites and the Head office in Frimley.
One of the most pleasing outcomes from the accreditation was the inclusion of PETNET Solutions into the scope of registration. PETNET Solutions are still relatively new to Siemens and present us with significant and unique OH&S challenges.
What is an OHSMS?
An OHSMS promotes a safe and healthy working environment by providing a framework that allows organisations to consistently identify and control its health and safety risks, reduce the potential for accidents, aid legislative compliance and improve overall performance.
OHSAS 18001 is the internationally recognised assessment specification for occupational health and safety management systems. It was developed by a selection of leading trade bodies, international standards and certification bodies.
The standard has been updated to BS OHSAS 18001:2007 to parallel ISO 14001 and ISO 9000 for more consistency and to enable easier integration of environment, quality and health and safety management systems into one.
OHSAS 18001 can be adopted by any organisation wishing to implement a formal procedure to reduce the risks associated with health and safety in the working environment for employees, customers and the general public.
The following key areas are addressed by OHSAS 18001:
• Planning for hazard identification, risk assessment and risk control
• OHSAS management programme
• Structure and responsibility
• Training, awareness and competence
• Consultation and communication
• Operational control
• Emergency preparedness and response
• Performance measuring, monitoring and improvement
For more information please contact:
Siemens Healthcare
T: 01276 696000
E: medmarketing.med.gb@siemens.com
W: http://www.siemens.co.uk/healthcare
