ISO 45001 replaces BS OHSAS 18001 as the national standard for the management of occupational health and safety. The new global standard places greater emphasis on interaction between companies and the wider business environment, as well as on the role of top level leadership and management in ensuring the integration into business systems of practices and procedures to minimise risks to health in the workplace. It also stipulates greater consultation and participation of employees in these processes.
The accreditation follows a successful audit of F. Ball’s management systems earlier in the year. UK companies are required to migrate to the new standard by March 2021, when the old one will be officially withdrawn.
Commenting on the certification, F. Ball managing director Mark Hughes, said: “The health and safety of everyone who interacts with our business is of paramount importance to F. Ball, which is why we are so pleased our stringent practices and procedures for managing risks have been recognised with ISO 45001 accreditation two years before the official deadline for migration.”