Occupational risk management under the OHSAS 18001 standard: analysis of perceptions and attitudes of certified firms

‘Occupational risk management under the OHSAS 18001 standard: analysis of perceptions and attitudes of certified firms’ (Fernández–Muñiz, Montes-Peón, Vázquez-Ordás, 2012) examines the reasons why firms implement the Occupational Health & Safety standard OHSAS 18001, identifies the obstacles they have to overcome to obtain certification and analyses their perceptions and attitudes about the audit process. This research was based a survey of 131 OHSAS 18001 certified organisations, 42% of the 307 Spanish companies contacted.

Of these 131 companies, 29% are classified as small (<50 employees) 52% as medium (50-249 employees) with the remaining 19% large (>249 employees). By sector, 38% were industrial, 37% construction and 22% service. As well as 100% being certified to OHSAS 18001, 97% had ISO 9001 certificates and 91% had ISO 14001 certificate.

Main reasons for adopting OHSAS 18001:

• Prevent accidents and incidents 90% (state as very important)
• Improve well-being of employees in workplace 82%
• Integrate safety into corporate strategy 82%
• Maintain socially responsible behaviour 79%

Main obstacles to success were felt to be:

• Limited human and material resources
• Need for extra training
• High cost of certification

Perceived benefits of the audit process:

• Makes it easier for firms to comply with legal obligations 79% agree
• Improves organisations and documentation systems 78%
• Improves corporate image 67%

The two key conclusions the report makes are, ‘The Audit process helps firms comply with their legal obligations, and improve their corporate image since the certificate is a source of positive publicity for the firm’.

Reference

• Fernández–Muñiz, B., Montes-Peón, J.M., Vázquez-Ordás, C.J., ‘Occupational risk management under the OHSAS 18001 standard: analysis of perceptions and attitudes of certified firms’, Journal of Cleaner Production, Volume 24, March 2012, Pages 36–47

University of Oviedo, Spain – Fernández-Muñiz, Montes-Peón, Vázquez-Ordás