BS 18004:2008

BS 18004:2008 provides guidance for an occupational health and safety (OH&S) management system or the OH&S elements of an organization?s overall management system, to enable an organizationto control its OH&S risks and improve its OH&S performance. It does not state specific OH&S performance criteria, nor does it give detailedspecifications for the design of a management system.BS 18004:2008 is applicable to any organization that wishes to:a)establish an OH&S management system to control risks to personnel and other interested parties who could be exposed to OH&S hazards associated with its activities, facilities, processes or plant;b) implement, maintain and continually improve an OH&Smanagement system;c) demonstrate commitment to good practice, includingself?regulation, and continual improvement in OH&S performance;d) assure itself of its conformity with its stated OH&S policy and with BS OHSAS 18001 by:1) making a self-determination and self-declaration; or2) seeking confirmation of its conformity by parties having an interest in the organization, such as customers; or3) seeking confirmation of its self-declaration by a party external to the organization; or4) seeking certification/registration of its OH&S management system by an external organization.All elements in BS 18004:2008 are intended to be incorporated into any OH&S management system and to enable an organization to incorporate OH&S within its overall management system. The extent of the application will depend on such factors as the OH&S policy of the organization, the nature of its activities and the risks and complexity of its operations.BS 18004:2008 is intended to address occupational health and safety, and is not intended to address other health and safety areas, such as worker wellbeing/wellness programmes, product safety, propertydamage or environmental impacts.BS 18004:2008 is intended for use by organizations of all sizes, regardless of the nature of their activities. It is intended that its applicationis proportional to the circumstances and needs of the particular organization. Further guidance for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) will be provided in BS 18005, a new standard in preparation.NOTE Annex A gives information about integrating a BS OHSAS 18001 management system within the overall business risk management system. Annex B and Annex C provide guidance on implementing, operating andpromoting and effective OH&S management system. Annex D covers setting objectives and planning and implementing OH&S programmes. Annex E gives guidance on risk assessment and control and Annex Fdiscusses operational control. Occupational health is discussed in Annex G, while Annex H provides advice on how to involve workers. Information on emergency preparedness and response is given in Annex I. Annex Jdiscusses how to measure performance. Incident investigation is discussed in Annex K. Annex L gives guidance on the process of internal audit.Cross References:BS EN ISO 9000:2005BS EN ISO 9001:2008BS EN ISO 14001:2004BS EN ISO 19011:2002BS OHSAS 18001:2007BS OHSAS 18002PAS 99ILO-OSH:2001 HSE HSG 65HSE INDG 406:2005.HSE MISC 714:2005HSG 218:2005HSE Managing work-related stress: A guide for managers andteachers in schools 1998