Continual improvement of an OH&S MS based on ISO 45001
Domain 6 - Continual improvement of an OH&S MS based on ISO 45001
This domain tests clause 10: incident and nonconformity management, corrective action and continual improvement. The exam looks for cause analysis, effectiveness verification and systemic learning.
Core rules
- Incident includes near misses as well as events causing injury or ill health. Incidents must be reported, recorded, investigated and analysed.
- Nonconformity requires reaction and correction, evaluation of the need for corrective action, root-cause analysis, action, review of effectiveness and updating of risks.
- Correction fixes the immediate problem; corrective action addresses causes so the problem does not recur. Containment may be needed in the short term.
- Investigation should involve workers and consider technical, organizational, behavioural and management-system factors, not just individual error.
- Continual improvement (10.3) means improving suitability, adequacy and effectiveness and enhancing OH&S performance, using performance evaluation, audit, incident and opportunity data.
- Improvement does not have to cover everything at once, but it must be demonstrated and sustained.
Worked example
A press operator sustains a hand injury. The guard was removed because it slowed production. Correction: treat the injury and refit the guard. Root cause: no interlock, production pressure and inadequate supervision. Corrective actions: fit an interlocked guard, review production targets, train supervisors, update the risk assessment and audit similar presses. Effectiveness is reviewed after three months using near-miss reports and observations. Retraining the operator alone would not address the system causes.
Traps
Closing a corrective action without checking effectiveness; blaming the worker; recording a near miss as a non-event; failing to update hazard and risk information; and treating continual improvement as a one-off project.