Essar Projects successfully re-certified with latest standards of ISO certification

Essar Projects have recently, successfully re-certified their Integrated Management Systems (IMS), ISO 9001:2015 (Quality), and ISO 14001:2015 (Environmental) for all business units and projects worldwide. As part of the re-certification process the decision was also made to migrate from the occupational health and safety standard (OH&S), OSHAS 18001:2015, to the latest globally recognized international OH&S standard ISO 45001:2018, a decision not taken lightly considering the immense challenges being presented by the ongoing Global COVID-19 Pandemic.

An external audit was conducted remotely by a team of business certification auditors from DNV GL through an online digital conferencing platform, currently an approved method being utilized due to the many restrictions imposed on international travel. DNV GL audit team were pleased to observe no major findings and subsequently recommended Essar Projects be awarded certification for ISO 45001:2018.

ISO 45001 is a globally recognized standard published by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) that specifies requirements for an occupational health and safety (OH&S) management system and marks a significant step forward in the overall effort to improve occupational health and safety (OHS) worldwide. ISO 45001 supersedes previous occupational health and safety standards, including OHSAS 18001.

To remain competitive in today’s global marketplace, organisations such as Essar Projects must proactively manage all types of risk to the business, and occupational health and safety is no exception. ISO 45001 is expected to provide new impetus for occupational health and safety practices in the organisation and will help to improve safety for employees and contractors alike, this translates into additional opportunities for protecting and promoting worker’s health and performance, as well as a sustainable improvement of employee motivation.

Key improvements gained from ISO 45001:

• ISO 45001 implements the ‘high-level structure’, giving it a common framework with other management systems, such as ISO 9001 and ISO 14001.
• ISO 45001 places great emphasis on the responsibility of senior management, a key strategy to improving safety culture. This aspect has already been implemented in the revised ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 standards.
• ISO 45001 explicitly includes persons who are not permanently employed but are in other ways working under the responsibility of the organization/company, such as subcontractors, as well as processes that have been outsourced in their entirety.

Being successfully awarded ISO 45001 certification, demonstrates Essar Projects dedication and continued commitment to deliver exceptional customer service whilst ensuring the safety of all stakeholders remains at the forefront of our activities at all times.