Global certification firm Bureau Veritas said ISO 45001, which is available to manufacturers now, offered a single set of requirements to help firms implement systems to proactively prevent work-related injury and ill health.
An estimated 2.78m people die annually as a result of occupational accidents or work-related diseases – in addition to 374m non-fatal, work-related injuries and illnesses every year, it claimed.
The new standards come into force in March 2021.
Gregg Elwell, UK technical manager for Bureau Veritas, said: “Although ISO 45001 will only come into effect following a three-year transitional period, we would urge businesses to embrace the new standard ahead of time to ensure they are promoting absolute best practice.”
Bureau Veritas has launched a white paper, ‘Understanding the Transition to ISO 45001’, detailing how the standard can help improve workplace safety.