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Employee well-being and health and safety are just as important to SMEs as they are to bigger businesses, but any SME wanting to certify its OHSMS (Operational Health and Safety Management System) to ISO 45001 will face some major and unique obstacles. So, what are the three primary difficulties, and what realistic actions can a small business take to overcome them?
We discussed the overall challenges that an organization may face during the journey to ISO 45001 compliance and certification in a previous article, How to define ISO 45001 OHSMS Certification objectives and plans, and while these remain valid, there are indeed some significantly more basic challenges that the SME may face. Let's take a closer look at them.
1. We can't afford the cost. Most SMEs operate on a shoestring budget, making the expense of creating an OHSMS and achieving ISO 45001 certification a significant consideration. This was covered in the previous post, how much does ISO 45001 Cost .While there is undeniably a time and money cost, there are nearly always subsequent benefits that ensure the initial investment is returned many times over. For example, ISO 45001 certification frequently implies that SMEs may compete for the same contracts as bigger businesses - for many tenders in many industries, I have ISO 45001 certification. ISO 45001 is a basic need – and in many circumstances, securing one of these contracts can give a sufficient financial return to justify the cost of certifying your OHSMS. In other words, a SMEs cannot be seen as inferior to a bigger company; nevertheless, if the larger business has ISO 45001 certification and the SMEs does not, the SMEs is unlikely to obtain contracts in that environment. Another important factor to consider is: If an SME suffers a major accident or is found to violate local legislation, the financial penalties can be far greater than the initial cost of implementing ISO 45001, and this, combined with the potential loss of reputation that accidents and legislation violations bring, makes ISO 45001 a wise decision. Another factor to consider is that financial support is available in many regions for SMEs contemplating such critical projects as ISO 45001 implementation, therefore it is always worthwhile to inquire with your local governmental agencies.
2. We lack the necessary knowledge. It stands to reason that an SME will have fewer employees than a larger company, therefore the chances of an SME having a dedicated OH&S specialist are lower than those of a larger firm. So, where do you begin? To begin, get the ISO 45001 standard and familiarize yourself with its criteria. Second, think about appointing a project manager to the implementation project. We evaluated who would be most suited for this work, and you are likely to have someone in your company who fits at least part of the requirements. There are also several online resources available to help you increase your knowledge levels, and you may contact karthiga@wizms.net for assistance in bridging the gap between your present skill set and the level your SME requires.
3. We lack the necessary resources and time to make it work. This is, once again, a widespread issue. The good news is that an efficiently operated OHSMS does not require a large number of resources or time to maintain - as long as OH&S is regarded as vital and appreciated by all workers, and responsibilities are planned, shared, and assigned. In a recent post, we discussed the advantages of ISO 45001 certification and offered some tips on how to create a health and safety culture. Similarly, ensuring your employees have the appropriate knowledge, training, and awareness will not only improve your OH&S performance, but will also equip employees to participate in risk identification and assessment, participate in OH&S forums and meetings, and make suggestions to improve the performance of your SME. Additional information on this topic may be found in the article ISO 45001 Certification Requirements for Companies.
While there are obstacles for the SMEs trying to adopt ISO 45001, the potential outnumber the expenses almost invariably. Most forward-thinking SMEs will recognize that if contract criteria of potential customers and government entities are not satisfied, and compliance with regulations is not attained, the expansion will be extremely difficult. By adopting ISO 45001 in various industries, the forward-thinking SMEs should be able to identify the chance to gain a competitive advantage over its peers by applying the standard and demonstrating to potential clients a good OH&S record. Given that it is well known that adopting ISO 45001 improves employee engagement, loyalty, and trust, the advantages to your SMEs will be reflected both in the financial health of your firm and in the health and well-being of your expanding workforce. Why not begin your ISO 45001 certification implementation right away?
Wizms is one of Dubai's top auditing firms, providing the best auditing services to get ISO Certification in UAE. If you are looking for ISO 45001 certification in the UAE, please visit Wizms' page. ISO Certification in UAE is the most widely used Certification Standard among UAE businesses of all sizes. Wizms provides ISO Certification in Dubai for all major standards such as ISO 9001:2015, ISO 14001:2015, ISO 27001:2015, ISO 17025, ISO 45001:2018, and others. In this article gives more details about How to choose the right ISO consultants in Dubai.