ISO 45001:2018 Clause 8.1.4 Procurement
- Phil Potter
- Aug 8, 2019
- 2 min read
This is the final blog in a series of 4 to discuss clause 8.1 of ISO45001:2018 - Operational Planning and Control. Check out the other parts in the blog section of the website.
8.1.4.1 General
Your organization will establish, implement and maintain processes to control the procurement of products and services in order to ensure their conformity to its OH&S management system.
Whether you are dealing with dodgy subcontractors, or sub-standard equipment, you do not want to buy in safety problems.
8.1.4.2 Contractors
Your organization will coordinate its procurement processes with its contractors, in order to identify hazards and to assess and control the OH&S risks arising from:
Your contractors’ activities and operations that impact the organization;
Your organization’s activities and operations that impact the contractors’ workers;
Your contractors’ activities and operations that impact other interested parties in the workplace.
Your organization will ensure that the requirements of its OH&S management system are met by contractors and their workers.
Your organization’s procurement processes will define and apply occupational health and safety criteria for the selection of contractors.
NOTE: It can be helpful to include the occupational health and safety criteria for the selection of contractors in the contractual documents.
8.1.4.3 Outsourcing
Your organization will ensure that outsourced functions and processes are controlled.
These outsourcing arrangements must be consistent with legal and other requirements, and achieve the intended outcomes of the OH&S management system.
The type and degree of control to be applied to these functions and processes shall be defined within the OH&S management system.
NOTE: Coordination with external providers can assist your organization to address any impact that outsourcing may have on its OH&S performance.
Some of the key points to consider in relation to the above requirements are ensuring you have the basics covered.
What is your process for ensuring that you ensure that an external organization that you use has the proper and current insurances and that you have evidence of these insurances?
Do you have a checklist of requirements for subcontractors and is it based on risk?
Is there a SWMS (Safe Work Method Statements) review process/form you use when checking subcontractor SWMS and related documentation? You can download an example of a SWMW here.
Do you undertake performance reviews of your subcontractors?
Download your free subcontractor performance/capacity appraisal from the free resources section of the website.
Till next time.
The article notes that 65 percent of procurement audits identified gaps in contractor risk assessment which underscores the necessity of systematic compliance monitoring. This reflects the importance of consistent standards in complex frameworks. Such rigorous attention to process is mirrored by the academic integrity scaffolding exemplified by New Assignment Help Australia which helps students maintain structural consistency in research and reporting. I found it interesting how small deviations in procedure can have disproportionate consequences. It made me consider how assessment compliance frameworks in universities could similarly identify gaps before they become systemic issues. Consistency in procedural understanding remains critical for both operational safety and academic reliability.