Year | Happening | |
1760 | - | Prior to the Industrial Revolution in 1760, it was the norm for people to make a living through agriculture or through making and selling products and goods from home. With the new and fast developments in machinery and manufacturing processes, the world began to move towards a society fuelled by mass production and the factory system. People began to flock to the cities because of increased opportunities for work in the new mills and factories. With the vast number of people looking for work, coupled with the high demand for cheap labour, led to poor pay, hazardous factory conditions, working hours were long, working conditions were dangerous, with many losing their lives at work. And also an increase in child labour work was particularly dangerous for children who would work from as young as four and sometimes over 12 hours a day. Many were used to climbing under machinery which would often result in loss of limbs and digits, while others were crushed and some decapitated. A lack of health and safety makes people vulnerable to dangerous work conditions and exposure to poisonous and toxic materials and substances also meant that many people would develop occupational diseases and illnesses and die. An outcry over this devastation led to the need for the introduction of many occupational health and safety regulations. |
Before 1999 | - | Before 1999, there were many standards and specifications for managing safety and health in the workplace:
An international collaboration called the Occupational Health and Safety Assessment Series (OHSAS) Project Group was formed to create a single unified approach. |
1999 | - | As a result, in 1999 OHSAS 18001 was published. |
2007 | - | OHSAS 18001 was updated in July 2007. |
2018 | - | ISO 45001:2018 standard was published. Since the publication of the International Standard for Occupational Health and Safety Management System, OHSAS 18001 standard was cancelled and replaced by ISO 45001:2018. |
2021 | - | The companies and organizations which were certified to OHSAS 18001 were given a grace period of 3 years to migrate to ISO 45001. As of March 2021, companies and organizations should have migrated to ISO 45001 to retain a valid certification, although ISO has extended the transition period for up to six months (to 11 September 2021) for organizations adversely affected by COVID-19. |