CERTIFICATION JUNE 2019
ROUTE 45001
When global technology company Fujitsu
set out to achieve the ISO 45001 health
and safety standard, it turned to the
expertise of Make UK’s Business division
BY CHRIS BECK
For a global business with regional
structures that cross continents, cultures
and legal frameworks, introducing the
risk-based health and safety standard
ISO 45001 and then supporting each
individual company within the entire
organisation is no mean feat. However, leading
international information technology company
Fujitsu recognised this standard was a gamechanger,
aligning occupational health and safety
management systems with business strategy.
In April 2019, Fujitsu was the first
organisation to be awarded the ISO 45001
standard from global testing, inspection and
certification expert Bureau Veritas.
With over 140,000 employees in more than
100 countries, Fujitsu applies its own core values
of innovation and life-enrichment to sustain a
highly focused workforce safety philosophy.
This translates into an organisational culture
that is systemically intolerant of accidents,
incidents and poor safety performance.
Partnering with Make
Business (formerly EEF),
Fujitsu targeted ISO 45001 as
a key landmark. The company
was awarded the new standard
earlier this year.
Its achievement rests on
major contributions from
Fujitsu’s head of health and
safety, Simon Head, and Make
Business’ health, safety and
sustainability lead, Ian Cooke.
Through their eyes we explore
the rationale behind the
certification; key challenges
identified, and how they were
solved; and, not least, lessons
learned, and value created.
Why 45001? Fujitsu’s
path to certification
Fujitsu’s quest for 45001
extends light-years beyond
ticking some ‘new box’. As Make
Business’ Ian Cooke observes:
“For Fujitsu, traditional OH&S
concerns such as systems,
compliance and normative
guidelines are necessary but
far from sufficient.”
ISO 45001 replaces OHSAS
18001 and offers everyone an
ownership stake by assigning
prominent roles to both toplevel
leadership and active
workforce involvement.
Establishing the legal
framework
Fujitsu identified ISO 45001
as a route to business wide
consistency and over a period
of nine months, worked with
Make Business to re-write
the management standard to
address the organisation’s legal
and language requirements in
over 100 territories.
Simon Head recalls: “There
was much head-scratching.
We lacked an underpinning
Simon Head
(pictured below
right with Make
UK CEO Stephen
Phipson) led
Fujitu’s journey
towards the ISO
45001 standard
45001
takes a risk-based
approach to health
and safety
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