This “Occupational Health and Safety Annex to DQS Assessment and Certification Regulations” applies to all assessment and certification services offered and rendered to clients of the international DQS Group according to ISO 45001 under the ANAB Accreditation of DQS Inc. These regulations are only valid in combination with the general DQS Assessment and Certification Regulation available in English language DQS - DQS Group Auditing and Certification Rules (dqsglobal.com) or upon request from every DQS office.
2. Program Requirements
For Clients applying for ISO 45001 certification, the additional terms and conditions apply:
a) Any organization failing to demonstrate their initial or ongoing commitment to legal compliance, shall not be certified or continued to be certified as meeting the requirements of an OHS management system standard by DQS.
b) Deliberate or consistent non-compliance shall be considered a serious failure to support the policy commitment to achieving legal compliance and shall preclude certification or cause an existing OHS management system standard certificate to be suspended, or withdrawn.
c) For customers applying for or registered to ISO 45001, the organization must, without delay, notify DQS of the occurrence of any serious incidents or breaches of regulation necessitating the involvement of a competent regulatory authority. (IAF MD 22 G 8.5.3)
d) Independently from the involvement of a competent regulatory authority, should such an event occur, a special audit by DQS may be necessary in order to investigate and ensure that the management system has not been compromised and did function in an effective manner DQS will document the outcome of its investigation using standard reporting methods for a special assessment. (IAF MD 22 G 9.6.4.2)
e) DQS will use this information as the basis for a determination of actions to be taken, which may include suspension or withdrawal of the certification in cases where it can be demonstrated that the system seriously failed to meet the OH&S certification requirements. (IAF MD 22 G 9.6.5.2)
f) Where the organization may not be in legal compliance, it shall be able to demonstrate it has activated an implementation plan to achieve full compliance within a declared date, supported by a documented agreement with the regulator, wherever possible for the different national conditions. The successful implementation of this plan shall be considered as a priority within the OH&SMS.
g) DQS may still grant certification but shall seek objective evidence to confirm that the organization’s OH&SMS:
i. is capable of achieving the required compliance through full implementation of the above implementation plan within the due date,
ii. has addressed all hazards and OH&S risks to workers and other exposed personnel and that there are no activities, processes or situations that can or will lead to a serious injury and/or ill-health, and
iii. during the transitional period has put in place the necessary actions to ensure that the OH&S risk is reduced and controlled.
h) If the facilities and work areas are subject to closure, the OH&S risks change, as there may no longer be the same risks to employees, but there may be new risks applicable to members of the public (e.g.: in case of lack of suitable maintenance and surveillance activities). DQS shall verify that the management system continues to meet the OHS management system standard and to be effectively implemented in respect of the closed facilities and work areas, and, if not, suspend the certificate.
i) OHS customers choosing to use the UL Registered Firm Mark must update all materials bearing the mark to reflect the current standard to which they are registered within one year of the date of upgrade. Proper use of the registered firm mark is detailed in QF-0907-08; Conditions for Use of the Registered Firm Marks, Accreditation Marks, and Statement of Conformity.
