Subic Bay Freeport—The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) passed the Stage 1 audit for the ISO 45001:2018 standard, also known as the Occupational Health and Safety Management System (OHSMS), on October 20.
SBMA Chairman and Administrator Eduardo Jose L. Aliño lauded the efforts of the OHSMS Team headed by Dr. Solomon Jacalne, Manager of the Public Health and Safety Department (PHSD) and OHSMS management representative, for creating the OHSMS for SBMA.
“The SBMA is already certified in two international standards—the ISO 9001, the Quality Management Systems, and the ISO 14001, which is the Environmental Management Systems. As we strive to provide better services for our stakeholders, we are now into complying with the ISO 45001 standards,” Aliño said.
He added that the documentation for ISO 45001:2018 is an additional certification to strengthen the SBMA’s operations. This is in addition to Republic Act 11058, also known as “An act strengthening compliance with occupational safety and health standards and providing penalties for violations thereof,” and Joint Memorandum Circular no. 1 s. 2020, also known as the “Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Standards for the public sector of the Civil Service Commission, Department of Health, and Department of Labor.
According to Jacalne, the ISO 45001:2018 standard is to provide a framework for managing OH&S risks and opportunities. The aim and intended outcomes of the OH&S management system are to prevent work-related injuries and illnesses in workers and to provide safe and healthy workplaces. It is critically important for the organization to eliminate hazards and minimize OH&S risks by taking effective preventive and protective measures to improve OH&S performance.
“It basically aims to reduce risks in the workplace and improve employee safety and health as it develops proactive measures for health and safety,” Jacalne shared.
During the Stage 1 audit, Jacalne said that SBMA managed to pass the audit conducted online by the DQS Certification Phils. Inc. with a few opportunities for improvement (OFIs) findings.
DQS Certification Phils. Inc., which has been certifying the SBMA compliance since 2018, is a subsidiary of the DQS Group based in Germany, operating in more than 60 countries.
Meanwhile, during the “Talakayan sa Freeport,” a media forum organized by the SBMA Corporate
Communications group, safety and preparedness were tackled by Fire Chief Ranny Magno, PHSD
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Medical Services Division Chief Dr. Arlene Cesa, and Law Enforcement Department (LED) manager Col. Alfredo Agustin, Jr.
“When we talk about safety, it’s a way of life. If we practice it, we develop a culture of excellence among the workforce in SBMA. It’s not just a document; it must be put into practice,” Magno said.
Meanwhile, Cesa said that the hardest part of the documentation will be monitoring and maintenance of the process. She said, “We should normalize preparedness, not only for calamities and disasters, but in our daily lives as well. Preparedness should impact our lives, not only in our workplace but in our families, as well.”
Currently, the SBMA OHSMS team is preparing for the face-to-face Stage 2 audit in November.
