How Samsung’s BSI certification to ISO 45001 has improved its health and safety management, helping reach sustainability goals

Samsung strives to create social value by aligning with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDGs). It focuses on goals most relevant to its activities, including SDG 3 Good health, exploring opportunities that help to attain it. One such opportunity lay in the global occupational health and safety standard ISO 45001, and in March 2018 the company achieved BSI certification to it – migrating from its predecessor, BS OHSAS 18001.

The key benefits include a stronger health and safety culture, a more productive workforce, improved integration of management systems, enhanced brand reputation, and positive community relationships.

BSI certification to ISO 45001 is central to Samsung SDI’s core value that the health and safety of its people is paramount. It also creates trust among its stakeholders, demonstrates corporate responsibility and supports its sustainability goals.

Since 2004, Samsung SDI has featured in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index, which tracks sustainable companies worldwide. Core to the company’s sustainability credentials is alignment with the 17 UNSDGs, including SDG 3, which seeks to ensure healthy lives and promote well-being. It views the safety of its people as a core competence, running a ‘safety-first’ programme and long holding certification to BS OHSAS 18001.

Its challenge was to migrate to the new global standard, ISO 45001, to meet the highest international expectations on health and safety. In addition, the company – which also holds BSI certification to ISO 9001 (quality), ISO 14001 (environmental management) and ISO 50001 (energy management) – wanted to enhance efficiency by integrating its management systems following a period of mergers and acquisitions.

In March 2018, Samsung SDI migrated from BS OHSAS 18001 and achieved BSI certification to ISO 45001, becoming the first company in the Samsung Group and in the whole of Korea to hold the new standard. This enabled it to deliver on its integration strategy – it can now manage ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 50001 and ISO 45001 under the same high-level structure, bringing huge time and resource efficiencies.

BSI certification demonstrates Samsung SDI’s best practice, increasing trust and credibility among its internal and external stakeholders by providing an improved working environment and a robust and sustainable health and safety culture.

Samsung SDI sees BSI certification to ISO 45001 as a framework for continuous improvement, with BSI supporting it at every step.