What is ISO 45001, and why does it matter?

If you google “benefits of ISO 45001 certification” you will find a lot of information. Almost without exception the points you find will relate to business goals. They talk about protecting your reputation and reducing insurance premiums. These things are important but, for us, they are not the most important consideration.

We became certified because we care about the people we work with.

ISO 45001 is the global standard for occupational health and safety. Certification means that both employees and any visitors who come to see us in Casalvieri, are as safe as possible. They are protected from injuries and disease, and we have also considered factors that might pose a risk to physical or mental well being.

At first glance it seems simple, of course any responsible employer will make sure machinery is well maintained and provide safety equipment when needed. But health and safety goes beyond that. It’s important to consider everything from whether or not sick leave policies help to promote health, to how many breaks employees are able to have. Every aspect of what we do can impact on physical and/or mental wellbeing, and we want to be sure that we have a positive impact!

Certification is not a one-time thing. There is no checklist that tells us what to do, no list of measures to put in place and earn the award. Instead, it’s a commitment to continual improvement.

The ISO 45001 certification process involves developing a system for promoting health and safety. This system is always in place, used to assess risk, respond to any incidents that might happen and develop new procedures. It is a guiding framework in a constantly changing world. It’s this attitude that helped us to keep making balloons right through 2020, we never stopped because we were able to quickly adopt new policies that kept everyone safe.

At its core, ISO 45001 is an attitude. It’s about taking the values of ethical responsibility, care and respect for each other, and making them solid and real. Turning them into something concrete, a framework that ensures nothing gets missed. It shows our commitment to our people, to the Gemar family.

We will always look after each other.

That is why we are proud to say that we gained ISO 45001 certification in 2021, and why we won’t stop there!