We set the standard: RVA is now ISO 45001 certified

RVA is proud to announce that we have achieved ISO 45001 certification, the world’s leading international standard for management systems of occupational health and safety (OHS). Designed to help organizations of all sizes and industries create a safe working environment for their employees, ISO 45001 has been proven to reduce workplace injuries and illnesses around the world.

“Continual improvement is part of our company’s DNA,” says Shawn Scott, President and CEO. “With the many changes we’ve faced over the past few years, clients naturally seek assurance in today’s world. This certification is an emblem of our commitment to quality and safety. It allows us to maintain a model of sustainable competitiveness that offers opportunities for performance and growth over time.”

RVA began working towards ISO 45001 certification in January 2020. To become ISO certified, RVA enlisted Cobalt Safety to undertake a third-party evaluation that focused on our organization’s OHS management procedures, documentation, business and engineering processes. Over the course of several months, conformance benchmarking information was collected across our work sites, operations, and jurisdictions to pinpoint internal and external factors that were essential in detecting and managing risk. To set the base for operational effectiveness, proactive critical performance indicators were also generated to maintain a shared consensus in OHS rigor, which apply to both site- and office-based settings across our regional offices in Ontario, New Brunswick, Newfoundland, and Nova Scotia.

By introducing a systematic approach to risk management, clear distribution of health and safety responsibilities across service lines, and most of all, the active involvement of staff and managers to lead continuous improvement, ISO 45001 provides RVA with the essential tools and framework to realize a shared safety culture that can thrive and grow with our people. The awarded ISO 45001 standard testifies that RVA has implemented OHS processes and procedures across all business and service areas that have been thoughtfully designed and meticulously tested to ISO standards.

What is ISO 45001?

Published in March 2018, ISO 45001 was developed by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) in compliance with the International Labour Organization (ILO), with the aim of being easily integrated into the organization of existing management systems. As the world’s international standard for OHS, ISO 45001 specifies the requirements for an occupational health and safety management system (OHSMS) and gives guidance for its use, enabling organizations to provide safe and healthy workplaces by preventing work-related illnesses and injury, as well as by proactively improving its occupational health and safety performance.

ISO 45001 is applicable to all organizations, regardless of size, industry, or nature of business. The standard requires top management to take ownership and to ensure workers have the appropriate skills and effective controls in place. It also recognizes the value of worker involvement and worker consultations in the OHS management system’s development and operation. ISO 45001 adopts a risk-based approach that ensures it is effective and undergoes continual improvement to meet an organization’s ever-changing needs.

To learn more about ISO 45000 Family, visit iso.org.

What does ISO 45001 mean for our clients and stakeholders?

• Worldwide credibility: ISO certification is globally recognized and asserts the quality of operations and services that a business provides. It means that the quality service that we have been delivering to our clients and communities for decades has now been formally endorsed by the International Organization for Standardization.
• Improved performance: Certification is more than just being compliant to a standard; it’s about continually improving our business. It requires us to maintain continuous training and learning as an ingrained organizational value, one that is practiced and lived every day in an ongoing cycle.
• Greater efficiencies: Minimizing occupational injuries and illness has clear payoffs for any client or industry – from reduced downtime to increased operational efficiency – and ISO certification is proof that we will continue investing in safeguarding our services. For us, proper health and safety management is not a cost, but an opportunity to improve productivity.
• A better, stronger, and healthier RVA: A company is only as great as its people. Our staff are seasoned professionals, with many decades of experience backed by skill and commitment. Acquiring and maintaining ISO certification requires that our organization remain committed to their health and well-being in all its forms, in ways that will empower our people to realize greater synergies and superior quality in everything they do – no matter their level, function, or geography.

“This is a hallmark achievement for RVA that has been many years in the making,” says Terri Zimmer, RVA’s Human Resources Manager. “We’ve redesigned processes, evaluated strategic priorities, updated performance indicators, and so much more. We’re excited to see the new opportunities and benefits that we can bring as a fully-fledged ISO-accredited organization.”

Congratulations to the entire RVA team for this outstanding accomplishment!