Health and safety certificate |
| Enterprises with a particularly safe and healthy working environment can obtain a health and safety certificate. Benefits of a health and safety certificate Enterprises that obtain a health and safety certificate meet the statutory health and safety requirements. The Danish Working Environment Authority will therefore only in special cases supervise enterprises with a health and safety certificate. Benefits of a health and safety certificate:
The certificate can be obtained according to two models:
Accredited inspection The inspection model has been developed for small enterprises where it would not be natural to establish the management systems that are required to obtain a certificate through certification. However, the inspection model may also be applied by larger enterprises where it is not traditional to establish management systems. Enterprises that choose to obtain a certificate through inspection must meet a number of requirements both in relation to their own measures to protect health and safety at work and in relation to the material working environment. Material working environment: For accredited inspection considerable importance is attached to inspection of the material working environment. Basically, all working processes and all health and safety conditions must be inspected. In order to obtain a health and safety certificate, the enterprise or the production unit must not have any health and safety problems that would result in an improvement notice from the Danish Working Environment Authority. Individual initiatives of the enterprise: The enterprise must meet a number of formal requirements in relation to its individual health and safety initiatives. The requirements include the formulation of a health and safety policy, preparation of a workplace assessment and written documentation of other factors concerning its individual initiatives. A certificate according to the inspection model is valid for three years and subject to renewal. Accredited certification For accredited certification importance is attached to the enterprise having established a working environment management system ensuring continued momentum in the health and safety work. The management system is subject to a number of special requirements, but by and large they correspond to the requirements in relation to other working environment and quality management systems. In terms of contents, the requirements of the inspection model – both in relation to the material working environment and to the individual health and safety initiatives of the enterprise – must be integrated in the management system. After accredited certification a health and safety certificate is issued for up to three years. The certification body will inspect the system at least once a year. Procedure When, according to its own assessment, an enterprise meets the requirements to obtain a certificate, it may contact an accredited inspection or certification body. Accredited bodies must fulfil certain requirements with regard to their competence and capacity and they are supervised in this respect and in respect of the way they perform inspections/certifications. Thus the accreditation guarantees that inspections/certifications are always of a high professional quality and performed on a uniform basis. Enterprises are free to choose between the accredited inspection and certification bodies and they may invite quotations from the inspection or certification body before the work is commenced. The inspection or certification body issues a health and safety certificate if the requirements are met. |
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