Safety and certification as a focus
FN Steel, located in Alblasserdam, has been active in the steel industry for over 80 years. Since 2017, the organization has been working with Lexerta for support with management systems, audits, and certifications. FN Steel has a management system that is certified according to IATF-16949, NEN-EN-ISO 9001, 14001:2015, 50001:2011, and OHSAS 18001:2007. With the publication of NEN-EN-ISO 45001:2018, FN Steel wanted to obtain this certification as the successor to OHSAS 18001, to ensure continuity and improvement of the occupational health and safety management system.
Insight into current status and required actions
FN Steel wanted a clear overview of the current status of the occupational health and safety management system and insight into which actions are needed to achieve ISO 45001 certification. It was important that the analysis included both the documentation and the practical implementation within the organization.
GAP analysis and action plan
Floor Ham, consultant at Lexerta, guided FN Steel through the process. The GAP analysis consisted of two parts. First, a documentation review, in which all existing procedures, policy documents, and certifications were examined. Second, interviews with stakeholders were conducted to determine how the occupational health and safety management system functions in practice. In addition, the consultant made a tour of the company to get a complete picture of the implementation on the shop floor.
Based on the insights obtained, the consultant prepared a report. In this report, for each ISO 45001 standard element, it was recorded how FN Steel currently meets the requirements and what additional actions are still needed to achieve certification. This report formed the basic document for the next steps in the transition process.
Practical overview and concrete actions
The result was a comprehensive, clear report with concrete actions. FN Steel has combined the recommendations with existing actions from ISO 14001 and ISO 9001 certifications and followed them up immediately. Reinier de Jong, QEHS Manager, explains: “We have reviewed the final report and it is complete and practically feasible. With the list of actions, we can immediately get to work to close the GAP.”
Thanks to this approach, FN Steel now has a clear overview of the current status of the occupational health and safety management system, including a concrete action plan to achieve ISO 45001 certification. The collaboration with Lexerta provides structured and expert support in improving and safeguarding the management system, while the organization can maintain its focus on production and quality.
