- This new Specification was presented at a conference attended by the leading experts who developed the ISO standard, such as Isabel Maya from Mutua Universal, and from companies that have developed anti-COVID-19 plans, such as CaixaBank and Gestamp Toledo.
- UNE-ISO/PAS 45005 is the global reference containing best practices and guidelines for reducing risks against COVID-19 in the workplace, thus protecting health, safety and well-being. The Specification is aimed at all types and sizes of organisations from all sectors.
24 March 2021. The Spanish Association for Standardization, UNE, has held the online meeting Specification UNE-ISO/PAS 45005, the global standard for safe working in the context of COVID-19, at which leading experts highlighted the important role of this new global standard in the fight against coronavirus.
At the UNE Meeting, UNE-ISO/PAS 45005 was presented, a new strategic tool for combating the virus in the workplace. This is the global reference with guidelines for organisations of all sectors and sizes with the aim of reducing risks against COVID-19 in the workplace, protecting health, safety and well-being. was presented. It has been approved by 80 countries. Its intention is to complement existing national guidelines and regulations.
Isabel Maya from Mutua Universal was one of the attendees at the online meeting. She is a member of the team of Spanish experts who participated in developing the standard at the ISO (International Organization for Standardization). In addition, Manuel Figueiredo from CaixaBank and Ángela Berlana from Gestamp Toledo, shared their experiences in developing anti-COVID-19 plans in their respective companies. These are two completely different sectors: services and industry, but ones that share a common challenge: continuing operations while protecting their employees and third parties.
To combat COVID-19 on a global scale, experts in occupational health and safety from numerous ISO member countries set to work on a document that included the best global practices, and was prepared in record time. The result is ISO/PAS 45005, which has just been adopted into the Spanish catalogue as UNE-ISO/PAS 45005 by UNE, the Spanish member of ISO. The standard was approved by the 80 member countries of the ISO Technical Committee ISO/TC 283 Occupational health and safety management.
This document is aimed at organisations of all sizes and sectors, including those working during the pandemic; those reopening or planning to resume operations after a total or partial closure; and those returning to occupy workplaces that have been closed in whole or in part, or which are new and are expecting to operate for the first time. It also provides guidance on the protection of workers of all types and of other relevant stakeholders.
It is not intended, however, to provide advice on how to implement specific protocols for the control of infections in clinical, healthcare and other settings. Governments, regulatory agencies and health authorities provide applicable legislation and guidelines for workers in these environments and in related fields.
UNE's commitment
UNE has developed several standards designed to help win the battle against coronavirus and to contribute to Spain's economic recovery. Examples of standards that reduce COVID-19 risks are those related to hygienic masks, tourism, funeral facilities and equipment using ultraviolet radiation. These have been developed in record time to respond to the emergency. For example, the UNE 0064 and UNE 0065 Specifications for disposable and reusable hygienic masks were published before 14 April 2020 to facilitate their manufacturing with quality, safety and speed in the event of shortages.
UNE is a successful model of public-private collaboration.
