Reducing the Risk of Contagion in the Workplace and Complying with Current Covid-19 Regulations.
ACSQ Certification Body has developed a Technical Regulation that outlines and expands upon the criteria for designing and implementing measures to counter and prevent the spread of the new coronavirus, known as Covid-19, in non-healthcare workplace environments.
This document, which should be regarded as a proprietary scheme, describes the minimum requirements that a company must meet in order to manage its business operations safely, protecting the health of its employees while complying with current legislative provisions issued by the State: emergency Covid-19 decrees, occupational health and safety laws (Legislative Decree 81/08 and subsequent amendments), relevant UNI standards, codes of good practice based on documents issued by the Ministry of Health and oversight bodies (ASL, INAIL), as well as national and international technical literature on sanitation, social distancing, and the use and management of protective equipment.
Based on the above, ACSQ offers each applicant company the opportunity to certify the compliance of its processes with the Technical Regulation, thereby instilling confidence in all stakeholders by demonstrating the utmost attention and effort in safeguarding the health of all individuals who interact with the workplace, while ensuring full compliance with the applicable legislation.
The COVID FREE certificate is valid for three years from the date of issue and includes a two-phase certification audit, followed by two surveillance audits in the subsequent two years.
- Phase 1: verification of procedural documentation compliance, which can be carried out remotely, and is therefore feasible even during periods of business closure;
- Phase 2: an on-site audit to verify the effective implementation of the outlined measures.
Upon expiration, the applicant company may choose whether to renew the certification. Although this certification was developed in response to the current Covid-19 pandemic, the protection measures it includes can be effective in preventing any type of viral or bacterial infection.
This certification is independent and is not covered by the possession of other certifications related to quality, environment, or safety. However, it can be integrated into any already certified management system. The added value of the COVID FREE CERTIFICATE lies in the certification of procedures and requirements aimed at implementing improvement actions and reducing the risk of Covid-19 contagion in the workplace, taking into account appropriate risk reduction measures in terms of:
- Eliminating hazards;
- Substituting with less hazardous processes, operations, materials, or equipment;
- Applying technical and organizational measures;
- Using administrative measures, especially in terms of training;
- Employing the best personal protective equipment available.
The selection of options also considers, in addition to the above hierarchy, the technical and economic feasibility of the proposed solutions.
Companies that successfully complete both phase 1 and 2 of the certification process will receive a CERTIFICATE and a STICKER confirming their COVID FREE certification, which can be displayed at the entrance of the premises to demonstrate compliance with mandatory workplace safety requirements.