Núñez i Navarro, the first hotel group to obtain ISO 45001 for its commitment to occupational safety
The Núñez i Navarro Group has obtained the AENOR certificate for occupational health and safety management systems, in accordance with ISO Standard 45001. The scope of this certification covers the various business lines encompassed by the company JOSEL SLU: development, construction, hotel operation, and parking management in the main areas of Barcelona and its sphere of influence.
This certification demonstrates the Group's strong commitment to incorporating the best practices, both national and international, in terms of occupational safety, and the requirements of a management system aligned with the High-Level Structure, which ensures respect for and compliance with current preventive regulations. It is a cross-cutting certificate that provides coverage for 450 employees and spans the entire real estate activity of Núñez i Navarro: from the project design, through the construction work, and later the commercial exploitation of the building, whether it is a parking lot, a hotel, or a residential or office building.
A step further in occupational prevention
On March 12, 2018, the ISO 45001 standard was published, the first international standard for occupational health and safety management systems. Its publication means the cancellation of OSHAS 18001, so companies certified under the previous standard have three years to migrate. The prevention department of Grupo Núñez i Navarro, called QSM (Quality, Safety and Environment), decided to voluntarily move forward and immediately adapt to the new international standard, adjusting all the preventive action of the four business areas to the new benchmark. A step that has allowed them to get ahead in occupational prevention, since the previous OSHAS 18000 only certified, since 2011, the promotion-construction area.
Jordi Cabedo, director de calidad, seguridad y medio ambiente de Núñez i Navarro asegura que la adecuación a la nueva norma les permite llevar a cabo un seguimiento mucho más exhaustivo e inmediato del correcto cumplimiento de las prácticas preventivas y asegura un mayor compromiso por parte de todos los trabajadores implicados: “Al contar JOSEL con un servicio propio de prevención (por nº de trabajadores) tiene la obligación de pasar una auditoría de PRL reglamentaria cada dos años. Con la certificación ISO 45001 se realizan auditorías internas y externas cada año. De esa manera se favorece el control de las actividades en materia de prevención y no debemos esperar dos años para asegurarnos que estamos en el buen camino o para trabajar en los puntos de mejora que nos detecten. La estrategia de dichas auditorías siempre es rotar los centros de trabajo, que se auditen diferentes centros (hoteles, parkings, edificios, obras) y diversos equipos. Esto fomenta que los responsables de departamento y de centro estén preparados y formados en esta materia”. Además, “esta nueva norma ISO 45001 tiene un enfoque mucho más estratégico: de análisis de riesgos y oportunidades de la organización interna. Conlleva la simplificación de la burocracia y se alinea con las acciones preventivas del negocio. Se establecen indicadores y se marcan unos objetivos, aplicables ahora a todas las áreas y a todo el personal. Nos ha ayudado a hacer un análisis constructivo de todos los procesos que teníamos, recortando o mejorando toda aquella parte documental de cada procedimiento, para simplificar y ser eficientes en el día a día”, añade Cabedo.
Continuous improvement, recognition, and maintenance of properties
ISO 45001 serves as a framework for preventing injuries and the deterioration of workers' health, advocating for safe and healthy workplaces, eliminating hazards, minimizing risks, implementing effective prevention measures, seizing opportunities, and improving performance. In the case of Núñez i Navarro, the three most notable aspects that have been achieved with the implementation of the Standard are:
1. Continuous improvement. Audits should be seen as an opportunity for growth and correction of weaknesses.
2. Internal and external recognition. Internal, because it strengthens a preventive culture within the company that is embraced by all stakeholders, which has resulted in minimal accident rates. The worker perceives that the company is committed to their safety and is engaged in the care of their health. It also represents external recognition for being among the first companies to be certified with the new standard. Having this certification encourages partner companies to also comply.
3. Property maintenance. The company's commitment to properly adapt and maintain its properties, not only in terms of collective safety, but also regarding its facilities. Núñez i Navarro strives to stay up-to-date with all the technical-legal requirements of any of the work centers. In this way, the Group's commitment to the efficient compliance with technical regulations is evident, as well as its willingness to have the best buildings available for its clients.
NN Hotels: the first hotel group to receive the ISO 45001
The anticipation of the QSM department of Núñez i Navarro in adapting JOSEL SLU to the new Standard has allowed NN Hotels to be the first group to obtain the ISO 45001 certification in the hospitality sector.
“In hotels, the application of the standard involves a set of different preventive action lines from the beginning: from the internal report of construction reception with the issues that must be resolved for the hotel's operation safety, to specific training for the team of a department”, explains Jordi Cabedo.
Preventive actions managed by the Group in hotels include: the development and implementation of the emergency plan, the installation of fall protection systems for maintenance or cleaning, provision of personal protective equipment, coordination of activities with supplier companies, emergency signage, training, etc.
Of course, it also involves investigating any incidents that occur. And not to forget the implementation of health surveillance for workers, through medical examinations, or the adaptation of the workplace for workers with medical restrictions.
“Risk prevention is not only for workers, but also involves the safety of our customers. Therefore, one of the aspects we work on and emphasize the most is that the Emergency Plan is effective and 'alive'. We carry out drills that include all the preparation of emergency protocols and the verification of the proper functioning of the technical means and designated human teams”, continues Cabedo.
Ultimate goal: protecting people by preventing accidents
Núñez i Navarro is very clear that all processes and commitments undertaken in the field of occupational risk prevention have one clear objective: to protect people by preventing accidents. The group's quality, safety, and environmental manager points out: “Accidents are one of the toughest moments in management. If you face an accident, you have to think about what went wrong. Look back and think about what you didn't see. The accident might be a fluke, but if there's a mistake, it means we missed something, we didn't get there, or someone bypassed the safety measures.”
One of the keys to avoiding such situations lies in the motivation and supervision of middle management, the person responsible for the worker, to maintain a safe work environment. Apart from the worker's own behavior, if they are aware of what they are doing, the risks involved, and the resources they need for protection, they will do it for themselves and for their colleagues.
For the Núñez i Navarro Group, the best way to address effective safety and health prevention policies is to have a human team convinced of the importance of well-done work and committed to the fight against workplace accidents.
