OVV (Responsible Management and a Safe Working Environment)

The assessment covers eight areas: the legal and internal framework, risk assessment, responsibilities and authority, competence, employee involvement, operational procedures, records and personal data, and monitoring and improvement. Each area is verified through documents, interviews and evidence of actual use; the mere existence of a policy is not enough. The subject of the assessment is the employer's system, not individual employees.

The certificate has three levels – Bronze, Silver and Gold – determined by the criteria met and by verifiable evidence, not by the package ordered. It refers to a predefined scope (an organisation, location, unit, group of workplaces or process), is valid for twelve months and is reassessed before it expires. Every certificate is entered in a public register.

OVV does not assess the health of individual employees, does not guarantee the absence of alcohol, drugs, incidents or injuries, and does not replace a risk assessment, occupational medicine or a legal assessment. It is a private IVSR programme certificate; it is not a state, ISO or accredited certificate. The final decision on the award is taken by a person or committee separate from the advisory and assessment work at the same organisation.