What Is ISO 45001? A Plain Guide to Occupational Health and Safety Management
ISO 45001:2018 is the international standard for occupational health and safety management systems. Its aim is to prevent work-related injury and ill health.
Key points
- ISO 45001 replaced OHSAS 18001 and applies to any organisation.
- Leadership and worker participation are at the centre of the standard.
- Controls follow a hierarchy: eliminate the hazard first, protective equipment last.
What the standard is for
ISO 45001 gives an organisation a framework to provide safe and healthy workplaces, prevent work-related injury and ill health, and improve its occupational health and safety performance. It covers employees, contractors and others who work under the organisation’s control.
Key requirements
- Leadership and accountability of top management
- Consultation and participation of workers
- Hazard identification and assessment of risks and opportunities
- Legal and other requirements
- Operational controls, management of change, and control of contractors and procurement
- Emergency preparedness, incident investigation, audit and improvement
The hierarchy of controls
When a risk needs to be reduced, the standard expects controls to be chosen in order: eliminate the hazard; substitute with something less hazardous; use engineering controls; use administrative controls such as procedures and training; and only then rely on personal protective equipment.
Steps to certification
Start with a baseline review of hazards, incidents and legal requirements. Involve workers from the beginning, not only at the end. Build the system, run it long enough to have records, complete an internal audit and a management review, and then invite the certification body. The structure matches ISO 9001 and ISO 14001, which makes an integrated system straightforward.