An Occupational Health and Safety Management System (OHSMS) is a fundamental part of an organization’s risk management strategy. Implementing an OHSMS enables an organization to:

  • Protect its workforce and others under its control
  • Comply with legal requirements
  • Facilitate continual improvement

ISO 45001 can be aligned with other management systems standards, such as ISO 9001:2015 and ISO 14001:2015. ISO 45001 will be published by the end of Q1 2018.

ISO 45001:2018 specifies requirements for an occupational health and safety (OH&S) management system, and gives guidance for its use, to enable organizations to provide safe and healthy workplaces by preventing work-related injury and ill health, as well as by proactively improving its OH&S performance.

An effective occupational health and safety management system will help you to protect and enhance your most important asset, your people, to drive business excellence.

This new standard can help deliver the following benefits:

ISO 45001 benefits

Increase organisational resilience through proactive risk prevention, innovation and continual improvement

Strengthening of legal and regulatory compliance whilst reducing business losses

Demonstrates brand responsibility by committing to safe, healthy and sustainable work

One global occupational health and safety system for all businesses, of all sizes.

ISO 45001 is designed to prevent work-related injury and ill-health and to provide safe and healthy workplaces.

As an international standard, ISO 45001 crosses geographic, political, economic, commercial and social boundaries. This sets a single benchmark for the management of occupational health and safety.So if your organization operates or trades internationally, you can work to a single standard which can simplify your business.

Whether you are currently working to BS OSHAS 18001 or country-specific standards such as ANSI/ASSE Z10 2012, CAN/CSA-Z1000-14, AS/NZS 48001:2001 or others, you can upgrade to ISO 45001 now.

Or if you are new to occupational health and safety management it’s a great framework to put into your business to build organizational resilience.

The standard is flexible and can be adapted to manage occupational health and safety and suits a wide range of organizations including:

  • Large organizations and enterprises
  • Small and medium-sized enterprises
  • Public and not-for-profit organizations
  • Non-government organizations (NGOs) and charities

ISO 45001:2018 is applicable to any organization that wishes to establish, implement and maintain an OH&S management system to improve occupational health and safety, eliminate hazards and minimizes OH&S risks (including system deficiencies), takes advantage of OH&S opportunities, and addresses OH&S management system nonconformities associated with its activities.

ISO 45001:2018 helps an organization to achieve the intended outcomes of its OH&S management system. Consistent with the organization’s OH&S policy, the intended outcomes of an OH&S management system include:

a) Continual improvement of OH&S performance;

b) Fulfillment of legal requirements and other requirements;

c) Achievement of OH&S objectives.

ISO 45001:2018 is applicable to any organization regardless of its size, type, and activities. It is applicable to the OH&S risks under the organization’s control, taking into account factors such as the context in which the organization operates and the needs and expectations of its workers and other interested parties.

ISO 45001:2018 does not state specific criteria for OH&S performance, nor is it prescriptive about the design of an OH&S management system.

ISO 45001:2018 enables an organization, through its OH&S management system, to integrate other aspects of health and safety, such as worker wellness/wellbeing.

ISO 45001:2018 does not address issues such as product safety, property damage or environmental impacts, beyond the risks to workers and other relevant interested parties.

ISO 45001:2018 can be used in whole or in part to systematically improve occupational health and safety management. However, claims of conformity to this document are not acceptable unless all its requirements are incorporated into an organization’s OH&S management system and fulfilled without exclusion.