What is ISO 45001?

ISO 45001 is an international standard that specifies requirements for an occupational health and safety (OH&S) management system, which is intended to improve the safety and health of both employees and other personnel.

Introduced in March 2018, ISO 45001 marks a significant step forward in the overall effort to improve occupational health and safety (OHS) worldwide. Published by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), the standard enables organisations to proactively improve injury prevention and reduce ill-health, while protecting their longevity.

ISO 45001 supersedes previous occupational health and safety standards, including OHSAS 18001. Organisations that currently hold OHSAS 18001 certification will need to transition to the ISO 45001 standard by March 2021. Download our complimentary whitepaper to learn more about the transition and certification requirements.

Download the ISO 45001 whitepaper

benefits of an ISO 45001 certification

To survive in today’s competitive global marketplace, organisations must proactively manage all types of risk to the business, and the issue of occupational health and safety is no exception. ISO 45001 will provide new impetus for occupational health and safety practices in organisations and will help improve safety for employees and contractors. This translates into additional opportunities for protecting and promoting worker’s health and performance, as well as a sustainable improvement of employee motivation.

Key features of the ISO 45001 standard

Although ISO 45001 constitutes a fully new standard, its foundations already exist and are formulated in OHSAS 18001. Companies that have already implemented an occupational health and safety management system in accordance with OHSAS 18001, and actively apply it in everyday company practice, can expect a smooth transition to ISO 45001.

Key improvements:

• ISO 45001 implements the ‘high level structure’, giving it a common framework with other management systems, such as ISO 9001 and ISO 14001.
• ISO 45001 places great emphasis on the responsibility of senior management. This aspect has already been implemented in the revised ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 standards.
• ISO 45001 explicitly includes persons who are not permanently employed, but are in other ways working under the responsibility of the organisation/company, such as subcontractors, as well as processes that have been outsourced in their entirety. In this way it incorporates elements of the SCC certificate.
• The standard also introduces the term “opportunities”, as a new aspect in the field of occupational health and safety. This covers issues that go beyond the mere elimination or minimisation of OHS risks and hazards.

Learn more about the ISO 45001 requirements on the ISO website.

Third-party ISO 45001 certification with TÜV SÜD

TÜV SÜD is an internationally accredited certification body for a wide range of ISO standards, including ISO 45001 and we have extensive experience in auditing and certifying against ISO management systems.

During a certification process, TÜV SÜD’s independent and qualified auditors apply the following techniques:

• Document review: evaluation of the organisation’s requirements and/ or documentation to ensure the systematic control of all processes relevant to ISO 45001.
• On-site-audit: verification, in the form of interviews and on-site inspection at the customer’s premises, that the requirements of ISO 45001 are being implemented effectively. This includes checking processes based on records kept by the organisation, such as available measurement results, minutes of meetings, training and qualification records, complaints management and records, and the resulting improvement projects instigated by the organisation.

In addition to offering comprehensive evaluations and reports, we can provide you with our TÜV SÜD certification mark, which is globally recognised and synonymous with quality and safety.