What is ISO 45001?
ISO 45001 is the internationally recognised standard for Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems (OHSMS), based on principles of strong leadership, worker participation, risk-based thinking, and continual improvement. By applying these principles, organisations create safer and healthier workplaces, enhance employee well-being, and foster a proactive safety culture.
ISO 45001 provides a flexible framework that can be adapted to the unique needs of businesses of any size, from small enterprises to large corporations. The standard does not prescribe how to manage your operations; rather, it ensures that your methods for identifying and controlling health and safety risks are designed to achieve positive outcomes for your workforce and stakeholders.
An OHSMS does not need to be certified for your business to experience the benefits of ISO 45001. Many organisations align their systems with the standard first and pursue certification at a later stage, if desired. This approach allows businesses to improve health and safety performance and build resilience without the immediate cost or complexity of certification.
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What are the benefits of ISO 45001?
Streamlined Efficiency: Optimise workflows, minimise risks, and improve consistency in maintaining a safe and healthy workplace.
Safer Workplaces and Enhanced Productivity: Ensure high safety standards, boost employee well-being, and improve organisational performance.
Proactive Risk Management: Use a systematic approach to identify, assess, and mitigate risks, ensuring predictable and safe outcomes.
Empowered Workforce: Foster participation, define clear responsibilities, and empower employees to take ownership of health and safety practices.
Continuous Improvement in Health and Safety Performance: Embed a culture of ongoing improvement, adapt to evolving safety challenges, and drive innovation in health and safety management.
Steps to getting ISO 45001 certification
Every organisation has their own unique way of implementing ISO 45001, tailored specifically to their business. However, there are some common steps to achieving certification.
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Carry out a Gap Analysis to asses your current management system against the requirements of ISO 45001. Develop and action plan to address the gaps and bring your practices in line with the standard. |
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Deliver your action plan to align your practices with ISO 45001. This includes setting strategic health and safety objectives, creating and implementing an occupational health and safety policy, identifying and controlling significant workplace hazards and risks, and incorporating robust health and safety practices across all areas of your organisation. |
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Stage 1 Certification Audit - your chosen certification body will review the scope of your management system and assess your readiness for certification. |
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Address any areas of improvement identified at Stage 1 Certification Audit and continue to implement your management system, building up evidence of compliance. |
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Stage 2 Certification Audit - your chose certification body will evaluate the implementation and effectiveness of your management system, and will make a recommendation for certification |
Once your have gained certification, you need to continue the implementation and development of your OHSMS. You will typically be subject to an annual surveillance audit carried out by your certification body to ensure your OHSMS continues to meet the requirements of ISO 45001.
ISO 45001 Certification is awarded for a period of three years; your certification body will carry out a full certification audit after three years to full examine the OHSMS.
Remember to promote your ISO 45001 certification—it highlights your commitment to occupational health and safety best practices and continuous improvement.
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ISO 45001 FAQ's
A: ISO 45001 is built on seven core principles: occupational health and safety responsibility, leadership, worker participation, adopting a process approach, continuous improvement, evidence-based decision-making, and effective relationship management. These principles work together to create safer and healthier workplaces.
A: There is no legal obligation to achieve compliance with ISO 45001, but it is becoming increasingly important in supply chains. Across many industries, ISO 45001 compliance or certification is a common demand during the tendering process.
Implementing ISO 45001 opens up more opportunities for business growth, allowing you to access more potential clients and new sectors. Achieving ISO 45001 means your business has a well-documented OHSMS, and you are able to address questions during the tendering process easily.
A: Complying with ISO 45001 can be self-proclaimed when you have implemented all the requirements of the standard to the best of your ability. To give assurance to this claim, Applaud can carry out an assessment of your OHSMS against the requirements of ISO 45001.
Certified to ISO 45001 means that an independent certification body has assessed your OHSMS against the requirements of ISO 45001 and has provided written assurance of compliance.
A: To achieve ISO 45001 certification, you must engage an ISO 45001 certification body and pass an audit that looks for evidence that your OHSMS is in place and meets the certification standards. Applaud can help you select a certification body that meets the needs of your business.
A: The time taken to achieve ISO 45001 certification can vary from a few weeks to a year or more, depending on the size and complexity of your organisation and the readiness of your organisation at the start of the process. Typically Applaud work on a six to nine month timescale, but this can be shortened or may be lengthened based on factors such as the size of the organisation, your existing management processes, the resources available to work on the management system and number of locations the organisation has.
A: A certification body provides independent third party recognition of your compliance with ISO 45001. When choosing an certification body, you need to consider if they are accredited by UKAS or not. Be aware that some supply chains insist on UKAS accredited awarding bodies for ISO 45001 certification.
A: UKAS-accredited certification bodies are officially recognised in the UK to provide ISO 45001 certification, ensuring compliance with rigorous international standards and delivering globally trusted credentials. Certifications from UKAS-accredited bodies are more credible, widely accepted, and often required for regulated industries or government contracts. Non-accredited certification bodies, while often cheaper, lack oversight from recognised authorities, leading to inconsistent auditing quality and limited acceptance by clients or markets. Choosing a UKAS-accredited body reduces risks and enhances the value and recognition of your ISO 45001 certification.
A: Certification lasts for three years (subject to the outcome of surveillance audits). During those three years you will need to carry out internal audits of your OHSMS and be subject to surveillance audits by your certification body. At the end of the three year period, you will go through a re-certification audit similar to the stage 2 certification audit.
A: ISO 45001:2018 Occupational Health and Safety Management System