A practical guide to occupational health and safety management systems, workplace risks, implementation, certification, and continual improvement.
ISO 45001 provides a framework for organizations to establish, implement, maintain, and continually improve an occupational health and safety management system.
ISO 45001 focuses on creating a systematic approach to identifying hazards, assessing occupational health and safety risks, and establishing appropriate controls.
The standard can be applied by organizations of different sizes and sectors and is designed to integrate occupational health and safety considerations into normal business processes.
A management system based on ISO 45001 can help organizations establish responsibilities, evaluate risks, involve workers, monitor performance, and pursue continual improvement.
Occupational health and safety becomes more structured when workplace hazards, responsibilities, controls, and performance are managed through an organized system.
ISO 45001 provides a systematic framework for identifying hazards and evaluating occupational health and safety risks that may affect workers and other relevant people.
Worker consultation and participation are important elements of the management system and can contribute to understanding workplace hazards and improving controls.
Monitoring, audits, corrective actions, and management review support the ongoing evaluation and improvement of the occupational health and safety management system.
The standard integrates occupational health and safety into the organization's wider management processes.
Organizations identify hazards arising from activities, workplaces, processes, equipment, and other relevant conditions.
Occupational health and safety risks are assessed so that appropriate actions and controls can be planned.
Organizations identify applicable legal and other requirements relevant to occupational health and safety.
Consultation and participation of workers are incorporated into relevant parts of the occupational health and safety management system.
Appropriate processes and controls are established to manage identified occupational health and safety risks.
Organizations monitor, measure, analyze, and evaluate occupational health and safety performance.
Certification involves an independent assessment of an organization's occupational health and safety management system.
Organizations that choose certification work with an independent certification body to assess whether their occupational health and safety management system conforms to the applicable requirements.
Before an external assessment, organizations commonly establish and implement their management system, evaluate risks, establish controls, conduct internal audits, and address identified issues.
Certification is maintained through continuing evaluation and surveillance activities according to the certification body's applicable arrangements.
Implementation should reflect the organization's actual workplace hazards, risks, activities, people, and operating environment.
Determine the organization's context and identify relevant internal and external factors affecting occupational health and safety.
Identify workplace hazards and evaluate occupational health and safety risks that require management.
Establish appropriate OH&S objectives, responsibilities, controls, resources, and plans for addressing risks and opportunities.
Put appropriate operational controls, communication, competence, consultation, participation, and documented processes into practice.
Monitor performance, conduct audits, review results, address nonconformities, and continually improve the management system.
An effective occupational health and safety management system should reflect the organization's activities, workers, hazards, risks, and operating conditions.
An occupational health and safety management system is not simply a project that ends when certification is achieved.
Organizations continue to monitor performance, evaluate controls, conduct audits, involve workers, address nonconformities, and identify opportunities for improvement.
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