ISO Standard for Occupational Health and Safety

What is ISO 45001 Standard?

ISO 45001 is an ISO standard for management systems of Occupational Health and Safety (OH&S). The purpose of ISO 45001 is to reduce occupational injuries and diseases, including the promotion and protection of physical and mental health.

The ISO standard encourages companies to take a more proactive and integrated approach to risk control by incorporating OH&S practices into the organization’s overall safety management system and encourages top management to take a stronger leadership role in the company’s health and safety program. By adopting ISO 45001, organizations will follow a preventative approach, that requires hazards to be evaluated and remedied before they cause accidents and injuries.

Key Takeaways

ISO 45001 is the international standard for OH&S management systems. Published in 2018, it gives organizations a framework to prevent work-related injury and ill health and to provide safe, healthy workplaces.
It replaced OHSAS 18001. ISO 45001 superseded the British-based OHSAS 18001, and organizations certified to the old standard had to migrate to the new one.
Leadership and worker participation are built in. Top management is accountable for the OH&S system, and workers take part in its planning, implementation and review.
It is proactive, not reactive. Hazards and OH&S risks are identified and controlled before incidents happen, following the hierarchy of controls.
It sets a framework, not performance targets. ISO 45001 does not prescribe specific criteria for health and safety performance; each organization sets its own objectives and works toward continual improvement.

What is the Difference Between OHSAS 18001 vs ISO 45001 Standards?

In 2018, the International Organization for Standardization published the ISO 45001 to replace the better-known standard OHSAS 18001. ISO 45001 is the first true international standard on health and safety management systems.

Improvements in ISO 45001 over the OHSAS 18001 standard include:

A greater commitment by Senior Management in Occupational Health & Safety.
Develops a safety culture in the organization.
Top-down safety leadership.
Greater worker involvement in safety management system implementation and training.
Open access to internal audits and risk assessments with input from employees.
Focus on risk reduction rather than hazard control.
Focus on being proactive to safety rather than reactive to incidents.
Universal structure, terminology, and definitions.

OHSAS 18001 vs ISO 45001: a quick reference

Aspect	OHSAS 18001	ISO 45001
Status	Withdrawn and replaced by ISO 45001	Current international standard, published in 2018 and amended in 2024
Developed by	A consortium of national standards bodies and certification bodies, led by BSI	The International Organization for Standardization (ISO)
Structure	Its own clause structure	The common high-level structure shared by ISO management system standards such as ISO 9001 and ISO 14001
Approach to safety	Focused on controlling hazards	Focused on preventing risk proactively, considering both risks and opportunities
Leadership	Responsibility could be delegated to a management representative	Top management is directly accountable for the OH&S management system
Worker involvement	Consultation with workers	Consultation and active participation of workers at every stage
Context of the organization	Not addressed	Requires an understanding of internal and external issues and the needs of interested parties

What are the Benefits of ISO 45001?

ISO 45001 encourages organizations to adopt a mindset of continual improvement as part of their business philosophy and provides a framework to take your organization to the next level in health and safety.

Of particular note, ISO 45001 does not state specific criteria for workplace health and safety performance, nor is it prescriptive about the design of an occupational health and safety management system. So, the performance standards are for the organization to create.

Outcomes of ISO 45001 Health and Safety Management System

ISO 45001 helps an organization to achieve the intended outcomes of its occupational health and safety management system. Consistent with the organization’s occupational health and safety policy, the intended outcomes of a health and safety management system include:

Continual improvement of OH&S performance.
Fulfilment of legal requirements and other requirements.
Achievement of OH&S objectives.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is ISO 45001?

ISO 45001 is the international standard for occupational health and safety (OH&S) management systems. It provides a framework that helps organizations reduce work-related injuries and ill health, including the promotion and protection of physical and mental health, and provide safe and healthy workplaces.

When was ISO 45001 published?

The International Organization for Standardization published ISO 45001 in 2018. An amendment issued in 2024 added a requirement for organizations to consider whether climate change is a relevant issue for their OH&S management system.

Does ISO 45001 replace OHSAS 18001?

Yes. ISO 45001 replaced OHSAS 18001, and organizations certified to OHSAS 18001 were required to migrate to ISO 45001 to keep their certification.

Is ISO 45001 certification mandatory?

No. ISO 45001 is a voluntary standard. Organizations can use it simply as a framework to improve their OH&S performance, or choose to have their management system certified by an independent certification body. ISO itself does not issue certificates.

Does ISO 45001 set specific safety performance criteria?

No. ISO 45001 does not state specific criteria for health and safety performance, nor is it prescriptive about how an OH&S management system must be designed. Each organization sets its own OH&S objectives, consistent with its OH&S policy and legal requirements.

Who can use ISO 45001?

Any organization can use ISO 45001, whatever its size, industry or the nature of its activities. It is designed to be integrated into an organization’s existing business processes.

How does ISO 45001 relate to chemical safety?

ISO 45001 requires organizations to identify hazards, assess OH&S risks and apply controls following the hierarchy of controls. For chemical hazards, that starts with an accurate chemical inventory, current safety data sheets and a documented chemical risk assessment for each task.

sdsBinders & CHAMP Support ISO 45001

Chemscape’s sdsBinders and Chemical Hazard Assessment Management Program (CHAMP) support the intended outputs of ISO 45001 to improve Occupational Health and Safety, eliminate hazards and minimize occupational health and safety risks.