Standards of ISO 45001 – A Detailed Overview of the ISO 45001 Standards

The ISO 45001 standard enables organisations to provide a safe and healthy workplace by preventing work related injuries or ill health. This is done by implementing and proactively improving the performance of its occupational health and safety (OH&S) management system. The ISO 45001 framework is applicable to any organisation that wishes to improve its occupational health and safety, minimise OH&S risk and eliminate hazards.

Additionally, the implementation of the OH&S management system allows organisations to take advantage of OH&S related benefits such as lower premium costs, better employee health, better employee productivity and enhanced brand credibility. Standards of ISO 45001 helps an organisation achieve their intended outcomes such as continual improvement of OH&S performance, achievement of OH&S objectives and fulfilment of legal requirements.

This article expands the standards of ISO 45001 by explaining its structure and requirements.Be with the ISO Council to get to know  all the standards of ISO 45001.

Clause 1-3 of iso 45001 standards

The first three clauses of this standard contain introductory information about the standard, helping organisations understand the theme of occupational safety and health. They consist of the summaries, scope and normative references. Clause 3 contains a list of important terms and definitions that would be useful to any organisation that is unfamiliar with occupational safety and health.

Clause 4: Context of the organisation

The fourth clause of ISO 45001 helps organisations review the context of their activities and document the needs of all interested parties. This clause is further divided into internal and external issues. The internal issues include teams of competence and commitment. This section analyses the workforce to understand their willingness to cooperate and follow the new OH&S related policies.

Additionally, this section also recommends organisations to analyse their communication methodologies. In contrast, external issues focus on relevant legislation and laws. this section also asks organisations to analyse, summarise and document their economic and political condition. 

Clause 5:  Leadership and worker participation

The fifth clause of ISO 45001 embeds health and safety within an organisation’s activities. This section is designed for both managers and employees. Unlike other frameworks, ISO 45001 does not ask organisations to single out individuals who are responsible for maintaining safety within the organisation.

Instead, it encourages joint effort and shared knowledge across the teams. As a result, multiple teams are created capable of running the system, fostering a culture that focuses on effective health and safety.

Clause 6: Planning the OH&S system

The sixth clause of the ISO 45001 asks organisations to analyse their objectives related to the OH&S system and create a plan to achieve them.

The recommendations outlined in the standard allows organisations to break their risk prevention plan into practical steps.

For example, the recommendations suggest that organisations should consider their legal obligations and stakeholder expectations before modifying their operational processes. The standard also suggests that companies conduct an in-depth assessment of their organisational risks. This risk assessment should encompass factors such as frequency of workplace accidents, contributing factors, and employee feedback.

It is important to consider and include the number of days employees are absent each year due to a work-related accident. Additional information can be gathered through employee OH&S surveys.

Essentially, this clause guides organisations to make plans by understanding what needs to be done, what resources are necessary, identifying personnel responsible for implementing each step, timeline of plan completion and actions for evaluation.

Clause 7: Support

Elements of the OH&S system such as resources, documentation, staff awareness and communication are covered in this clause. This standard understands that senior level management plays a key role in ensuring the organisation’s compliance with the clause.

Only when senior managers approve of the necessary resources, can the appropriate measures be put into place. Additionally, staff training also requires senior-level management’s approval. In many cases, it isn’t possible to chalk out a separate time interval for training programmes, and it is necessary to invent these programs within the organisation’s practice. Hence, this clause asks organisations to analyse the support elements of their OH&S system.

Initiatives can be created utilising these identified support elements to help employees practice and adhere to OH&S guidelines.

Clause 8: Operation

An effective OH&S system should have efficient operational controls. This clause asks organisations to devise customised operational controls. Emergency preparedness and response, procurement, change management, and elimination of hazards are all steps within this clause.

Organisations can better implement their processes through the creation of operating criteria. Operating criteria can be used to control the relevant processes and evaluate their progress and efficiency. Assessments to evaluate operational processes should be done at regular intervals to ensure that they work as intended.

Clause 9: Performance evaluation

A key aspect of efficient OH&S performance is regular monitoring and evaluation. This clause asks organisations to conduct a regular assessment to measure the organisation’s compliance status with respect to overall effectiveness of the system.

Clause 10: Improvement

The final clause of ISO 45001 asks organisations to commit to continual improvement. The standard asks organisations to utilise and integrate the results of their performance evaluation. If the performance evaluation covers inadequacies in the performance instead of compliance, it is necessary to consult with the employees to find the root causes and create innovative solutions. Additionally, ISO 45001 suggests many corrective and preventive actions that can be utilised to reduce the occurrence of inadequacies.