ISO 45001 is an International Organization for Standardization (ISO) standard for management systems of occupational health and safety (OHS) . It was published in March 2018 and is applicable to any organization regardless of its size, type, and activities. The goal of ISO 45001 is to reduce occupational injuries and diseases, including workplace injuries, illnesses, and fatalities. The standard provides a framework from which OSH objectives can be effectively managed and offers a single, clear framework for all organizations wishing to improve their OH&S performance.
Some key points about ISO 45001 are:
- It is the worlds first International Standard dealing with health and safety at work.
- It enables an organization, through its OH&S management system, to integrate other aspects of health and safety, such as worker wellness/wellbeing.
- It does not state specific criteria for OH&S performance, nor is it prescriptive about the design of an OH&S management system.
- It builds on the success of earlier international standards in this area such as OHSAS 18001, the International Labour Organizations ILO-OSH Guidelines, various national standards, and the ILOs international labour standards and conventions.
- It provides practical solutions for worker safety and helps create a global foundation of worker safety standards and inspections that can be used in global supply chains across all industries.
ISO 45001 can be used in whole or in part to systematically improve occupational health and safety management. However, claims of conformity to this document are not acceptable unless all its requirements are incorporated into an organizations OH&S management system and fulfilled without exclusion.
