How ISO 45001 Wants you to Operate Your Organization

ISO 45001 Requirement: Turning plans into reality requires a special set of efforts under ISO 45001 including requirements support for operational planning, management of change, outsourcing, procurement, contractors, and emergency preparedness and response.

The Key Requirements are outlined in this page.

Section 8 Operation

Section 8.1: Operational planning and control

As with previous versions of the (OHSAS 18001) standard, ISO 45001 requires that the OH&S planning is used in ongoing organizational management. Operational planning and controls need to be established and implemented to enhance occupational health and safety, eliminate hazards or at least reduce the OH&S risks to levels as low as possible for operational areas and activities.

For more information, read Operational controls

Section 8.1.2: Eliminating hazards and reducing OH&S hazards

When planning and developing operational controls, priority is given to control options with higher reliability in preventing work-related injury and ill health. Consideration is given to the hierarchy of controls where the process to reduce OH&S risks follow a sequence for:

• Hazard elimination
• Substitution
• Engineering controls
• Administrative controls
• Personal protective equipment

For more information, read Hierarchy of controls

Section 8.1.3.: Management of Change

When planning and developing operational controls, changes that impact OH&S performance need to be managed. A process is needed to be established for the implementation and control of planned changes.

For more information, read Management of change

Section 8.1.4.1: Procurement

Controls are required to be established to make sure that raw materials, hazardous substances or materials, equipment, products, and services meet the requirements specified by the OH&S system. There must be a process, for assessing, choosing, reviewing, improving and replacing external suppliers against stated expectations.  For a more effective system, the control system processes need to be documented.

For more information, read Procurement process

The procurement process needs to include methods for the measuring and monitoring of products and services and the supplier must understand fully:

• What it is to provide (including supporting methods, materials and equipment used to produce those products/services)
• How those products and services will be monitored to be acceptable or unacceptable (including on-site assessments)
• Any special skills, certifications, performance expectations expected of the supplier’s personnel

For more information, read Incoming inspection

Section 8.1.4.2: Contractors

Your organization needs to establish and maintain processes to ensure that the requirements of the OH&S management system are met by contractors and their workers. These processes include the OH&S criteria for selection of contractors.

Methods are required to be established to identify and communicate the hazards and to evaluate and control the OH&S risks, arising from the:

• Contractors’ activities and operations to the organization’s workers
• Organization’s activities and operations to the contractors’ workers
• Contractors’ activities and operations to other interested parties
• Contractors’ activities and operations to contractors’ workers

For more information, read Contractor communication – and Contractor checklist

Section 8.1.4.3: Outsourcing

Given the growth in outsourcing, it becomes important to have control of externally provided processes, products and services. The extent of control to be applied needs to be defined within the OH&S management system.

When engaging in outsourcing, there must be a process for the selection of the providers and evaluation of their performance, along with means to react to problems caused by external suppliers that can affect OH&S performance.

Controls are needed for outsourced functions and processes to ensure that arrangements are consistent with legal requirements and with achieving the intended outcomes of the OHSMS.

Section 8.2: Emergency Preparedness and Response

An organization is required to identify foreseeable emergencies applicable to its operations and plan its response. Such emergencies can occur both during and beyond normal working hours and can arise due to both natural and man-made causes. Identified emergencies need to be assessed based on their OH&S risks.

Focus is on proactive control measures, such as the reduction of ignition sources and not only on reactive risk controls, such as fire-fighting equipment and evacuation.

For more information, read Emergency Preparedeness and Response