ISO 45001 Safety Management System Requirements

What are the ISO 45001 Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems Requirements?

Here we’ve “broken down” the updated ISO 45001 standard to make it easier to understand and put into action. There are 10 major sections (or clauses) with supporting sections (or sub-clauses).

Each of these sections has a specific focus and expected implementation, which is seen as being key to achieving the outcomes expected by this occupational health and safety management system.  Learn the details of the requirements with ISO 45001 Requirements Training.

To successfully implement the ISO 45001 standard within your organization, you must correctly satisfy each of the requirements outlined within it and that are summarized below (scroll for the entire summary, or click to move to pages for individual sections). Once you have successfully implemented the standard and received certification from a registrar, you may then advertise your ISO 45001 certification.

Introduction
Section 1: Scope
Section 2: Normative References
Section 3: Terms and Definitions
Section 4: Context of the Organization
Section 5: Leadership and Worker Participation
Section 6: Planning
Section 7: Support
Section 8: Operation
Section 9: Performance Evaluation
Section 10: Improvement

ISO 45001 Requirements Summary

ISO 45001 Requirements:
What are the major elements of ISO 45001:2018, and why they are important?
Primary Sections: 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4, 0.5
Secondary Sections: 1.0, 2.0, 3.0
Requirement Sections: 4.0, 5.0, 6.0, 7.0, 8.0, 9.0, 10.0
Guidance Section: Annex A

Introduction

The implementation of an occupational health and safety (OH&S) management system is intended for an organization to improve its OH&S performance and enhance health and safety in the workplace by enabling the management of Occupational Health and Safety risks.

Section 1: Scope

Defines ISO 45001 as an international standard for an OHSMS that:

• Is used to enable an organization to provide safe and healthy working conditions that prevent work-related injury and ill health.
• Notes the value and need for a health and safety management system based on continual improvement and achievement of objectives.
• Meets applicable regulatory requirements
• Can be adapted to virtually any organization, product or service.

Section 2: Normative References

Simply notes that there are no normative references for ISO 45001

Section 3: Terms and Definitions

This section references the definitions that apply to the ISO 45001 document.

Section 4: Context of the Organization

This first requirement clause introduces two sub-clauses relating to the context of the organization; first of all is understanding the organization and its context, and second is understanding the needs and expectations of workers and other interested parties.  Together they require that you determine the issues and requirements that can impact on the planning of the OH&S Management System (OHSMS). In addition, the scope of the OH&S and the OH&S processes along with their applicability and interactions need to be determined.

Section 5: Leadership

This second clause requires that your top management demonstrates leadership and commitment with respect to the OH&S management system. This section also asks top management to establish, implement and maintain an OH&S policy that is appropriate to your company and to ensure that the organizational roles, responsibilities, and authorities for relevant roles are assigned, communicated, and understood. In addition, your company is required to establish, implement and maintain systems for participation by and consultation with both non-managerial and managerial workers in dealing with the OHSMS.

Section 6: Planning

This third clause talks about the planning for the OH&S management system, where your company needs to consider the issues referred to in previous clause 4.1, the requirements of clause 4.2, the scope of the OH&S system per clause 4.3 and determine the actions to address the OH&S risks and opportunities. The planning of actions includes systems for the identification of workplace hazards and the assessment of OH&S and other system risks, along with the identification of OH&S opportunities and other system opportunities. In addition, legal requirements and other requirements that apply to the hazards and OH&S risks need to be determined, up to date and accessible. This section also talks about establishing the OH&S objectives for the relevant functions and plans to achieve them.

Section 7: Support

This fourth clause requires that your company determine and provide the resources needed to establish, implement, maintain and continually improve the OH&S management system. This section covers the resources that support the system and include competence and awareness of the workers, methods for the communication of OH&S internal and external information along with the requirements for documented information.

Section 8: Operation

This fifth clause requires that your company plan, implement and control the processes required for the OH&S management system and to implement the actions to address risks and opportunities as determined in previous planning clause 6. Operational planning and control include processes to eliminate or reduce OH&S risks, to manage change, and systems for procurement, contractors, outsourcing, and emergency preparedness and response.

The organization must turn their strategic health and safety planning into actionable tactical or operational plans and implement them.

Section 9: Performance Evaluation

This sixth clause requires that your company plan, implement and control the monitoring, measurement, analysis, and evaluation processes. Performance evaluation includes systems for the evaluation of compliance with legal and other requirements, internal audits, and management review, aimed at improved OH&S performance and an effective OH&S management system.

Performance measurement continues to be a key element in ISO standards, and ISO 45001 consolidates most of the system level measurement requirements into a single section.

Section 10: Improvement

This last requirement clause requires that your company manage OH&S incidents, nonconformities, and corrective actions. The improvement process includes the objectives for continual improvement and the implementation of the actions needed to continually improve the suitability, adequacy and effectiveness of the OH&S management system and to enhance OH&S performance.

Please note that certain text from the ISO 45001 standard is only used for instructional purposes. Standard Stores recognizes and respects the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) copyright and intellectual property guidelines.

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