Revision in Progress Checked October 24, 2026
A revision has reached the Draft International Standard stage and is expected in 2027; certificates to the 2018 edition remain valid.
Next: Watch for the final draft in 2027. Build to the 2018 text now; the structure will not change.
What It Covers
The requirements for an occupational health and safety management system that prevents work-related injury and ill health and provides safe and healthy workplaces.
Who It Applies To
Any organization that wants to manage its occupational health and safety risks systematically, or whose customers ask for certification.
Key Requirements
- Consultation and participation of workers, including non-managerial workers (5.4).
- Hazard identification and assessment of OH&S risks and opportunities (6.1.2).
- Legal and other requirements determined and their fulfillment evaluated (6.1.3, 9.1.2).
- The hierarchy of controls applied to eliminate hazards and reduce risks (8.1.2).
- Management of change, procurement, contractors, and outsourcing (8.1.3, 8.1.4).
- Incident investigation and corrective action (10.2).
What an Auditor Asks to See
- Evidence of worker consultation and participation, beyond a safety committee’s minutes.
- The hazard register for an area, and the controls in the order of the hierarchy.
- An incident investigation and the action it led to.
- How contractors are selected and controlled on site.
Where Systems Fall Short
- Worker participation evidenced only by a signature on a toolbox talk.
- Controls that start with personal protective equipment.
- Investigations that stop at “employee did not follow procedure”.
Structure at a Glance
| Part | Topic | What It Asks For |
|---|---|---|
| Clause 4 | Context of the Organization | Issues including climate, needs of workers and other interested parties, scope. |
| Clause 5 | Leadership and Worker Participation | Leadership and commitment, OH&S policy, roles, consultation, and participation of workers. |
| Clause 6 | Planning | Hazard identification, OH&S risks and opportunities, legal and other requirements, objectives. |
| Clause 7 | Support | Resources, competence, awareness, communication, documented information. |
| Clause 8 | Operation | Eliminating hazards and reducing risks, management of change, procurement, contractors, emergency preparedness. |
| Clause 9 | Performance Evaluation | Monitoring and measurement, evaluation of compliance, internal audit, management review. |
| Clause 10 | Improvement | Incident, nonconformity, and corrective action; continual improvement. |
Requirements Checklist
Work down the list with the evidence in hand. The PDF has a column for noting where each item is evidenced.
- Workers consulted and participating in the decisions the standard lists (5.4).
- Hazards identified on an ongoing basis, including routine and non-routine activities (6.1.2.1).
- OH&S risks and opportunities assessed with a documented method (6.1.2.2, 6.1.2.3).
- Legal and other requirements determined and kept current (6.1.3).
- OH&S objectives measurable, monitored, and resourced (6.2).
- Competence, including the ability to identify hazards, established for workers (7.2).
- Controls selected using the hierarchy of controls (8.1.2).
- Changes assessed for OH&S risk before implementation (8.1.3).
- Contractors and outsourced processes controlled (8.1.4).
- Emergency plans tested, including with relevant external parties (8.2).
- Compliance with legal requirements evaluated (9.1.2).
- Incidents investigated with worker involvement, and causes corrected (10.2).
Implementation Roadmap
- 1. Baseline Assess against the 2018 text, including Amendment 1:2024, and against local regulation such as 29 CFR 1910.
- 2. Participation Set up consultation and participation that workers recognize, with records that show it.
- 3. Hazards and controls Rebuild the hazard register by area and apply the hierarchy of controls.
- 4. Change and contractors Bring management of change, procurement, and contractor control into one process.
- 5. Evaluate and certify Evaluate compliance, audit, review, and certify; plan the update when the 2027 revision is published.
How It Fits with Other Standards
ISO 45001 shares the Harmonized Structure with ISO 9001 and ISO 14001. It does not replace regulation: in the United States, OSHA’s 29 CFR 1910 sets the legal requirements the system must meet, and in the EU the Machinery Regulation governs the equipment workers use.
Findings We See Most Often
- Worker participation not evidenced for non-managerial workers (5.4).
- Hierarchy of controls not applied (8.1.2).
- Management of change not covering temporary changes (8.1.3).
- Incident investigations not identifying the root cause (10.2).
How QES Helps
A gap assessment against the 2018 standard that also prepares for the 2027 revision.
Related Standards
Sources. ISO — ISO 45001:2018 (opens in a new tab); de Grandson — ISO management system revisions, 2026–2030 (September 2026) (opens in a new tab). Status checked October 24, 2026. This page summarizes ISO 45001:2018; it does not reproduce or replace it. Buy the standard from its publisher, or read the regulation in its official text, before relying on a detail. Not legal advice.