ISO 45001 Audit Services

ISO 45001 is a top international standard for occupational health and safety management systems (OHS). It provides a framework and defines the requirements for organizations to provide a safe and healthy workplace, prevent injury and ill health, and proactively improve the performance of the system. Based on these guidelines, an organization can establish the necessary policies and procedures that actively protect lives and promote health. At the same time, the organization can fulfill legal and regulatory requirements for health and safety, achieve OHS objectives, and put continuous improvement processes in place.

ISO 45001 is an OHS standard and is often used as an auditing tool for big retailers to audit their vendors and factories. This health and safety system audit is often combined with social accountability, environmental audits, and quality system audits when a vendor seeks to supply to these retailers. The audit helps buyers/suppliers identify nonconformances and encourages them to rectify the issues found. It also will provide confidence to their buyers and internal parties that they are protecting the health and well-being of their workers and other stakeholders involved in the business.

Many socially responsible organizations implement their own OHS system based on the ISO 45001 standard even though they are not seeking certification. In 2020, ISO 45001 certificates issued globally increased by 97% (source: ISO), indicating the growing importance and widening adoption of this standard.

The full name of the standard is “Occupational health and safety management systems – Requirements with guidance for use”.

Pro QC’s ISO 45001 OHS audit checklist is based on the current, recently reviewed, and confirmed 2018 version and is comprised of:

• Context of the organization
  • Understanding of the organization and its context
  • Understanding the needs and expectations of workers and other interested parties
  • Determining the scope of the OH&S management system
  • OH&S management system
• Leadership and worker participation
  • Leadership and commitment
  • OH&S policy
  • Organizational roles, responsibilities and authorities
  • Consultation and participation of workers
• Planning
  • Actions to address risks and opportunities
  • General
  • Hazard identification and assessment of risks and opportunities
  • Determination of legal requirements and other requirements
  • Planning action
  • OH&S objectives and planning to achieve them
  • OH&S objectives
  • Planning to achieve OH&S objectives
• Support
  • Resources
  • Competence
  • Awareness
  • Communication
  • General
  • Internal communication
  • External communication
  • Documented information
  • General
  • Creating and updating
  • Control of documented information
• Operation
  • Operational planning and control
  • General
  • Eliminating hazards and reducing OH&S risks
  • Management of change
  • Procurement
  • Emergency preparedness and response
• Performance evaluation
  • Monitoring, measurement, analysis and performance evaluation
  • General
  • Evaluation of compliance
  • Internal audit
  • General
  • Internal audit program
  • Management review
• Improvement
  • General
  • Incident, nonconformity and corrective action
  • Continual improvement

ISO 45001 focuses on the occupational health and safety management system while ISO 9001 specifies the framework and requirements of a quality management system. The current (and first) version of ISO 45001 is familiar in format and terminology with other ISO standards. The committee that drafted and approved it made special efforts to make it harmonious with other health and safety standards and regulations. A company meeting the requirements of one ISO standard is, therefore, better positioned to meet the other standard as well as local laws. The requirements differ but do not contradict each other. It is therefore advisable to advance multiple ISO certification efforts concurrently but not necessarily to merge them into one project.

Meeting the requirements of the ISO 45001 OHS standard helps to:

• Protect and improve the health and safety of employees
• Demonstrate a commitment to health and safety to stakeholders
• Reduce risk
• Engage employees in the OHS effort
• Put OHS continuous improvement processes in place