Navigating your way through ISO 45001 clauses
Jane Murdoch 
Date published: Apr 27, 21
Last updated: Apr 18, 24
ISO 45001 replaced the older OHSAS 18001 standard in March 2021, marking a significant shift in occupational health and safety management. This blog will explore why this newer standard is so important and guide you on navigating your way to compliance. Even if you weren't accredited to OHSAS 18001, ISO 45001 can be a valuable addition to your management system worth considering.
Why you should embrace ISO 45001 compliance
Before we explore your ISO 45001 compliance journey, let's discuss why it's critical for businesses to adopt the new ISO 45001 standards.
Neglecting accreditation or letting your old OHSAS accreditation lapse leaves your business without a formalized approach to ensuring employee health and safety. This oversight increases your business's exposure to:
- Risk: Employee accidents are not only detrimental on their own but can also lead to reputational damage, decreased morale, and potential legal action. These are tangible risks associated with inadequate health and safety management.
- Costs: Health and safety incidents can lead to insurance premium hikes, fines, compensation claims, and lost productivity. A robust health and safety framework makes financial sense and is an essential risk management tool.
- Business as usual: While this may sound harmless, failing to evolve your health and safety practices could invite future problems. ISO 45001 accreditation ensures continuous improvement and fosters a culture of physical and mental well-being that proactively addresses emerging risks.
10 benefits of getting accredited with ISO 45001
- Build a reputation as a caring, responsible employer, enhancing your ability to attract new talent.
- Transform health and safety from a compliance exercise into a core aspect of your company culture.
- Scrutinize occupational risks and implement targeted actions.
- Reduce overall operational costs.
- Boost employee morale and efficiency while reducing turnover.
- Minimize negative publicity and reputational harm.
- Aim for a zero-harm work environment as a tangible goal.
- Demonstrate quality management; robust health and safety practices often accompany strong overall business management.
- Leverage new processes and technologies that you might otherwise overlook.
- Identify opportunities for continuous improvement.
Key changes with ISO 45001 requirements
The transition from OHSAS 18001 to ISO 45001 introduces significant changes, particularly within the clauses related to continual improvement, leadership, and the context of the organization.
Clause 3.37 - Continual improvement
Continual improvement is about making gradual improvements over time, allowing for evaluation, reflection, and the implementation of changes. No organization can continuously improve every second. Instead, the best organizations make improvements incrementally, learning from failures and successes along the way.
Clause 4 - Context of the organization
Organizations must understand the internal and external factors that can impact their health and safety performance. This includes organizational culture, structure, and external factors such as social, political, financial, and technological influences. The PESTEL model (political, economic, social, technological, environmental, and legal) can help identify these factors, which can then be analyzed through a SWOT analysis to fully explore strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats.
Understanding these forces helps organizations take a proactive approach to risk mitigation.
Clause 5.1 - Leadership
This clause guides organizations in demonstrating leadership and commitment to protecting workers' health and safety. It emphasizes the role of leadership in developing, implementing, and improving the occupational health and safety management system.
Health and safety professionals must lead senior management through this process. ISO 45001 requires leaders to take responsibility and play an active role, offering an opportunity for internal engagement and teamwork.
Where to start in gaining ISO 45001 certification
While ISO 45001 certification isn't mandatory, it elevates your business's occupational health and safety standards, positioning you as a competitive employer and supplier.
ISO 45001's Annex SL framework facilitates integration with other ISO standards, such as ISO 9001 and ISO 14001. This high-level structure simplifies the process for organizations seeking multiple ISO certifications.
To effectively implement ISO 45001, lead the process, empower employees to engage with it, and link health and safety to your broader business strategy.
What can you do next?
While it's possible to achieve ISO 45001 compliance manually, leveraging the latest health and safety management technology can ease the process. A quality management system helps organizations be proactive rather than reactive, building a robust health and safety culture that underpins compliance.
By adopting ISO 45001, your organization not only embraces a global standard of health and safety but also aligns with best practices that drive continuous improvement and sustainability.
Supporting your ISO 45001 compliance
Find out how Ideagen support organizations to meet the requirements of ISO 45001.
Find out more