ISO 45001 OH&S Management System Certification

ISO 45001:2018 is the latest internationally recognised Occupational Health & Safety standard, published in March 2018. This standard has superseded AS/NZS 4801 and OHSAS 18001, allowing organisations in Australia and New Zealand to align their organisations with the latest international practices.

This standard outlines what an OH&S management system must do to guarantee worker safety and create a secure working environment. They are important signs that a company has health and safety policies in place to lower workplace accidents and illnesses and continually support safety performance.

By demonstrating ISO 45001:2018 compliance, your organisation can show important stakeholders that senior management is committed to implementing policies to reduce work-related injuries. Being accredited to this international standard improves your reputation and actively lowers workplace risks, which results in cost savings by reducing the need for sick days, compensation, and insurance.

It’s a crucial management system requirement for occupational health and safety risks, ensuring senior management addresses threats and chances to prevent injuries and meet safety guidelines.

Customers, suppliers, and stakeholders need to see that you have implemented ISO 45001 to show that you have recognised, reduced, and managed your safety risks. This also demonstrates that you’re meeting an important legal requirement to create a safe working environment in line with ISO safety standards and reduce workplace hazards.

To achieve certification, companies must be evaluated against the standard and undergo ongoing compliance audits as part of their ISO management system standards process.

Any organisation, regardless of size or industry, can benefit from ISO 45001 certification. It is particularly valuable for industries with higher safety risks, such as construction, manufacturing, and healthcare. Companies seeking to improve their OH&S management system, achieve safety certification, and demonstrate compliance with ISO occupational health and safety standards should consider becoming ISO 45001 certified.

While ISO 45001 certification isn’t legally mandatory, it’s often required by organisations applying for tenders. In Australia, for example, many industries adopt OHS certification standards, such as AS/NZS ISO 45001, to comply with the contractual obligations of projects they’ve won.

In short, yes! The safety management standard ISO 45001 promotes collaboration with interested parties such as employees, contractors, and people managers and fosters a culture of accountability, continual improvement, and transparency that helps organisations improve workplace safety across teams.

Before you can be certified, your system has to fulfil the necessary requirements. The steps for developing your quality management system for certification are described here:

1. By reading the ISO 45001:2018 standard and becoming familiar with the terminology, you can easily understand the intent.
2. Recognise the criteria outlined in the standard. Develop your management system in accordance with the standards.
3. To determine your level of certification readiness, conduct a gap analysis. Any areas that require additional development will be identified from this.
4. Assess your management system internally. After your system has been developed, you must conduct an internal audit to make sure you are following the standard and remain compliant. You can take advantage of this chance to ensure you’re prepared for the certification audit.
5. Go through the certification process. An assessment will be required to evaluate your company’s compliance with ISO 45001:2018 and verify your health and safety policies are properly implemented.

The following clauses in ISO 45001:2018 establish the OH&S requirements for certification:

1. Context of the Organisation (Clause 4):
   • Understand the internal and external factors impacting your business.
   • Identify interested parties, such as employees and regulators, to align the OH&S system with their needs.
2. Leadership (Clause 5):
   • Management must demonstrate a strong commitment to workplace safety.
   • Establish clear leadership roles, responsibilities, and communication channels.
3. Planning (Clause 6):
   • Identify and assess workplace risks.
   • Set safety objectives and define a structured plan to achieve them.
4. Support (Clause 7):
   • Equip your team with the training, tools, and resources needed for system effectiveness.
   • Ensure all employees understand their roles in maintaining a safe workplace.
5. Operation (Clause 8):
   • Implement risk mitigation processes.
   • Establish controls to manage workplace hazards and enhance safety practices.
6. Performance Evaluation (Clause 9):
   • Regularly monitor and measure the effectiveness of your OH&S management system.
   • Conduct audits and internal reviews to identify areas for improvement.
7. Improvement (Clause 10):
   • Take corrective actions to address non-conformities.
   • Commit to continuous improvement in safety performance.

The standard is compatible with ISO management system standards such as ISO 9001, ISO 14001, and ISO 27001 because it is aligned with Annex SL. Risk assessment and an OH&S business plan are among its main objectives and are used to mitigate workplace safety hazards and promote safety performance.

Obtaining certification to ISO standards has four steps:

• Gap Analysis (Optional): To assess your OH&S system against each clause of the standard, you can choose to perform an optional gap analysis at the start of the process.
• Stage one: The required first step is an evaluation of your ISO 45001 WHS certification documentation, including policies, processes, health and safety policies, and context, against the standard. It lays the foundation for stage two.
• Stage two: The second assessment is the last one before the initial certification process is complete. We must verify that the ISO 45001 certification documented requirements are followed throughout the entire organisation to receive certification. We visit your locations and offices, as well as having conversations with relevant stakeholders in your business to complete your ISO 45001 certification journey.
• Certification: a “Statement of Certification” is issued after your stage two assessment has been verified and the procedure is finished, confirming compliance with the applicable standard. From the date of issue, your organisation is officially ISO 45001 certified, and the certification is valid for three years.

To keep your certification, you’ll need to conduct surveillance assessments on a regular basis to maintain a strong safety system.

If you have any enquiries or want to learn more about the certification procedure, get in touch with us today.

Depending on your level of readiness, team capacity, how open an organisation is to change, and how much buy-in there is, different organisations will take different amounts of time to implement ISO 45001.

But a major factor is company size. Standard procedures include:

• 3-6 months for small businesses with up to 150 employees.
• 8–12 months for medium-sized businesses with up to 1000 employees.
• 12 to 18 months for larger companies with more than 1000 employees.

This timeline may vary depending on how well your safety management system is documented and how effectively you handle safety hazards in advance.

Your current ISO 45001 certification can be seamlessly transferred to Citation Certification.

We’ll keep up with your existing certification schedule; get in touch with us for a cost estimate without commitment.

Businesses can use training to make implementing organisational changes easier. When all staff know what needs to be implemented, why it needs to happen, and how to remain compliant with the certification, obtaining and retaining the certification becomes much easier. That’s why were proud to offer all clients and all their employees free training courses. With our free ISO training courses you’ll be certified in no time.

The cost of achieving ISO 45001 certification depends on factors such as the size of your organisation, the complexity of your OHS management system, and whether you use a consultancy or internal resources for implementation. Costs typically include fees for accreditation bodies, audits, training, and compliance tools. Luckily for you, Citation certification provides free online training to all clients.

While exact costs vary, smaller organisations may spend around $5,000 to $15,000, while larger organisations could exceed $50,000. Achieving a valid ISO 45001 certificate is a worthwhile investment in improving workplace safety, reducing risks, and demonstrating a commitment to occupational health and safety.

An ISO 45001 certification is valid for three years, but organisations must undergo annual surveillance audits to maintain their safety certification. This ensures ongoing compliance with the ISO 45001 standard and the effectiveness of the occupational health and safety management system.

Yes, organisations can implement ISO 9001 (Quality Management), ISO 14001 (Environmental Management), and ISO 45001 (Occupational Health and Safety) simultaneously. These standards share a common structure (Annex SL), making it easier to integrate them into a unified system. This approach means compliance with the ISO health and safety standard, as well as and other management systems, all in one unified system.

• ISO 45001 certification focuses on occupational health and safety management systems, aiming to reduce workplace risks and improve employee safety.
• ISO 9001 certification, on the other hand, is centred on quality management, ensuring that products and services meet customer expectations and regulatory requirements. While both standards can be integrated, their primary objectives differ. ISO 45001: think of it as ISO safety, for health and safety, and ISO 9001 for quality.

Yes, the ISO 45001 standard is a globally recognised certification. This standard is also commonly referred to as the Safety Management Systems Certification or ISO Health and Safety.’ However, the official name for the ISO 45001 internationally is ‘Occupational Health and Safety Management System’.

We take the time to understand your company’s operations and goals, supporting your business on its compliance journey.

The team at Citation Certification go above and beyond certification – we offer you dedicated support services such as training, webinars, additional resources and materials from our Group of companies that provide workplace compliance solutions.

We are upfront and transparent – we provide all-inclusive pricing and there are no hidden costs like reporting or preparation fees.