Draft New Occupational Health & Safety Standard ISO 45001 Available for Comment

4th August 2014

BSI, the UK’s National Standards Body, has opened the consultation process on the draft new Occupational Health & Safety Management Systems Standard: ISO 45001.

The new ISO 45001, expected to be published in October 2016, is being developed by an international committee of experts from over 50 countries to replace the widely-used OHSAS 18001, whilst also taking into account other key documents and discussion points from across the globe.

Its aim is to provide one single, clear framework for organisations of all types and sizes to improve their OH&S performance and protect workers and others who may be affected by their activities.

Occupational health and safety continues to be a priority across the world. Despite existing regulation, standards and guidelines, work-related disease still kills millions globally each year, with hundreds of thousands more fatalities caused by workplace accidents.

ISO 45001 is being developed taking into account the views of large and small organisations, government bodies, trades unions and worker representative organisations. Plus, to ensure the widest possible input is received from all stakeholders, ISO and BSI have also made the current committee draft available to the public for comment.

The public consultation remains open for comment until 8th September 2014. To view the consultation documents, please click here. All comments submitted will then be considered by a panel of experts before the UK formally forwards agreed comments to the international committee.

There will be a further public consultation in 2015 after a re-drafting of the standard to reflect comments received through the current consultation.

Some of the intended benefits of ISO 45001 include:

  • A single internationally-agreed standard suitable for all organisations worldwide
  • Alignment with other key management system standards
  • Less prescriptive requirements which direct organisations to design a management system uniquely suited to each organisation’s occupational health and safety needs

Anne Hayes, Head of Market Development for Governance & Risk at BSI, said:

“Occupational health and safety is a matter of importance for all businesses worldwide, regardless of their size or sector. It is not an issue that can be ignored especially when it can literally mean life and death for many. Historical workplace tragedies could have been avoided if a secure occupational infrastructure had been in place using a standard such as ISO 45001 for guidance.”

For organisations currently running an occupational health and safety management system certificated to the OHSAS 18001 framework, the S2 Partnership is perfectly placed to assist in ensuring the system meets the requirements of the new ISO 45001 as it comes into force – please contact us for further information.

The S2 Partnership provides effective health & safety management systems, risk assessments, auditing, training and competent support. We provide practical and commercially-aware advice to ensure risk is identified and managed proactively. If you would like to discuss your health & safety requirements, please contact our expert team.