BSI: Second draft of ISO 45001 now published

25th April 2017

BSI (British Standards Institution) has now published the second draft of ISO 45001 – Occupational health and safety management systems – Requirements with guidance for use.

This new international standard will specify requirements for organisations to implement a tailored occupational health and safety (OH&S) management system to improve their OH&S performance and protect their employees from work related injury and ill health, in place of the current OHSAS 18001.  The standard has been developed in a way that means that it will provide a framework that is relevant to individual organisations to help them to manage their own risks and opportunities in terms of health and safety.

ISO 45001 is being developed using a collaborative approach, by canvassing the views of government bodies and trade unions as well as large and small organisations.  The international committee that has been developing the standard includes experts from over 50 countries to ensure that it is a truly international standard and meets the requirements of challenges faced by different countries around the world.

Furthermore, Anne Hayes – Head of Governance and Resilience at BSI has stated that “it is important that ISO 45001 works in alignment with other management system standards, such as ISO 9001 and ISO 14001.  Therefore, the common text and structure in which ISO 45001 is written will ensure that these management systems are broadly aligned”. *

This latest draft is now available to buy from BSI, giving individuals the opportunity to read and reflect on the contents of the standard prior to the formal commenting period, which commences on May 19th 2017.

Once it has been finalised, ISO 45001 will replace OHSAS 18001. Organisations currently certified to BS OHSAS 18001 are anticipated to need to migrate to ISO 45001 within three years of the new standard’s publication, at which time OHSAS 18001 is likely to be withdrawn.  Publication of the standard is expected to be November 2017, if no Final Draft International Standard (FDIS) is required, and Q2 2018 if an FDIS is required.

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.

*Source: BSI Press release April 2017