ISO 45 001

Occupational Health And Safety Management System

ISO 45 001, Occupational Health and Safety Management System, is a standard designed to be used by organizations of all types and sizes and its structure ties in with the ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 series of standards to create an integrated management system for the organization.

ISO 45 001 mainly differs from the structure of the ISO 9001 series and the ISO 14001 series in areas concerning the application of risk control procedures.

• hazard identification
• risk assessment
• risk control

Both the legislation and this standard emphasize the need for organizations to propose and implement measures to remove, reduce or isolate employees from hazards wherever possible. If this is not possible, work activities must be planned and managed with the aid of organizational measures so that their performance is safe and without risk to health.

Reasons for implementing ISO 45 001:

• a proven commitment to ensuring and improving the occupational health and safety system adopted at all levels and by all positions in the organization, especially by senior management
• a demonstration of the systematic reduction of risks or hazards to the safety and health of all persons affected by the organization’s activities, products or services 
• reduced occupational diseases and workplace injuries
• minimizing the costs associated with workplace accidents
• a demonstrable commitment to meeting legal and regulatory requirements concerning occupational health and safety
• a built-in self-regulating system that is flexible when responding to changes in the requirements from legislation, safety requirements and changes within the organization (e.g. new technologies, organizational changes, etc.)