There are two major voluntary industry standards that employers may utilize in designing and implementing a safety and health management system:

• ISO 45001, Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems — Requirements with Guidance for Use
• ANSI/ASSP Z10.0, American National Standard for Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems

ISO 45001

Most companies realize that if they don’t put out a quality product, they won’t be in business long. That’s why for years many organizations have turned to the International Organization for Standardization’s (ISO) 9000 series of standards to implement their quality management systems. Those businesses can align their quality, and other management systems, with a worker safety and health management system, thanks to the first-ever international standard for occupational safety and health management systems — ISO 45001.

ISO 45001, Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems — Requirements with Guidance for Use, is a standard for the implementation and maintenance of occupational safety and health management systems. It guides companies in taking a systematic and proactive approach to worker safety, giving safety an equal “seat at the table,” alongside other management systems, such as environmental, quality, IT and data security, and product safety, all of which have had international standards for a while.

It shares a common structure, and many of the same definitions, as other ISO standards.

The standard, like other management systems standards, reduces risk and increases performance. In the case of ISO 45001, the risk is to worker safety and health. By using sophisticated and forward-thinking, proactive measures, the standard provides a framework for companies to systematically improve safety and their business processes at the same time. The standard requires companies to use concepts and techniques such as the hierarchy of controls, risk assessment, and root-cause analysis, along with significant input and participation from workers. While these techniques clearly help reduce injuries and illnesses, they also improve the business performance.

The standard has other benefits as well, some obvious, such as reduction of injuries, some not so obvious, such as impact on investors. Various investment entities are looking at sustainable companies. This will likely drive many employers to ISO 45001 usage, as it is expected to be adopted heavily across the globe. Investors will likely feel more confident in an ISO 45001-certified company because they’ve shown they are actually identifying and managing the risks.

From a day-to-day safety standpoint, ISO 45001 enables companies to improve performance by:

• Creating and implementing a safety and health policy, as well as objectives that align with the business strategies.
• Assessing processes for risk.
• Using a hierarchy of controls for hazards.
• Increasing awareness of the occupational health and safety risks the business faces.
• Actively involving workers in the system.
• Continually improving the company’s performance with regard to occupational safety and health.

The indirect benefits will also be vast, including recognition for achieving an international benchmark, lowering costs, reducing turnover and lost time, and reducing equipment and process downtime.

Organizations looking to implement ISO 45001 may wish to take the following steps:

• Determine readiness to become ISO-certified for having a safety management system in place.
• Show a collective commitment to safety by the entire organization.
• Perform a risk assessment to identify hazards and determine program strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats.
• Evaluate legal and regulatory requirements and identify who is responsible for ensuring compliance.
• Develop a written plan for achieving workplace health and safety management program objectives.
• Engage employees in developing and ensuring occupational health and safety objectives.
• Ensure safety is fully integrated into daily operations and behaviors.
• Support employees at all levels of the organization to ensure they are competent to handle their roles in the safety management system.
• Implement documentation procedures for controlling policy versions, retention procedures, and access control.
• Train workers in the requirements and benefits of ISO certification.

Editor’s note: A new edition of the ISO 45001 standard is anticipated to be published in 2027, to replace the 2018 edition. According to certification bodies and others that have reviewed the draft, the proposed changes to the standard may reflect a changing work environment. They explain that safety and health management systems under the draft standard may put new or greater emphasis on:

• Looking beyond traditional safety concerns and toward worker health;
• Psychosocial risks that impact workers’ well-being;
• Supporting and including a diverse workforce and considering the differing needs of workers;
• Managing change to reduce risk, such as with evolving technology and ways of working; and
• Ensuring that leadership integrates occupational safety and health into the culture and objectives of an organization.

The upcoming edition of ISO 45001 may be accompanied by a transition period for certified organizations. Watch for the final publication of the standard for details.