What is the new ISO 45001?

ISO 45001:2018, Occupational health and safety management systems has been published! The new standard replaces/supersedes the British standard 18001. Organisations already certified to OHSAS 18001 will have three years to comply with the new ISO 45001 standard. The new Occupational Health and Safety Standard has been designed to help organisations reduce workplace injuries and illnesses – providing a framework for managing Health and Safety responsibilities.

“Over 7,600 people die each day from work-related accidents or diseases – that’s over 2.78 million every year” (International Labour Organisation)

According to 2017 calculations by the International Labour Organisation almost 7,700 people die of work-related diseases or injuries every day. Additionally, there are some 374 million non-fatal work-related injuries and illnesses each year, many of these resulting in extended absences from work.

ISO 45001 hopes to change this. It provides governmental agencies, industry and other affected stakeholders with effective, usable guidance for improving worker safety in countries around the world.  ISO 45001 has been designed to integrate with other ISO management systems standards, ensuring a high level of compatibility with the new versions of ISO 9001 (quality management) and ISO 14001 (environmental management).