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After five years of work, theISO 45001 standard for occupational health and safety management systems was published on March 12, 2018. The English version is already available.
A look back at a long and difficult adoption process
The implementation of an international standard for occupational health and safety (OHS) management systems was discussed repeatedly by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), notably in 2000 and 2007. It was not until June 2013 that the national standards bodies, which are members of ISO, voted in favor of developing an international OHS standard, named ISO 45001.
As with any ISO standard, a project committee composed of experts specializing in OHS fields was established. This committee, ISO/PC 283, met regularly to prepare and validate the various versions of the future standard.
The DIS version was submitted for public inquiry in various countries and received a negative vote in May 2016. After incorporating approximately 3,000 comments, a second DIS was submitted for public inquiry during the summer of 2017. Following the review of nearly 1,600 remarks, the FDIS version was approved in November 2017, and the final version of the standard was published on March 12, 2018.
France had consistently opposed international standardization for occupational health and safety, arguing that a standard would conflict with national regulations, that OHS falls under the scope of labor relations, and that the development of international standards could lead to certification that would impose additional costs without providing added value.
What are the changes compared to other OHS frameworks?
The development of OHS standards began with the publication of the BS 8800 standard in 1996; this was a guide providing orientation and recommendations that could not be used for certification purposes. Since ISO had concluded at the time that developing an international OHS standard was not appropriate, a working group comprising about fifteen organizations from different countries was created by the British Standards Institute (BSI) in the late 1990s, which published the OHSAS 18001 specification in 1999 and its OHSAS 18002 guidelines in 2000.
Other frameworks subsequently emerged, with around thirty OHS frameworks identified worldwide, characterized by the coexistence of two major families:
- "Generic" frameworks such as OHSAS 18001, ILO OSH 2001, BS 8800, etc.
- Sector-specific or local frameworks such as MASE, VCA, etc.
OHSAS 18001 was revised in July 2007 and became the BS OHSAS 18001:2007 standard; it became the benchmark for OHS management systems, with implementation in over 127 countries and the certification of approximately 16,000 companies.
The 2018 ISO 45001 retains requirements from the 2007 OHSAS 18001:
- The principle of continuous improvement based on the PDCA cycle: "Plan, Do, Check, Act,"
- A risk assessment approach to identify and prioritize OHS risks,
- Occupational health and safety risk prevention requirements,
- Commitment to compliance with legal and other requirements, with an obligation for periodic evaluation,
- Freedom for the organization to define its own objectives and performance levels to be achieved.
However, ISO 45001 introduces several significant changes. First, ISO 45001 is structured according to the new High Level Structure (HLS) format now required by ISO for all management system standards (MSS), regardless of their field of application (Quality, Energy, Information Security, etc.). This harmonized format was defined in 2012 as part of "Annex SL," which is attached to the ISO/IEC directives outlining the rules and procedures for drafting international standards.
In addition to the HLS structure, this Annex SL contains basic terms and definitions (e.g., Organization, Interested party, Policy, Objective, Competence, Compliance), as well as common requirement wording (e.g., "Top management shall ensure that the responsibilities and authorities for relevant roles are assigned and communicated within the organization at all levels"), to be used in all MSS. The goal is to facilitate the implementation of integrated management systems.
ISO 45001: How long do you have to adapt your management system?
ISO45001 will replace OHSAS 18001, with transition rules set by the IAF (International Accreditation Forum) (see Requirements for the Migration to ISO 45001:2018 from OHSAS 18001:2007, published on January 18, 2018). With a three-year transition period provided, organizations have until March 12, 2021, to have their management system certified according to the new standard.
Furthermore, any organization may continue to request certification for its occupational health and safety management system based on the ILO-OSH 2001 guidelines developed by the ILO (International Labour Organization).
ISO 45001:2018 is therefore intended for use by organizations wishing to manage their OHS responsibilities systematically and contributes to the social pillar of sustainable development.
As a reminder, ISO 26000:2010, the ISO standard for organizational social responsibility, was confirmed in December 2017; consequently, a revision will likely not be initiated before 2020 at the earliest, and a new version will therefore not be available before 2023.
Initial feedback one year after its publication.