Certification according to ISO 45001:2018
What is ISO 45001?
ISO 45001:2018 "Management systems for safety and health at work - Requirements with guidance for use" (SGA-MS) contains all the specifications that a company must implement in order to introduce and apply an SGA-MS in accordance with international best practice knowledge.
It follows the "High Level Structure" (HLS) and can thus be excellently combined with other ISO management systems (e.g. ISO 9001, ISO 50001 or ISO 14001).
The systematic management of occupational safety and health according to ISO 45001 and external auditing gives you new impetus to further develop occupational health and safety. The continuous improvement process as the core of the management system guarantees the involvement of your employees and increases their satisfaction.
For whom is ISO 45001 relevant?
ISO 45001 is relevant to you if, for example, you are concerned about issues such as production safety, shortage of skilled workers, accidents caused by contractors, occupational health and safety regulations, employee satisfaction, work intensification or increased responsibility. No matter what industry you are in: Take advantage of an occupational safety and health management system.
In the 1990s, industry stakeholders called for a management system for comprehensive OSH planning, organisation and operation. This desire led to the publication of BS OHSAS 18001 in 2007, Since then, a lot has happened: The demands in occupational safety and health have increased, the idea of prevention has evolved and psychological aspects are also increasingly becoming the focus of interest.
What are the benefits of ISO 45001 certification?
The certification attests to the effective implementation of occupational safety and health regulations and is thus a strong public sign that the company management is fulfilling its legal obligations. Internally, the certificate creates legal certainty for those responsible in the company.
- The inclusion of all relevant stakeholders is ensured and possibly even the contributions to the employers' liability insurance association can be reduced.
- Your competitive advantage increases when participating in tenders.
- A management system certified according to ISO 45001 increases your profitability, as internal safety increases and employee absences are reduced.
- Internal processes are optimised, customer and employee loyalty is increased and communication with stakeholders is improved.
The British standard BS OHSAS 18001 was widely used in more than 80 countries and was thus the relevant standard for SGA for a long time - also in Germany. Since the publication of ISO 45001, BS OHSAS 18001 has been considered withdrawn.
For organisations holding a certificate according to BS OHSAS 18001, there was a three-year transition period to change over to ISO 45001. This was extended due to the pandemic, so that certificates according to BS OHSAS 18001 could be extended until 30.09.2021 at the latest.
This means that there are no longer any currently valid, accredited certificates according to BS OHSAS 18001.
ISO 45001 is an ISO standard (International Organization for Standardization). It is the first international standard for occupational safety and health. BS OHSAS 18001, on the other hand, is a British standard that was only applied internationally due to a lack of alternatives.
Of course, the specifications of BS OHSAS 18001 and experiences from auditing practice were taken into account in the development of ISO 45001. In contrast to BS OHSAS 18001, ISO 45001 follows the HLS and can be better combined with other ISO management systems in an integrated management system.
ISO 45001 also requires the applying companies to pay more attention to stakeholders, risks and opportunities. In particular, the topics of prevention, contractors, employee participation, compliance and thinking in terms of "opportunities" are given more space in the standard. We also offer a free e-learning course on this topic.
ISO/PAS 45005:2020 (Occupational health and safety management - General guidelines for safe working during the COVID-19 pandemic) is a guideline or technical rule to assist you in dealing with the Covid-19 crisis. It helps to systematically implement pandemic response and risk mitigation measures. The English-language document is freely available.
ISO 45003:2021 (Management of occupational safety and health - Mental safety and health at work - Guidance) supports you in the management of psychosocial stress at work.
According to §5 of the Occupational Health and Safety Act (ArbSchG), all companies are obliged to assess mental stress during the risk assessment. Especially companies that have introduced an SGA-MS according to ISO 45001 should use the advantages that arise when psychosocial stresses are also systematically recorded, assessed and reduced. The English-language document is freely available.
How does the certification process work? What are the prerequisites / requirements?
You would like to establish an SGA-MS according to ISO 45001 in your company and have it certified: How do you proceed?
Obtain ISO 45001 (e.g. from Beuth-Verlag) and implement the requirements mentioned there in your company. Our academy offers, among other things, courses for further training as an occupational health and safety management representative/auditor, which you can use to build up internal competences. Our existing customers have access to an internal download area where they can find our checklist for ISO 45001. With this checklist, you can check whether ISO 45001 has been fully implemented by you.
Ask us for a quote for ISO 45001 certification. We will check all your details and send you a free, no-obligation quote tailored to your needs.
If you instruct us, we will inform you of your lead auditor(s). The practical planning and auditing of your established SGA-MS will then take place in direct consultation with your lead auditor(s).
Our auditors come from the field and draw on years of experience in business and industry in a wide range of sectors. They are always up to date and focus on goal orientation in audits. They assess the efficiency of your processes, evaluate the effectiveness of the measures introduced and motivate the employees involved. External auditing thus provides you with valuable information and encourages further improvements.
Due to the multiple qualifications of our auditors, a centrally controlled and thus time- and cost-efficient processing is ensured for integrated and combined certification procedures.
The results of the audit are submitted to the GUTcertification body and reviewed by the certification committee. After the positive decision of the certification committee, you will receive the certificate. You can find the detailed description of our testing procedure here.
Points of contact for the introduction and maintenance of a health and safety management system can be found above all in an existing environmental management system. Parallels exist here, for example, in the handling of hazardous substances. However, an SGA-MS can also be easily linked and integrated with other ISO standards due to the uniformly specified high level structure.
The advantages of an integrated audit with quality, environment and/or energy are the minimisation of additional effort and the considerable reduction of the audit burden for management and employees.
Please also note our (partly free) eLearning offers.
Further links
Links and Downloads
Links und Downloads for the area of occupational safety