A brief employer’s guide to the ISO 45001 standard

As an employer you have a duty of care to your employees, which means you need to take responsibility for their Health and Safety under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. 
 
To ensure that employee safety and wellbeing is held to the highest standard, it is important to choose a standard of certification that is renown at both a national and international level.  

This is where ISO 45001 comes into play.  

Croner can assist your business in attaining an ISO 45001 certification for your business. Talk to our expert Health and Safety advisory team today on 0808 501 6651.  

What is ISO 45001?  

An international standard for an occupational health and safety management system (OH&S), ISO 45001 aids organisations in improving workplace safety, minimising employee injuries and provides the framework for occupational health and safety, allowing your business to mitigate risk and monitor the health and safety of the working environment.  

The requirements to attain an ISO 45001 certification as an organisation is split into ten clauses. 

ISO 45001 Clauses:  

• Clause 1 – Scope
• Clause 2 & 3 – Terms and definitions
• Clause 4 – Context of the organisation
• Clause 5 – Leadership and employee participation
• Clause 6 – Planning
• Clause 7 – Support 
• Clause 8 - Operation
• Clause 9 - Performance evaluation
• Clause 10 – Improvement

The first three clauses offer an introduction to ISO 45001 and help your organisation understand the standard, whilst the remaining clauses indicate the requirements and how they must be applied to an occupational health and safety management system to achieve the standard of being ISO 45001 certified.  

Who needs ISO 45001?  

ISO 45001 is a universally appropriate certification for organisations of all size, industry and types of risk.  

Adaptable, an ISO 45001 certification can easily be integrated into any occupational health and safety management system that your business already employs. It can be especially useful if your business needs a clear, and proactive approach to improving the framework of OH&S.  

Whilst not mandatory, an ISO 45001 certification can bring with it a host of benefits. Any organisation looking to prevent incidents, reduce costs and improve the overall safety of the workplace should look at becoming ISO 45001 certified.  

What are the key benefits of being ISO 45001 certified? 

• Improvement of performance across your entire organisation
• A demonstrable commitment to the health and safety of your workforce and the public
• A promotion of clearer communication when it comes to health and safety matters
• Reduction of overhead costs due to insurance premiums and downtime caused by hazards
• An increase in employee engagement
• Alignment with other ISO frameworks
• Compliance with Health and Safety Regulations
• Improved organisational credibility and reputation

How long does an ISO 45001 accreditation remain valid? 

Getting certified to ISO 45001 standards will remain valid for 3 years, after which time, to remain certified, you will need to undergo an audit to retain accreditation.

Your organisation will also undergo an annual assessment to ensure that your Occupational Health and Safety Management systems are compliant with the standards outlined by ISO 45001. 

Contact Croner to enquire about becoming ISO 45001 certified 

Our expert Health and Safety advisors can help your organisation on its way to becoming and ISO 45001 certified business.  

With over 80 years’ experience in helping businesses, we continue to offer our expertise in all manner of Health and Safety, Employment Law and HR related issues.  

Contact us today on 0808 501 6651.