What is ISO 45001?
ISO 45001 is the international standard for Occupational Health and Safety (OH&S) management systems. It helps organisations provide safe and healthy workplaces, prevent work-related injury and ill health, and proactively improve their OH&S performance.
Published in 2018, it replaced the older OHSAS 18001 standard. It emphasises worker participation, hazard identification, risk assessment and leadership accountability, and shares the Annex SL structure used by ISO 9001 and ISO 14001.
For UK organisations, ISO 45001 dovetails with the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and HSE expectations, and is frequently required on construction and infrastructure frameworks.
How to get ISO 45001 certified
- Identify hazards, assess OH&S risks and opportunities, and map legal requirements.
- Establish an OH&S policy with genuine worker consultation and participation.
- Build operational controls, emergency procedures and incident management.
- Operate the system and gather records of consultation, incidents and actions.
- Conduct internal audits and management review.
- Certify through a UKAS-accredited body, then maintain with surveillance and three-yearly re-certification.
Choosing a certification body
For a certificate to carry weight, choose a body accredited by UKAS, the UK's national accreditation body. Accredited certification is recognised by customers and procurement teams; unaccredited certificates often are not. Get quotes from at least three bodies, as fees vary.
How much does ISO 45001 certification cost?
There is no single price — total cost depends on your organisation's size, how much you already have in place, the number of sites, and whether you use a consultant. Broadly, the cost splits into three parts: implementation (building the system), the certification audit (paid to the certification body), and ongoing costs (annual surveillance and a three-yearly re-certification).
- Worker-participation requirements mean more interviews during the audit, which can lengthen on-site time for larger workforces.
- High-hazard sectors attract longer audits and more rigorous evidence sampling.
- Very commonly combined with ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 to share audit days and reduce total spend.
To get a tailored figure for your organisation, use our free calculator:
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