National foreword

This British Standard is the UK implementation of ISO 45004:2024.

The UK participation in its preparation was entrusted to Technical Committee HS/1, Occupational health and safety management.

A list of organizations represented on this committee can be obtained on request to its committee manager.

Contractual and legal considerations

This publication has been prepared in good faith, however no representation, warranty, assurance or undertaking (express or implied) is or will be made, and no responsibility or liability is or will be accepted by BSI in relation to the adequacy, accuracy, completeness or reasonableness of this publication. All and any such responsibility and liability is expressly disclaimed to the full extent permitted by the law.

This publication is provided as is, and is to be used at the recipient’s own risk.

The recipient is advised to consider seeking professional guidance with respect to its use of this publication.

This publication is not intended to constitute a contract. Users are responsible for its correct application.

Compliance with a British Standard cannot confer immunity from legal obligations.

This British Standard was published under the authority of the Standards Policy and Strategy Committee on 31 March 2024.

Foreword

ISO (the International Organization for Standardization) is a worldwide federation of national standards bodies (ISO member bodies). The work of preparing International Standards is normally carried out through ISO technical committees. Each member body interested in a subject for which a technical committee has been established has the right to be represented on that committee. International organizations, governmental and non-governmental, in liaison with ISO, also take part in the work. ISO collaborates closely with the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) on all matters of electrotechnical standardization.

The procedures used to develop this document and those intended for its further maintenance are described in the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 1. In particular, the different approval criteria needed for the different types of ISO document should be noted. This document was drafted in accordance with the editorial rules of the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2 (see www.iso.org/directives).

ISO draws attention to the possibility that the implementation of this document may involve the use of (a) patent(s). ISO takes no position concerning the evidence, validity or applicability of any claimed patent rights in respect thereof. As of the date of publication of this document, ISO had not received notice of (a) patent(s) which may be required to implement this document. However, implementers are cautioned that this may not represent the latest information, which may be obtained from the patent database available at www.iso.org/patents. ISO shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights.

Any trade name used in this document is information given for the convenience of users and does not constitute an endorsement.

For an explanation of the voluntary nature of standards, the meaning of ISO specific terms and expressions related to conformity assessment, as well as information about ISO’s adherence to the World Trade Organization (WTO) principles in the Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT), see www.iso.org/iso/foreword.html.

This document was prepared by Technical Committee ISO/TC 283, Occupational health and safety management.

Any feedback or questions on this document should be directed to the user’s national standards body. A complete listing of these bodies can be found at www.iso.org/members.html.

Introduction

This document is intended to help organizations to effectively monitor, measure, analyse and evaluate occupational health and safety (OH&S) performance.

OH&S performance evaluation includes the processes that the organization uses to assess the adequacy of activities that are expected to achieve intended results. OH&S performance is normally evaluated by using a combination of processes and sources of information such as incident investigations, inspections, audits, qualitative and quantitative indicators, culture surveys and interviews.

This document gives guidance on performance evaluation processes, including:

selection and use of performance processes including indicators;
monitoring and measuring to obtain data;
analysing the data to allow performance of evaluation;
unintended consequences;
limitations, such as under- and over-reporting, and data distortion.

This document can be used by organizations of all types, regardless of whether they have implemented a formal OH&S management system (see ISO 45001 and ISO 45002).

This document provides examples which demonstrate how to evaluate performance to drive continual improvement and support the organization in achieving its intended results.

This document recommends a balanced approach based on selection of performance evaluation processes and indicators, with emphasis on proactive (leading) OH&S performance indicators. It recognizes that over-emphasis on past performance (lagging) indicators, such as incidence and frequency rates, can undermine efforts to improve OH&S performance.

As every organization is unique, and intended results vary, there is not a standardized set of performance evaluation processes or set of indicators that fulfil the needs of all organizations. Therefore, every organization has to identify performance evaluation processes and indicators to suit its needs.

Effective performance evaluation can help the organization to demonstrate continual improvement, and therefore may need to be adjusted when the organization’s performance changes. Effectiveness is the result of selecting the appropriate performance evaluation processes and properly implementing them. When performance evaluation processes are used inappropriately (e.g. in a way that is perceived to blame individuals for system deficiencies), they can produce unintended consequences. The most common of these consequences are discussed in this document.

This document is designed to complement ISO 45001 by providing performance evaluation approaches that align with requirements of that standard. This document can be used independently, by any organization, to improve OH&S performance.

1 Scope

This document gives guidance regarding how organizations can establish monitoring, measurement, analysis and evaluation processes, including the development of relevant indicators for the assessment of occupational health and safety (OH&S) performance. It enables organizations to determine if intended results are being achieved, including continual improvement of OH&S performance.

This document is applicable to all organizations regardless of type, industry sector, level of risk, size or location. It can be used independently or as part of OH&S management systems, including those based on ISO 45001:2018, or other standards or guidelines.

2 Normative references

3 Terms and definitions

4 Performance evaluation

4.1 General

4.2 Why performance evaluation is important

5 Performance evaluation process

5.1 General

5.2 Elements of a performance evaluation process

5.3 Performance evaluation sources of information and tools

6 Performance indicators

6.1 General

6.2 Selection of performance indicators

6.3 Key characteristics of indicators

6.4 Life cycle of indicators

6.5 Types of indicators

7 Integration of OH&S performance evaluation into business processes

8 Monitor, measure, analyse and evaluate

8.1 General

8.2 Uncertainty

8.3 Monitor and measure

8.4 Analyse

8.5 Evaluate

9 Communication

10 Act on results

11 Review performance evaluation processes

Bibliography

BS ISO 45004:2024

Occupational health and safety management. Guidelines on performance evaluation

Current

Published:

31 Mar 2024