BS EN ISO 45001:2023

Notice for clients: This British Standard is the UK adoption of EN ISO 45001:2023. It is identical to ISO 45001:2018. BS EN ISO 45001:2023 supersedes BS ISO 45001:2018 and BS OHSAS 18001:2007, which are withdrawn.

Clients who have previously purchased BS ISO 45001:2018 do not need to purchase BS EN ISO 45001:2023, as the content of the standard remains the same with no further changes.

This standard has been adopted and is now recognised in Europe by CEN.

What is BS EN ISO 45001 - Occupational health and safety management systems about?

Organizations worldwide recognize the need to provide a safe and healthy working environment, reduce the likelihood of accidents and demonstrate they are actively managing risks.

BS EN ISO 45001 is the globally recognized occupational health and safety standard. It is a document which specifies the requirements for establishing, maintaining, and improving an Occupational Health and Safety (OH&S) management system. It is designed to prevent work-related injury and ill-health and to provide safe and healthy workplaces.

Having an effective occupational health and safety management system will help you to protect and enhance your most important asset, your people, to drive business excellence.

Discover how BS EN ISO 45001 could be a valuable health and safety solution for your business with our ISO 45001 Occupational Health And Safety Management System Guide.

What are the benefits of BS EN ISO 45001 - Occupational health and safety management systems?

BS EN ISO 45001’s focus on risk prevention, innovation and continual improvement will benefit organizations with the foresight to achieve this global standard through improved organizational resilience.

By adopting its guidance and changing your process to conform to its requirements, businesses can benefit from:

• Higher levels of discretionary effort

• Increased performance levels and enhanced productivity

• Strengthened recruitment, diversity, engagement, and retention

• Reduced costs and improve compliance

• An authentic culture of trust and work engagement

• Adapting to the future of work

As well as increasing employee engagement and publicly demonstrating commitment to sustainable work by providing safe and healthy workplaces, this standard focuses on key business challenges such as the supply chain and continuity planning. This allows organizations to anticipate, adapt and respond - providing both resilience and agility in a global marketplace.

Who is BS EN ISO 45001 - Occupational health and safety management systems for?

BS EN ISO 45001 is a flexible management standard and so is suitable for all organizations irrespective of size or sector - be they private, not-for-profit, or governmental.

Those who use this standard can include:

• Health & Safety Professionals

• Risk Managers

• Organizational Leadership Teams

As an international standard, BS EN ISO 45001 crosses geographic, political, economic, commercial and social boundaries. This sets a single benchmark for the management of occupational health and safety. So, if your organization operates or trades internationally, you can work to a single standard which can simplify your business.

For many businesses, implementing health and safety processes can seem like an insurmountable challenge, not to mention costly. Discover our Health & Safety Solution Pack for the ultimate toolkit in implementing an efficient health and safety management system.

What does BS EN ISO 45001 - Occupational health and safety management systems cover?

BS EN ISO 45001 provides an opportunity for organizations to align their strategic direction with their OH&S management system and increase focus on improving occupational health and safety performance.

Its content includes guidance on:

• Developing and implementing an OH&S policy and OH&S objectives

• Establishing systematic processes, considering risks and opportunities, and legal and other requirements

• Determining the hazards and OH&S risks associated with its activities seeking to eliminate them, or putting in controls to minimize their potential effects

• Establishing operational controls to manage its OH&S risks and its legal and other requirements increasing awareness of its OH&S risks

• Evaluating its OH&S performance and seeking to improve it, through taking appropriate actions

• Ensuring workers take an active role in OH&S matters

Some other important health and safety standards include:

• PD ISO 45001 Handbook Occupational health and safety management systems. A practical guide for SMEs

• BS 45002-0 Occupational health and safety management systems. General guidelines for the application of ISO 45001

• BS 45002-1 Occupational health and safety management systems. General guidelines for the application of ISO 45001 - Guidance on managing occupational health

• BS 45002-2 Occupational health and safety management systems. General guidelines for the application of ISO 45001 - Risks and opportunities

• BS 45002-3 Occupational health and safety management systems. General guidelines for the application of ISO 45001 - Guidance on incident investigation

• BS ISO 45003 Occupational health and safety management. Psychological health and safety at work. Guidelines for managing psychosocial risks

Discover how BS ISO 45003 can help you to protect the psychological safety and mental wellbeing of your employees by reading our article 'Prioritize psychological safety with BS ISO 45003'.

What’s changed since the last update?

BS EN ISO 45001:2023 replaced BS ISO 45001:2018 which replaced OHSAS 18001:2007 and. It’s different to the OHSAS standard because it adopts the High-Level Structure (HLS) used in other key management systems standards.

In addition, BS EN ISO 45001 increases the emphasis on:

• Leadership and the need for those at the top to lead by example and be held accountable for OH&S performance

• Consultation with and involvement of workers in making sure the OH&S management system covers all necessary areas and communicates effectively with everyone involved

• Designing an occupational health and safety management system to suit the needs of each organization individually according to its own context

Enhance your skills with BSI Academy training courses and qualifications

Gain a comprehensive understanding of effective occupational health and safety management with BSI Academy’s range of ISO 45001 training courses.

By understanding the elements of an effective occupational health and safety management system, you can protect and enhance your most important asset - your people, to help drive business excellence.

View our training courses - only available via BSI Academy