ISO 45001 Certification: Occupational Health & Safety Management System

• Obtain the standard:

Get a licensed copy of the relevant standard and familiarise yourself with the requirements to decide whether certification or registration to this standard is appropriate for your organisation.

• Review available literature and apply digital tools

Explore available literature, guidance from the standard owners (e.g. ISO/TS 9002 for ISO 9001, ISO 14004 for ISO 14001) and digital sources and tools that can support implementation. As a DNV customer, you also get access to tailored tools that can help you.

• Assemble a team and define strategy:

Implementing a management system should be a strategic decision for the entire organisation. Senior management must be engaged in the decision, committed to it, and involved in shaping the system. They decide the business strategy the management system should support. In addition, you need a dedicated team to develop and implement your management system.

• Determine competence needs:

First, your team responsible for implementing and maintaining the management system needs a thorough understanding of the chosen standards. Later, the wider organisation needs awareness training. DNV offers a variety of public and in-house courses worldwide that meet competence development needs at all levels of your organisation.

• Review consultant options:

Independent consultants can advise on a workable, realistic and cost-effective implementation strategy if you do not already have this competence or capacity in-house.

• Develop management system documentation: 

Decide on an appropriate platform for your documented information (e.g. software, process map- or SharePoint-based). The right platform is important to ensure effective management, communication and implementation.

• Determine, manage and document processes:

First, identify key processes – what they are, how they work and how they interact. Each process should have a clear purpose, defined responsibilities and expected outputs. The level of documented information needed depends on the organisation’s size, complexity and the importance of each process, but it must include the relevant processes and other documented information needed to deliver intended outcomes and comply with the chosen standard’s requirements.

• Implement management system:

Clear communication and appropriate competence training are essential. During the implementation phase, you will work to ensure that your organisation operates in line with defined and documented processes. Once this is achieved, you can demonstrate the system’s compliance and effectiveness.

• Select a certification body/registrar:

Selecting the right certification body or registrar can make a difference throughout your certification journey. DNV offers a trusted partnership approach, a risk-based approach and a range of free digital tools to help you manage your certification journey before, during and after the audit.

• Consider a pre-audit gap analysis:

Consider a preliminary evaluation by your certification body or registrar to identify and correct non-conformities before starting the official certification process. The purpose is to identify areas of non-conformance or weakness, allowing you to address them before the official certification process begins.

ISO 45001 is the international standard on occupational health and safety (OH&S). It provides a structured framework that helps organisations of any size and sector create safer workplaces by identifying hazards, managing risks and opprtunities, and improving overall safety performance. Developed by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), the standard focuses on eliminating or minimizing OH&S risks through systematic processes, leadership involvement, and worker participation. When combined with the guideline standard ISO 45003 on psychological health and safety at work, organisations can take a broader approach to safety by also addressing psychological risks.

ISO 45001 certification is an independent, third party confirmation that an organisation’s occupational health and safety management system meets the requirements of ISO 45001. Certification is voluntary and is granted after an accredited certification body verifies compliance through an audit. Achieving ISO 45001 certification demonstrates a structured, reliable approach to preventing work related injuries, illnesses, and fatalities, and provides customers and stakeholders with confidence in the organisation’s ability to manage OH&S consistently.

ISO 45001 and ISO 9001 are both international management system standards, but they serve different purposes. ISO 45001 focuses on protecting worker health and safety by managing OH&S risks, while ISO 9001 focuses on ensuring consistent product and service quality through effective quality management processes. Both ISO 9001 and ISO 45001 are built on ISO’s Harmonized Structure (HS), which defines structure for all ISO standards easing integration with other standards.

To become certified, an organization must first implement an occupational health and safety management system that meets the requirements of ISO 45001 and then undergo an audit by an independent, accredited certification body like DNV.

Comprehensive support is provided throughout the process, covering everything from initial training and gap analysis to self‑assessment tools and the certification audit itself DNV also offers IRCA-accredited ISO 45001 courses and dedicated training on ISO 45003, the guideline standard for psychological health and safety at work.