ISO 45001 — Occupational Health & Safety Management
ISO 45001 proves your business has a documented system to protect workers from injury and illness. Required by many large corporates and government procurement contracts. Replaced OHSAS 18001 globally — OHSAS 18001 was fully withdrawn in March 2021 and is no longer accepted.
ISO 45001:2018
Current and only valid version
OHSAS 18001
Withdrawn March 2021
NABCB
Accredits CBs in India
Your company is implementing ISO 45001 and you need to understand your role. ISO 45001 means your workplace has a documented safety system. Follow safe work procedures, report every incident and near-miss, and participate in safety consultation — all three are requirements of the standard.
Reported
Every incident and near-miss, however minor
Followed
Written safe work procedures
Consulted
Workers must be involved in OH&S decisions
Quick reference. ISO 45001:2018. Annex SL — same HLS as ISO 9001 and ISO 14001. Key additions vs OHSAS 18001: worker participation mandatory (Clause 5.4), contractors and visitors explicitly in scope, measurable OH&S objectives required, risk and opportunity assessment mandatory. OHSAS 18001 fully withdrawn March 2021.
2018
Published
Annex SL
HLS with 9001 & 14001
5.4
Worker participation mandatory
ISO 45001 is the first truly international standard for Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems. Published in 2018, it replaced OHSAS 18001 (a BSI specification used globally since 1999). ISO 45001 uses Annex SL enabling integration with ISO 9001 and ISO 14001.
1999
OHSAS 18001 published
2018
ISO 45001 published
March 2021
OHSAS 18001 fully withdrawn
Required by many large procurement contractsReplaced OHSAS 18001 — withdrawn March 2021Worker participation is a mandatory requirement
What’s on this page
01 —What it isUnderstanding ISO 45001
Proof that your business has a system to keep workers safe — documented, monitored, and improved.
ISO 45001 is an international standard for an Occupational Health and Safety Management System (OH&SMS). It requires your organisation to identify workplace hazards, assess risks, implement controls, and prove the system works through records, monitoring, and audit.
The fundamental principle: safety that depends on individual vigilance is not enough. ISO 45001 requires safety built into documented processes that every person follows — from shop floor to senior management.
ISO 45001:2018 is the current and only valid version. OHSAS 18001 was fully withdrawn in March 2021. Any certificate showing OHSAS 18001 is no longer valid and is not accepted by buyers, government bodies, or CBs.
ISO 45001 and the Factories Act 1948 are separate obligations. The Factories Act is Indian law — mandatory for factories employing 10 or more workers. ISO 45001 is a voluntary management system. ISO 45001 auditors will verify Factories Act compliance — but the certificate does not substitute for it.
👥 Illustrative case — details changed for confidentiality
The business
Auto components manufacturer (Tier 2) Pune · 110 employees, supplying Tier 1 automotive manufacturers
The trigger
A Tier 1 customer updated vendor qualification criteria to require ISO 45001. The manufacturer had 9 months to achieve certification or lose qualified status.
The challenge
The gap analysis found the hazard register had not been updated in 3 years. New machinery had been installed with no formal hazard assessment. Near-misses were not being recorded.
Where Clicarity came in
Production workflows in Clicarity showed exactly which machines each job passed through and which operators handled each stage. The safety consultant used this data to prioritise the hazard register update — highest-frequency machines reviewed first. Safety confirmation fields were added to high-risk stages.
The result
ISO 45001 achieved within the 9-month deadline. Tier 1 qualified status maintained.
We used the Clicarity data to focus our hazard assessment where it mattered most — the stages with the highest job interactions.
02 —Who needs itIs it right for you?
Do you actually need it? Honest answer.
✓ You need it
Manufacturers supplying to large corporates or PSUs
Construction and contracting companies
High-risk industries (chemical, mining, energy, heavy manufacturing)
Businesses bidding on large government tenders
∼ Worth considering
IT companies with large campuses or field operations
Logistics and warehousing businesses
Healthcare facilities
— Not immediately needed
Pure office-based businesses with no physical workplace hazards
Very small businesses with low physical risk
03 —What it requiresWhat is checked
What an ISO 45001 auditor checks — on the factory floor and in your records.
1
Hazard identification and risk assessment
Documented assessment of all workplace hazards, risk levels, and controls. Updated when processes or equipment change.
E.g. For each work area: machinery hazards, chemical hazards, ergonomic hazards. Each with risk rating and control assigned.
2
Legal compliance register for OH&S
All applicable safety laws and evidence of compliance. For factories: Factories Act 1948, state rules, industry regulations.
E.g. Current factory licence, valid pressure vessel certificates, health register, working hours records.Most common gap: Compliance register exists but expired statutory certificates not renewed.
3
OH&S objectives with measurable targets
Specific, measurable safety goals tracked over time.
E.g. Reduce a specific category of incident by a defined amount over a defined period, monitored quarterly.Most common gap: Vague safety intentions stated. Auditors expect numbers and trend data.
4
Safe work procedures for all high-risk tasks
Written procedures for machinery operation, chemical handling, working at height, electrical maintenance. Permit-to-work where required.
E.g. Permit-to-work procedure for electrical maintenance: named permit issuer, pre-work checklist.Most common gap: Procedures written but workers not trained, or training given but not recorded.
5
Incident, accident, and near-miss register
Every event recorded with root cause identified and corrective action documented.
E.g. A slip on a wet floor. Incident recorded, root cause identified, corrective action verified.
6
Emergency preparedness and response procedures
Written plans for fire, chemical spill, and serious injury. Evidence of annual drill with records.
E.g. Fire evacuation drill conducted. Record kept with date, participants, and gaps found.
7
Worker participation records
ISO 45001 requires workers to be actively involved in OH&S decisions. Safety committee meeting minutes are standard evidence.
E.g. Monthly safety committee minutes signed by worker representatives, with actions tracked.
8
Internal audit and management review
Annual internal OH&S audit and formal management review with documented decisions.
Most common gap: Audit done but report not kept, or management review had no recorded outputs.
What inspectors really check
They will walk the production floor, observe working conditions and PPE usage, then ask for records. "Show me your incident register for the last 6 months" and "Show me the last permit-to-work issued for machine maintenance" are standard first questions.
Gap analysis checklist — tick what you already have
Hazard register completed for all work areas, updated after changes
All hazards identified, risk-rated, controls assigned.
Factory licence current (if applicable)
Valid licence from State Factory Inspector.
Statutory inspection certificates current
Pressure vessels, lifts, hoists — certified within required intervals.
Safe work procedures written for all high-risk tasks
Machinery, chemicals, working at height, electrical work.
All incidents and near-misses recorded with root cause and corrective action
Every event, however minor.
Emergency procedures written and drill conducted in last 12 months
Written plan and recorded drill with participants listed.
Safety committee meets regularly with signed minutes
ISO 45001 is certified by NABCB-accredited certification bodies in India — the same CBs that certify ISO 9001 and ISO 14001.
OHSAS 18001 is fully withdrawn. No CB accredited by a recognised body has been permitted to issue new OHSAS 18001 certificates since March 2021. If you encounter a CB still offering OHSAS 18001, treat this as a significant concern.
NABCB — Find accredited OH&S CBs
Verify CB accreditation for ISO 45001. Check OH&S management scope.
Based on iso.org/iso-45001. Actual timelines vary. Confirm with your CB.
ISO 45001 Journey
Step 1
Hazard register
Walk every work area. Document and risk-rate every hazard.
Step 2
Legal compliance check
Verify factory licence, Factories Act compliance, and statutory certificates are current.
Step 3
Safe work procedures
Document procedures for all high-risk tasks. Train staff. Record training.
Step 4
Incident register
Record every incident and near-miss from today. Root cause and corrective action for each.
Step 5
Internal audit
Conduct internal OH&S audit. Document findings.
Certification
CB audit
With the required records period, engage a NABCB CB.
▶Where to begin: Use the checklist in Section 3 to assess your readiness before contacting any CB.
Timeline
Confirm with your CB
Varies by size, complexity, and whether other ISO standards are in place.
Certificate validity
3 years (confirm with CB)
Annual surveillance audits.
With ISO 9001 & 14001
Integrated audit possible
All three use Annex SL. Combined audits are more efficient.
Cost
Get 3 quotes
Depends on employee count, locations, and risk profile.
The incident and near-miss register is the most scrutinised document in an ISO 45001 audit. A register with zero entries is treated with scepticism. Start recording every event from today, regardless of how minor.
06 —Find certified companiesHow to verify
How to find and verify certified organisations.
ISO 45001 is held by manufacturers, construction companies, and infrastructure businesses across India. To verify whether a specific organisation is currently certified, use the IAF global register or contact the NABCB-accredited CB that issued their certificate.
How to verify: To confirm whether any organisation holds a current ISO 45001 certification, use the official register. Verify the issuing CB's accreditation at nabcb.qci.org.in.
Start recording every incident and near-miss from today
Create a register and record every slip, trip, near-miss, and minor injury with date, description, root cause, and corrective action.
08 —How Clicarity fitsProcess tracking
Good records are the foundation. A process tracker builds them automatically.
Clicarity — Live Job Process Tracker & Bottleneck Identifier
Clicarity doesn't manage your safety system. It tracks your production process — and every stage update creates the operational record ISO 45001 requires.
ISO 45001 requires operational control records — evidence that safe work procedures were followed on specific jobs by specific people on specific dates. In Clicarity, every stage update is timestamped and attributed to a named person via role-based login. Custom fields at hazardous stages capture safety confirmations: PPE confirmed, safety check done, permit cleared. Your team fills these in as they work. The record is created as a by-product of doing the job.
Every stage update is timestamped and attributed to a named operator via dropdown — the operational control record that proves your procedures were followed on that specific job.
Safety confirmation fields at high-risk stages (PPE check, safety clearance, permit issued) are captured as part of the stage update — not as a separate form filled in later.
When a work order splits into components (left bracket, right bracket), each is tracked independently with its own operator records. When they rejoin, the complete safety record of every component is preserved.
Clicarity shows where jobs are held or delayed at stages — surfacing workload and working condition issues before they become safety incidents.
📄 Job tracked in Clicarity
#WO-5512 — Brake bracket — 200 units
Job created
✎Work order no.
▼Component type
#Qty ordered
▼Material spec
✎Customer PO no.
→
Raw material issue
✎Material batch no.
#Qty issued (kg)
▼Issued by
▼Safety check done
▼PPE confirmed
→
CNC machining
▼Machine no.
▼Operator
#Qty in
#Qty out
#Scrap qty
▼Tooling check done
→
Heat treatment
▼Furnace no.
#Temp (°C)
#Soak time (min)
▼Operator
▼Safety clearance
▼ Job splits — each component tracked independently
#WO-5512-A
Left bracket — 100 units
▼Operator
#Qty
▼Safety check
#WO-5512-B
Right bracket — 100 units
▼Operator
#Qty
▼Safety check
▲
Components rejoin as #WO-5512 — complete record of every branch, every data point, every sign-off preserved.
Surface treatment
▼Process type
▼Operator
▼Chemical used
#Qty processed
▼Safety sign-off
→
Dimensional inspection
▼Inspector
#Sample size
▼Pass / Fail
✎Rejection reason
📷Photo
→
Packing & despatch
#Qty packed
📅Despatch date
✎Vehicle no.
▼Customer sign-off
Wastage tracked:▰ Machining: scrap quantity recorded at stage▰ Heat treatment: operator identity + safety clearance captured▰ Surface treatment: chemical type and safety sign-off recorded
ⓘ Fields and stage names are fully customisable. This illustrates a typical auto components manufacturer / ISO 45001 setup.
👥 Illustrative case — details changed for confidentiality
The business
Auto components manufacturer (Tier 2) Pune · 110 employees, supplying Tier 1 automotive manufacturers
The trigger
A Tier 1 customer updated vendor qualification criteria to require ISO 45001. The manufacturer had 9 months to achieve certification or lose qualified status.
The challenge
The gap analysis found the hazard register had not been updated in 3 years. New machinery had been installed with no formal hazard assessment. Near-misses were not being recorded.
Where Clicarity came in
Production workflows in Clicarity showed exactly which machines each job passed through and which operators handled each stage. The safety consultant used this data to prioritise the hazard register update — highest-frequency machines reviewed first. Safety confirmation fields were added to high-risk stages.
The result
ISO 45001 achieved within the 9-month deadline. Tier 1 qualified status maintained.
We used the Clicarity data to focus our hazard assessment where it mattered most — the stages with the highest job interactions.
Clicarity is a process tracking tool. It does not provide certification, consulting, or audit services.