Management systemsISO 45001:2018

ISO 45001 Awareness

How ISO 45001 is structured, what it requires and what certification does and does not mean, for anyone who needs working awareness of the standard.

10 modules + assessment45–60 minutesReviewed 19 September 2026
An ISO 45001:2018 awareness poster: understand requirements, manage OH&S risks, improve performance and create safer workplaces
Language
Module 1

What ISO 45001 is, and what it is for

ISO 45001:2018 is an international standard published by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). It specifies requirements for an occupational health and safety (OH&S) management system, together with guidance for using it. A management system is not a single rule or checklist. It is a coordinated set of policies, processes, roles and resources that an organization uses to run a discipline consistently over time, with clear accountability at every level. ISO 45001 replaced the earlier OHSAS 18001 standard and was designed to work alongside other ISO management-system standards, a relationship the next module covers directly.

Its purpose, and who counts as a worker

The standard's stated purpose is to help organizations provide safe and healthy workplaces, prevent work-related injury and ill health, and proactively improve OH&S performance, rather than only reacting after something goes wrong. It defines "worker" broadly: employees, but also, depending on the organization's activities, contractors, agency staff and others performing work or work-related activities under the organization's control. Certification against ISO 45001 is voluntary. An organization can build a management system that follows the standard without ever seeking external certification, or it can seek independent certification once the system is established, a distinction Module 10 covers.

Knowledge checkIs ISO 45001 itself a piece of national or international law?

No. It is a voluntary standard. Organizations still have to identify and comply with the binding OH&S legislation that applies to them, separately from any decision about ISO 45001.

Sources

Primary sources and further reading

  1. ISO, ISO 45001:2018 — Occupational health and safety management systems — Requirements with guidance for use
  2. ISO, ISO 45001:2018/Amd 1:2024 — Climate action changes
  3. ISO, Management system standards (Harmonized Structure overview)

Editorial owner: HSE Hub Editorial

Last verified: 19 September 2026

Review trigger: Review immediately after a material change to ISO 45001's published edition, its amendments or the Harmonized Structure, and at least annually.

Professional boundary: General education only. Do not use this course as the sole basis for implementing, auditing or certifying an OH&S management system.