ISO 45001 is expected to undergo its next major revision, with stronger focus on psychosocial hazards, mental health, climate-related occupational health and safety risks, remote working, and contractor management.
Organizations certified to ISO 45001:2018 should begin monitoring the expected changes early to strengthen OH&S performance, reduce transition pressure, and improve audit readiness.
Since ISO 45001:2018 was published, workplace risks have continued to evolve. Organizations are now dealing with stronger expectations related to worker wellbeing, mental health, hybrid working, digital work environments, climate-related disruptions, and contractor safety performance.
The revision is expected to ensure that ISO 45001 remains relevant to current occupational health and safety challenges while strengthening organizational resilience and worker protection.
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Explore ISO ResourcesAlthough the final requirements are not yet published, organizations should expect auditors to increasingly evaluate how emerging OH&S risks are identified, assessed, controlled, communicated, and monitored.
| Potential Focus Area | Expected Auditor Evaluation |
|---|---|
| Psychosocial Hazards | Formal identification, assessment, and control measures. |
| Mental Wellbeing | Evidence of worker support and escalation mechanisms. |
| Climate-Related Risks | Integration into OH&S risk planning and emergency preparedness. |
| Contractor Safety | Competency, communication, monitoring, and performance evaluation. |
| Remote Working | Risk controls for remote and hybrid work arrangements. |
| Worker Participation | Evidence of consultation, participation, and reporting culture. |
Organizations should avoid treating the ISO 45001 revision as a documentation-only exercise. The stronger approach is to evaluate whether OH&S risks are effectively managed in actual operations.
Once the revised standard is officially published, organizations may need to review whether existing OH&S documentation adequately addresses the updated expectations.
| Document | Potential Review Area |
|---|---|
| OH&S Manual | Scope, context, worker participation, and system structure. |
| Hazard Identification Procedure | Inclusion of psychosocial and emerging workplace hazards. |
| Risk Assessment Register | Mental health, climate-related, and remote working risks. |
| Legal Register | Applicable OH&S, labour, workplace, and contractor obligations. |
| Contractor Management Procedure | Competency, communication, monitoring, and performance control. |
| Emergency Response Procedure | Climate-related disruptions and site-specific emergencies. |
| Internal Audit Checklist | Updated audit questions based on revised requirements. |
| Management Review Inputs | Emerging risks, wellbeing indicators, and OH&S performance trends. |
No. The revised edition has not yet been officially published. ISO 45001:2018 remains the current auditable standard.
Organizations may begin reviewing improvement areas, but formal document updates should be finalized once the official revised standard is published.
Psychosocial hazards, mental health, worker wellbeing, and broader emerging workplace risks are expected to become major focus areas.
No. A transition period is normally provided after publication of a revised ISO management system standard.
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