Superseded — see ISO 45001
OHSAS 18001 — Occupational Health & Safety (superseded)
OHSAS 18001 has been replaced by ISO 45001. Organisations should now use ISO 45001 for occupational health and safety management systems.
Standards › ISO 45001
Certifiable standardISO 45001 — Occupational Health & Safety
The international standard for occupational health and safety management systems. It replaced OHSAS 18001, which was withdrawn when migration ended in 2021.
What it covers
How the organisation identifies hazards, assesses and controls risks, consults its workers, meets legal requirements, prepares for emergencies, investigates incidents and improves.
Who it is for
Any construction organisation. For principal contractors and those on major frameworks it is increasingly a baseline expectation alongside CDM 2015 duties.
Key requirement themes
- Hazard identification and risk assessment with a control hierarchy
- Legal and other requirements identified and kept current
- Worker consultation and participation — not just briefing
- Operational controls, contractor and procurement controls, management of change
- Emergency preparedness and response
- Incident investigation, nonconformity, audit and management review
Theme-level description in our own words — the standard itself defines the requirements, and no standard text is reproduced here.
Construction-sector relevance
On site this is your RAMS regime, permit systems, temporary works controls under BS 5975, inductions and toolbox talks, occupational health surveillance where exposure requires it, subcontractor safety management, and incident reporting including RIDDOR.
Benefits
- A defensible, evidenced safety management system
- Meets the OH&S certification line on PQQs
- Structured worker involvement
- Incidents feed corrective action rather than paperwork
Common gaps we find
- Generic RAMS not reflecting the actual task
- Consultation that is one-way briefing only
- Contractor controls stopping at document collection
- Health surveillance ignored while noise/dust/vibration exposures continue
- Actions from investigations never closed
Implementation process
- Gap analysis of current arrangements against the standard
- Prioritised closure plan with owners and dates
- Documents and registers built or adapted with the people who use them
- System operated: records, audits, review — evidence accumulating
- Readiness review and mock assessment
- Independent certification-body assessment (their decision, not ours)
Typical documents
- OH&S policy and objectives
- Risk assessment and RAMS library
- Legal register access
- Permit-to-work forms
- Induction and training records
- Incident reports and investigations
- Audit and review records
Typical evidence
- Signed inductions and briefings matched to the current RAMS revision
- Permit records with closed hold points
- Investigation reports with completed actions
- Health surveillance where exposures require it
Certification-readiness route
We take organisations to the point where an accredited certification body can assess them with confidence: gap analysis → implementation → operating evidence → internal audit and management review → readiness review. The assessment and the certificate belong to the certification body; our role ends at prepared-and-ready, and continues afterwards only as support.
Related standards
Guidance standard — not certifiable
ISO 45003 — Psychological Health & Safety
Guidance on managing psychosocial risk within an ISO 45001 OH&S system. It is guidance: organisations are not certified against ISO 45003.
Certifiable standard
ISO 9001 — Quality Management
The international standard for quality management systems: consistent processes, controlled documents, measured performance and evidenced improvement.
Certifiable standard
ISO 14001 — Environmental Management
The international standard for environmental management systems: identify your environmental aspects, control the significant ones, meet your legal obligations and improve.
Implementation approach
IMS — Integrated Management Systems
One management system meeting several standards at once — commonly ISO 9001 + 14001 + 45001 — with one document set, one audit programme and one review, instead of parallel systems.
Free checklist: ISO 45001 construction readiness checklist — printable, no email wall.
Questions we are actually asked
We were certified to OHSAS 18001 — is that still valid?
No. OHSAS 18001 was withdrawn and accredited certificates expired when the migration period ended in September 2021. Organisations should operate and certify against ISO 45001.
Does ISO 45001 replace our CDM duties?
No. CDM 2015 is law and applies regardless. ISO 45001 is a management-system framework that helps you organise and evidence how you meet duties like CDM — it does not discharge them.
Is certification a legal requirement?
No. Certification is a commercial and assurance choice. Health and safety law applies to you with or without it.
Professional disclaimer: this page is orientation, not advice on your specific circumstances, and not a reproduction of any standard. Implementation support, templates and platform tools do not confer certification or legal compliance; certification decisions rest solely with independent certification bodies, and legal duties apply regardless of certification.