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OHSAS 18001 will be valid till 12th March 2021 only.If any organization is accredited to OHSAS 18001 standard they must shift to ISO 45001 before 12th March 2021 deadline for certification to be relevant.

Before we move forward,let us define both standards briefly.

OHSAS Stands for the Occupational Health and Safety Assessment Series. It provides a framework for the effective management of OH&S including all aspects of risk management and legal compliance. OHSAS is a British standard but is a globally accepted standard. The first edition was issued in 1999 and the Second edition was issued in 2007.

ISO 45001 is an ISO standard for management systems of occupational health and safety (OH&S), published in March 2018. The goal of ISO 45001 is the reduction of occupational injuries and diseases, including promoting and protecting physical and mental health

OHSAS 18001 and ISO 45001 are similar in multiple aspects but have some significant differences.

Here I am listing down major differences between OHSAS 18001 and ISO 45001.

1. Structure

The first major difference is the structure of the standard. The structure of ISO 45001 is based on the Annex SL framework.

Annex SL provides the high-level structure for ISO management systems standards – it replaced the historical ISO Guide 83 and expands on the base structure already implemented.  

Annex SL encourages standardization and helps integration amongst multiple ISO standards.

Under Annex SL standard is divided into 10 clauses. The below clauses are listed in the exact sequence.

1. Scope  
2. Normative References  
3. Terms and Definitions  
4. Context of the Organization  
5. Leadership  
6. Planning  
7. Support  
8. Operation  
9. Performance Evaluation
10. Improvement  

2. Process-based Approach in ISO 45001

OHSAS 18001 was a procedure-based standard whereas ISO 45001 is a process-based standard.ISO standard promotes the use of a process-oriented approach. The process approach is the elemental core of ISO’s view of a Management System.

The process is through which input is converted to desirable outputs. So, the ISO management system considers the organization as a series of interactions amongst multiple functions.

Outputs for one function are considered as inputs for another. As per ISO 45001, OHS can be considered as a single process, receiving inputs from multiple functions to achieve desirable OH&S outputs. 

The process approach introduces horizontal management, crossing the barriers between different functional units, and unifying their focus to the main goals of the organization. 

OHSAS 18001 promotes more of a procedural approach. It does not focus on multiple function process interaction.

3. Focus on Opportunity along with Risks

OHSAS 18001 focuses on risk and control methods only,whereas ISO 45001 focuses on risk as well as opportunities to improve.

Earlier in OHSAS 18001 the process was more focused on existing risk and controlling them.

I will briefly explain the 4.3.1 clause of  OHSAS 18001, pertaining to risk management, for better understanding before we move forward.

The first step is to identify the hazards available in your current processes. The identification process involves listing down all the activities conducted in the organization. These can be internal or external activities, to identify the persons involved in those activities, and to list down a description of all the activities.

I have covered each stage of OHSAS 18001 in more detail, in one of my other blog posts. To know more about hazard identification do check it. Click here

For Example, Wire Bending Machine has the possibility of worker hand getting stuck or injured while wire feeding. So we have identified the risk and provided safety curtains on the machine feeding area. In short what we did is identified hazards,assessed risk, and provided control.

The second step is to assess the risk each of these hazards poses. The last step is to deploy controls to mitigate these risks.

ISO 45001 along with risk identification also focuses on identifying potential opportunities to improve organizational health and safety systems.

4. Increased focus on Top management Commitment

In ISO 45001 the focus on top management involvement and commitment has increased. It is not that top management commitment was not required as per OHSAS 18001 but ISO 45001 press upon it slightly more.

In OHSAS 18001 major activities of standard implementation can be delegated by Top management to a single individual/Safety Manager. But under ISO 45001 this delegation is highly discouraged.

This shift clearly reflects, since the term “Management commitment” has been replaced by “Leadership and Commitment”.

Increased focus on Top Management involvement is a much-required change. Successful implementation of any management system is very much dependent on the Involvement of top management.

5. Worker Involvement

To understand worker involvement, first, we have to understand what do we mean by a worker here.

“Person performing work or work-related activities under the control of the organization. It could be paid/Unpaid. Workers include top management, managerial and non-managerial posts.”

In clause 5 of ISO 45001, there is a special mention of “Worker Participation”.

Clause asks for promoting Worker participation and seeking worker Consultation in the standard implementation. Consultation means seeking their inputs or views before making decisions.

ISO 45001 standard implementation directly impacts workers, hence seeking their input is true on logical grounds as well. ISO 45001 standard by special mention highlighted this need further.

6. Terminology

ISO 45001 has included several new definitions.

1. Worker: “person performing work or work-related activities under the control of the organization.”It can be paid /unpaid, regular/temporary workers

It also includes workers from external providers such as contractors, individuals over whom the organization has some degree of control.

2. Workplace: “place under the control of the organization where a person needs to be or to go by reason of work.”
3. Contractor: “external organization providing services to the organization at a workplace in accordance with agreed specifications, terms and conditions… Services may include construction activities.”
4. Interested Party: “Person or organization that can affect, be affected by, or perceive itself to be affected by a decision or activity.”
5. Participation: “involvement of workers in decision making.”
6. Consultation: “seeking views in making a decision.”  
7. Injury and ill health: “Adverse effect of the physical, mental, or cognitive condition of a person.”
8. Risk: “effects of uncertainty.”
9. Occupational Health and Safety Management Risk: “Combination of the likelihood of occurrence of a work-related hazardous event and exposures and severity of the injury and ill health that can be caused by the event or exposure.”

ISO 45001 Vs OHSAS 18001 Matrix

ISO 45001:2018	OHSAS 18001:2007
Clause 1  SCOPE	Clause 1  SCOPE
Clause 2  NORMATIVE REFERENCES	Clause 2  REFERENCE PUBLICATIONS
Clause 3  TERMS AND DEFINITIONS	Clause 3  TERMS AND DEFINITIONS
Clause 4  CONTEXT OF THE ORGANIZATION	The clause does not exist
4.1 Understanding the organization & its context	The clause does not exist
4.2 Understanding the needs and expectations of interested parties	The clause does not exist
4.3  Determining the scope of the OH & S management system	4.1 General requirements
4.4  OH & S  management system	4.1 General requirements
Clause 5  LEADERSHIP	The clause does not exist
5.1 Leadership and commitment	4.4.1 Resources, roles, responsibility, accountability, and authority
5.2  OH & S policy	4.2 OH&S policy
5.3 Organizational roles, responsibilities and authorities	4.4.1 Resources, roles, responsibility, accountability and authority, paragraph-2.b & 3 to 6
5.4 Consultation and participation of workers	4.4.3.2 Participation and consultation
Clause 6  PLANNING	Clause 4.3 PLANNING
6.1 Actions to address risks & opportunities (Title)	The clause does not exist
6.1.1 General	The clause does not exist
6.1.2  Hazard Identification and assessment of risks and opportunities	4.3.1 Hazard identification, risk assessment, and determining controls
6.1.3  Determination of legal requirements and other requirements	4.3.2 Legal and other requirements
6.1.4  Planning action	4.3.1 Hazard identification, risk assessment, and determining controls
6.2 OH & S objectives and planning to achieve them	The clause does not exist
6.2.1  OH & S objectives	4.3.3 Objectives and programme(s), paragraph-1 to 3
6.2.2 Planning actions to achieve OH & S objectives	4.3.3 Objectives and programme(s), paragraph-4 & 5
Clause 7  SUPPORT	Clause 4.4 IMPLEMENTATION AND OPERATION
7.1 Resources	4.4.1 Resources, roles, responsibility, accountability and authority
7.2 Competence	4.4.2 Competence, training & awareness
7.3 Awareness	4.4.2 Competence, training & awareness
7.4  Communication	4.4.3 Communication, participation & consultation
7.4.1 General	4.4.3.1 Communication
7.4.2  Internal Communication	The clause does not exist
7.4.3  External Communication	The clause does not exist
7.5 Documented information
7.5.1 General	4.4.4 Documentation
7.5.2  Creating and updating	4.4.5 Control of documents
7.5.2  Creating and updating	4.5.4 Control of records
7.5.3 Control of documented information	4.4.5 Control of documents
7.5.3 Control of documented information	4.5.4 Control of records
7.5.3 Control of documented information	4.4.5 Control of documents
7.5.3 Control of documented information	4.5.4 Control of records
Clause 8  OPERATION	Clause 4.4 IMPLEMENTATION AND OPERATION
8.1 Operational planning and control	4.4.6 Operational control
8.2  Emergency preparedness and response	4.4.7 Emergency preparedness and response
Clause 9  PERFORMANCE EVALUATION	Clause 4.5 CHECKING
9.1 Monitoring, measuring, analysis and evaluation (Title)	The clause does not exist
9.1.1  General	4.5.1 Performance measurement and monitoring
9.1.2  Evaluation of compliance	4.5.2 Evaluation of compliance
9.2  Internal audit	The clause does not exist
9.2.1 General	4.5.5 Internal audit
9.2.2  Internal audit programme	4.5.5 Internal audit
9.3 Management review	4.6 Management review
Clause 10  IMPROVEMENT	The clause does not exist
10.1 General	The clause does not exist
Clause does not exist	4.5.3 Incident investigation, NC, CA & PA
10.2  Incident, Nonconformity & corrective action, paragraph-1, 2	4.5.3.1 Incident investigation, paragraph-1 to 3
10.2  Incident, Nonconformity & corrective action, paragraph-1, 2	4.5.3.2 Nonconformity, CA and PA
10.2  Incident, Nonconformity & corrective action, paragraph-3	4.5.3.1 Incident investigation, paragraph-4
10.3  Continual improvement	The clause does not exist