What It Is

ISO 45001:2018 is the international standard for Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems (OHSMS). It provides a framework to prevent work-related injuries and ill health, improve OH&S performance, and integrate safety into business processes. Built on the Annex SL High-Level Structure (HLS) and PDCA cycle, it adopts a risk-based approach covering hazards, opportunities, and legal requirements.

Key Components

• Clauses 4-10: context, leadership, planning, support, operation, evaluation, improvement.
• Emphasizes worker participation, hierarchy of controls, contractor management.
• No fixed controls; scalable requirements with documented information.
• Optional third-party certification via audits.

Why Organizations Use It

• Reduces incidents, costs, and downtime; lowers insurance premiums.
• Meets legal/compliance needs; enhances resilience and reputation.
• Builds stakeholder trust, aids IMS with ISO 9001/14001.
• Drives competitive edge through safety culture and talent retention.

Implementation Overview

• Phased: gap analysis, policy/objectives, controls, audits, reviews.
• 6-12 months typical; scalable for all sizes/sectors.
• Involves training, risk assessments, leadership commitment; certification optional but strategic.

What It Is

ISO 22301:2019, titled Societal security — Business continuity management systems — Requirements, is an international certification standard for establishing a Business Continuity Management System (BCMS). Its primary purpose is to help organizations protect against, reduce the likelihood of, and recover from disruptive incidents like cyberattacks, pandemics, and natural disasters. It uses a risk-based approach structured around the PDCA (Plan-Do-Check-Act) cycle for flexibility and continual improvement.

Key Components

• 10 clauses (4-10 core): context, leadership, planning (incl. BIA/RA), support, operation, evaluation, improvement
• No prescriptive controls; tailored via Business Impact Analysis (BIA) and risk assessment
• Built on Annex SL high-level structure for integration with ISO 27001/31000
• Certification valid 3 years with annual surveillance audits

Why Organizations Use It

Drives resilience, minimizes financial losses/downtime, ensures regulatory compliance (e.g., NIS Directive), enhances stakeholder trust/reputation, provides competitive advantages like procurement wins and lower insurance premiums.

Implementation Overview

Phased: gap analysis, leadership buy-in, BIA/RA, strategy development, training/testing, audits. Applicable to all sizes/sectors globally. Two-stage certification (6-8 weeks post-readiness).