Standards Comparison

    ISO 45001

    Voluntary
    2018

    International standard for occupational health and safety management

    VS

    ISO 37001

    Voluntary
    2025

    International standard for anti-bribery management systems

    Quick Verdict

    ISO 45001 provides occupational health and safety management for all organizations to prevent workplace injuries, while ISO 37001 establishes anti-bribery systems to detect and prevent corruption risks. Companies adopt them for certification, risk reduction, and integrated compliance.

    Occupational Health & Safety

    ISO 45001

    ISO 45001:2018 Occupational health and safety management systems

    Cost
    €€€
    Complexity
    High
    Implementation Time
    6-12 months

    Key Features

    • Top management accountability and worker participation
    • Risk-based approach to hazards and opportunities
    • Hierarchy of controls prioritizing elimination
    • Annex SL structure for IMS integration
    • PDCA cycle for continual improvement
    Anti-Bribery/Compliance

    ISO 37001

    ISO 37001 Anti-bribery management systems

    Cost
    €€€€
    Complexity
    High
    Implementation Time
    6-12 months

    Key Features

    • Risk-based third-party due diligence requirements
    • Leadership commitment and compliance function
    • Financial and non-financial bribery controls
    • Training for personnel and business associates
    • PDCA cycle with audits and improvement

    Detailed Analysis

    A comprehensive look at the specific requirements, scope, and impact of each standard.

    ISO 45001 Details

    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 proactively. Built on Annex SL High-Level Structure and PDCA cycle, it emphasizes risk-based thinking across Clauses 4-10.

    Key Components

    • Core clauses: Context (4), Leadership/Worker Participation (5), Planning (6), Support (7), Operation (8), Performance Evaluation (9), Improvement (10).
    • Key requirements: Hazard identification, hierarchy of controls, legal compliance, worker consultation.
    • No fixed controls; scalable, outcome-focused.
    • Optional third-party certification via audits.

    Why Organizations Use It

    • Reduces incidents, insurance costs, downtime.
    • Meets legal/contractual needs, enhances resilience.
    • Builds safety culture, stakeholder trust.
    • Enables IMS integration with ISO 9001/14001.
    • Drives competitive edge in high-risk sectors.

    Implementation Overview

    • Phased: Gap analysis, policy/objectives, controls, audits.
    • 6-12 months typical; scalable for all sizes/sectors.
    • Involves leadership commitment, training, metrics.
    • Certification via accredited bodies, surveillance audits.

    ISO 37001 Details

    What It Is

    ISO 37001 is the international certifiable standard for Anti-Bribery Management Systems (ABMS). It specifies requirements to prevent, detect, and respond to bribery, covering direct/indirect acts by personnel and business associates. Adopting a risk-based, proportionate approach, it follows the ISO Harmonized Structure and PDCA cycle for Clauses 4-10.

    Key Components

    • Leadership commitment, anti-bribery policy, compliance function
    • Bribery risk assessment, due diligence, financial/non-financial controls
    • Training, awareness, reporting, investigations
    • Monitoring, internal audits, management reviews, continual improvement
    • Third-party certification via accredited bodies with surveillance audits

    Why Organizations Use It

    • Mitigates prosecution risks under FCPA/UK Bribery Act as 'reasonable steps' evidence
    • Builds stakeholder trust, enhances reputation, cuts compliance costs up to 15%
    • Enables market access, ESG alignment, operational efficiencies
    • Addresses 95% third-party bribery exposure

    Implementation Overview

    Phased: gap analysis, risk assessment, control design, training, audits. Scalable across sizes/sectors globally; 6-12 months typical to certification.

    Key Differences

    Scope

    ISO 45001
    Occupational health and safety management
    ISO 37001
    Anti-bribery management systems only

    Industry

    ISO 45001
    All sectors, high-risk industries emphasized
    ISO 37001
    All sectors, high-corruption risk emphasized

    Nature

    ISO 45001
    Voluntary certifiable management standard
    ISO 37001
    Voluntary certifiable management standard

    Testing

    ISO 45001
    Internal audits, management reviews, certification
    ISO 37001
    Internal audits, management reviews, certification

    Penalties

    ISO 45001
    No legal penalties, loss of certification
    ISO 37001
    No legal penalties, loss of certification

    Frequently Asked Questions

    Common questions about ISO 45001 and ISO 37001

    ISO 45001 FAQ

    ISO 37001 FAQ

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