ISO 45001
International standard for occupational health and safety management
ISO 37001
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.
ISO 45001
ISO 45001:2018 Occupational health and safety management systems
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
ISO 37001
ISO 37001 Anti-bribery management systems
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
| Aspect | ISO 45001 | ISO 37001 |
|---|---|---|
| Scope | Occupational health and safety management | Anti-bribery management systems only |
| Industry | All sectors, high-risk industries emphasized | All sectors, high-corruption risk emphasized |
| Nature | Voluntary certifiable management standard | Voluntary certifiable management standard |
| Testing | Internal audits, management reviews, certification | Internal audits, management reviews, certification |
| Penalties | No legal penalties, loss of certification | No legal penalties, loss of certification |
Scope
Industry
Nature
Testing
Penalties
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about ISO 45001 and ISO 37001
ISO 45001 FAQ
ISO 37001 FAQ
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