ISO 45001:2027 – Key Updates and Transition Guidance

• New definitions are proposed for “work-related well-being”, “disability” and “external provider”
• The definition of occupational health and safety risk has been substantially revised
• The general definition of “risk” included in ISO 45001:2018 has been removed
• The term “external provider” replaces previous references to outsourcing
• Annex A has been significantly expanded to support clearer and more consistent interpretation

Your action: review the proposed terminology and identify policies, procedures, training materials and supplier documents that may require updated definitions or references.

• The 2024 climate action amendment has been incorporated into Clauses 4.1 and 4.2
• Additional notes provide examples of internal and external issues that may affect the OHSMS
• The diversity of workers must be considered when determining relevant worker needs and expectations
• Organizational context may need to reflect changing working arrangements, technologies and occupational health challenges

Your action: review your context and interested-party analysis to ensure that climate-related OH&S impacts, worker diversity and modern ways of working are appropriately considered.

• Work-related well-being is more explicitly incorporated into leadership, OH&S policy and worker consultation and participation requirements
• The draft reinforces a proactive approach that extends beyond preventing injury and ill health
• Leadership arrangements should support meaningful consultation with workers from different backgrounds and working environments

Your action: review your OH&S policy, leadership commitments and consultation arrangements to determine whether work-related well-being and workforce diversity are sufficiently addressed.

• Hazard identification has been expanded to consider new and changing technologies, digital platform-based activities, remote workers, psychosocial hazards, occupational health hazards and climate change impacts
• Documented information must include the results of OH&S risk assessments, as well as the methodologies and criteria used
• The assessment of OH&S opportunities has been broadened
• A new Clause 6.3, “Planning of changes”, has been introduced to align the standard with ISO’s Harmonized Structure

Your action: review your hazard registers, risk assessment records and change-planning processes. Confirm that modern work arrangements, occupational health, psychosocial factors and climate-related risks are adequately considered and documented.

• Worker awareness requirements have been expanded
• Communication processes are expected to consider the diversity and needs of workers
• Information should be accessible and appropriate for different roles, abilities, locations and working arrangements

Your action: assess whether your competence, awareness and communication programs effectively reach all relevant workers, including remote workers, temporary workers, contractors and workers with different communication or accessibility needs.

• Requirements for operational planning and control have been expanded
• Requirements for eliminating hazards and reducing OH&S risks have been strengthened
• A new Clause 8.1.3, “Occupational health”, requires organizations to establish processes that protect worker health
• A new Clause 8.1.4, “Return to work following injury and ill health”, requires controlled processes for supporting and monitoring workers returning to work
• A new Clause 8.1.6, “Externally provided processes, products and services”, replaces the existing procurement clause
• Controls over external providers, contractors and supplied products and services have been revised and expanded

Your action: review occupational health arrangements, rehabilitation and return-to-work processes, operational controls and external-provider management. Confirm that responsibilities, risk controls, communication and follow-up activities are clearly defined.

• Performance evaluation will need to reflect the new and expanded areas covered by the revised standard
• Monitoring and measurement arrangements should provide meaningful information about occupational health, work-related well-being and OH&S outcomes
• Internal audit and management review criteria may need to be updated to evaluate the effectiveness of new operational controls

Your action: review your indicators, audit program and management review inputs. Consider how occupational health, psychosocial hazards, return-to-work outcomes and external-provider performance will be monitored and evaluated.

• The existing Clause 10.1, “General”, and Clause 10.3, “Continual improvement”, have been consolidated into a revised Clause 10.1
• The wording has been reduced, but the overall intent of continual improvement remains unchanged
• Organizations should continue using incidents, nonconformities, performance information and worker feedback to improve the OHSMS

Your action: update clause references where necessary and confirm that improvement processes use performance data, incident findings and worker participation to deliver sustained OH&S improvements.