What Is The Difference Between ISO 18001 and ISO 45001 Certification

How Do ISO 18001 and ISO 45001 Compare with Each Other?
ISO 18001 and ISO 45001 are two different standards targeted towards the same goal, which is
improvement of working conditions. Having either of the two standards is a good thing for your
business, but knowing the difference between the two helps with the decision of choosing one.
ISO 45001 certification is the more preferable of the two as it is proactive in its approach
towards risk mitigation. To that end, it drives the high ranking managers to look actively into
safety programs and such things.
But that’s not the only thing that makes the two certifications different from one another.
Other points of difference that ISO 45001 certification consultants like to stress on are
elaborated below.
The first thing that makes the two certifications different is their respective
management commitment. In 45001, that is the focal point. According to it, the
workers’ safety is to be ensured through the involvement of the managers in the top
tiers. It insists on a top-down structure where the management would act as the safety
leaders instead of briefing the employees on the safety programs.
The ISO 45001 is for a broader participation in which the management and employees
work together to ensure safe working conditions. According to this standard the
employees are to be trained and educated to spot the risks so that they can create their
own safety programs to neutralize them. It advocates for everyone in the company to
be responsible for a safe working environment. ISO 18001 is for a less effective
approach. An ISO 45001 service provider can help shed light on the details of this.
One of the key points of clash between the two OH&S certification standards is the
design. While 45001 embeds the responsibilities pertaining to safety and health as
widely as possible, ISO 18001 narrows it down. The former is for a more robust safety
culture in which recruitment is integrates with the visions of health and safety so that
the programs become a part of the general administration.

Another obvious difference is in the structure. Their structures are essentially different.
Formerly it was based on ISO Guide 83 while that can be changed to Annex SL. Those of
you who have used systems like ISO 14001 and ISO 9001 would be familiar with this new
structure. This structure makes implementing of several management systems easier.
This makes the implementation more streamlined and manifold more efficient.
While 18001 is for controlling the risks, 45001 is for encouraging the management and
the employees into formulating preventive measures to counter the risks effective when
they arrive. This makes remedying risks of broader nature possible.
Businesses that are 18001 standardized have till the first quarter of 2021 to change over to
45001. Beyond that period, businesses under ISO 18001 Certification will be put under an
independent occupational healthy safety management system to be covered on those grounds.
If you need advice on business certifications, talk to the ISO 18001 Certification consultants
available near you.