8 October 2026 by ASC Team
ISO 45001:2018 is the international standard for an occupational health and safety management system: a way of running the work so that people do not get hurt or ill, legal duties are met, and performance keeps improving. In South Africa it is voluntary. The OHS Act and the COID Act apply whether you are certified or not. What the standard adds is the system that proves, every day, that the duties in the Act are being carried out: workers taking part, hazards found before they hurt someone, controls chosen from the top of the hierarchy, and incidents investigated to a cause you can fix.
What is ISO 45001, in plain words?
ISO 45001 was published in March 2018 as the first edition. It replaced OHSAS 18001, and OHSAS 18001 certificates ceased to be valid after September 2021. In 2024 ISO added Amendment 1, which deals with climate change. So the standard in force is ISO 45001:2018 as amended by Amendment 1:2024.
Clause 1 says what it is for. It is meant to enable organisations “to provide safe and healthy workplaces by preventing work-related injury and ill health, as well as by proactively improving its OH&S performance”. The intended outcomes it lists are continual improvement of OH&S performance, fulfilment of legal requirements and other requirements, and achievement of OH&S objectives.
It applies to any organisation of any size in any sector. It sets no performance targets and does not cover product safety or environmental impacts beyond the risks to workers. Food safety stays in your food safety system.
Is ISO 45001 a legal requirement in South Africa?
No. The SABS publishes the standard as SANS/ISO 45001 and describes it as a voluntary standard that does not replace regulatory requirements. No provision of the Occupational Health and Safety Act 85 of 1993 requires ISO 45001 or any certification.
The law does not wait for a certificate. Section 8(1) of the OHS Act requires every employer to provide and maintain, as far as is reasonably practicable, a working environment that is safe and without risk to the health of employees. Section 9 extends it to visitors, contractors’ workers and the public. A Department of Employment and Labour inspector enforces those duties under sections 29 to 31 of the Act, and nothing in the Act makes an exception for a certified site.
So why would a South African employer take on a voluntary standard? The reasons I hear most are a customer questionnaire that now asks for ISO 45001 or an equivalent system, an inspection that ended in notices, and a managing director who has realised the site has a safety file and not a safety system.
The other reason is what the public record shows on food sites. I state these only as far as the reports go; no cause has been published for any. In January 2023 two workers died and six were injured on a poultry farm in Paarl after developing breathing difficulties while working around and inside a pit; the company was prohibited from using the area while investigations continued. In May 2026 two employees on a dairy farm near Humansdorp were found dead inside a narrow milk cooling tank. On 1 July 2026 a worker at a fast food outlet in Bloemfontein died after severe burns from hot cooking oil; the Department issued a prohibition notice and closed the outlet from 5 July 2026.
What does the standard ask for, clause by clause?
The requirements sit in clauses 4 to 10, in the same harmonised structure as ISO 9001 and ISO 14001. In short:
| Clause | What it asks, in plain words | What it looks like on a site |
|---|---|---|
| 4 Context | Know the issues that affect your OH&S outcomes, who the interested parties are, what they need, and what your system covers. Decide whether climate change is a relevant issue | A context register; a scope that includes contractors and projects |
| 5 Leadership and worker participation | Top management takes overall responsibility, sets a policy, assigns roles, and makes sure workers are consulted and take part | A policy people have seen; 16(2) letters; a committee that meets |
| 6 Planning | Find hazards, assess risks and opportunities, determine legal requirements, set objectives and plan actions | A HIRA register; a legal register; objectives with owners and dates |
| 7 Support | Resources, competence, awareness, communication and documented information | A competence matrix; workers who can answer the 7.3 questions |
| 8 Operation | Control the work using the hierarchy of controls, manage change, control procurement, contractors and outsourcing, and prepare for emergencies | Permits, lockout, guards; contractor files; drills on every shift |
| 9 Performance evaluation | Monitor and measure, evaluate compliance with the law, audit internally and review at the top | Inspections, injury rates, compliance evaluation, audit reports, review minutes |
| 10 Improvement | Investigate incidents and nonconformities with workers taking part, fix causes, and keep improving | Investigations that find causes, not culprits |
There is no OH&S manual requirement and no list of mandatory procedures. The standard names specific documented information to be available, maintained or retained, such as the scope, the policy, the legal requirements and the evidence of competence, and leaves the rest to you.
Which words does ISO 45001 use in a particular way?
| Term | Definition in clause 3 | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Worker (3.3) | “person performing work or work-related activities that are under the control of the organization” | The notes include top management, contractors and agency workers. Your 60 agency staff are workers, and for the OHS Act, which excludes the labour broker from the definition of employer, they are your employees too |
| Hazard (3.19) | “source with a potential to cause injury and ill health” | The forklift is the hazard; being struck is the event |
| OH&S risk (3.21) | A combination of the likelihood of a work-related hazardous event or exposure and the severity of the injury and ill health it can cause | You rate risk; you do not rate hazards |
| Incident (3.35) | “occurrence arising out of, or in the course of, work that could or does result in injury and ill health” | A note says an incident with no injury may be called a near-miss, near-hit or close call. Near misses are incidents |
| Consultation (3.5) | “seeking views before making a decision” | Asking before you decide |
| Participation (3.4) | “involvement in decision-making” | Workers help decide. It is more than consultation |
What is the hierarchy of controls, and why does the order matter?
Clause 8.1.2 requires a process to eliminate hazards and reduce OH&S risks using this hierarchy, in this order:
- Eliminate the hazard.
- Substitute with less hazardous processes, operations, materials or equipment.
- Use engineering controls and reorganisation of work.
- Use administrative controls, including training.
- Use adequate personal protective equipment.
The law points the same way. Section 8(2)(b) of the OHS Act requires the employer to eliminate or reduce a hazard before resorting to personal protective equipment. A sign that says mind the nip point is an administrative control. A fixed guard interlocked with the drive is an engineering control. A sleeving method with no nip point removes the hazard. The auditor and the inspector will both ask why you stopped where you stopped.
How is worker participation different from what the Act already asks?
The OHS Act sets a statutory floor. Section 17 requires an employer with more than 20 employees at a workplace to designate health and safety representatives in writing, at least one for every 50 employees or part of 50, or one for every 100 in shops and offices. Section 19 requires a committee where two or more representatives are designated, meeting at least once every three months.
ISO 45001 clause 5.4 builds on that. It requires a process for consultation and participation of workers at all applicable levels and functions, and of workers’ representatives where they exist. It requires mechanisms, time, training and resources, timely access to information, and the removal of obstacles and barriers such as language, reprisals and failure to respond to worker inputs. It then lists topics on which the consultation, and others on which the participation, of non-managerial workers is emphasised, such as identifying hazards and investigating incidents.
The standard does not name representatives or committees as the mechanism. On a South African site, though, sections 17 to 20 are the obvious place to start. Where it bites is the night shift with no representative, the agency staff who got a 30 minute talk, and the committee that last met in February.
What changed with Amendment 1:2024, and is a new edition coming?
Amendment 1:2024, “Climate action changes”, added one sentence to clause 4.1: “The organization shall determine whether climate change is a relevant issue.” It added one note to 4.2: “Relevant interested parties can have requirements related to climate change.” On a food site, heat stress in a packing hall, a flooded yard or a power cut that affects refrigeration safety systems can make the answer yes.
ISO is revising the standard. Voting on the draft, ISO/DIS 45001, closed on 9 September 2026, and ISO expects the new edition in the first half of 2027. No transition period has been set; certification bodies expect three years. Until it is published, ISO 45001:2018 with Amendment 1:2024 is the current standard to build to.
What does certification involve?
Certification is done by a certification body, not by ISO. In South Africa SANAS is the national accreditation body, and it accredits certification bodies; a body accredited for ISO 45001 by another Global ACI (formerly IAF) signatory, such as UKAS, is equally recognised. Check the body and its ISO 45001 scope on IAF CertSearch before you sign. The two stage audit, the grading of findings, surveillance visits and recertification are certification body practice, not requirements of ISO 45001. Accredited certification bodies work to ISO/IEC 17021-1, which defines major and minor nonconformities and sets surveillance audits at least once a calendar year in the three year certification cycle. The auditor tests your system against ISO 45001; the inspector enforces the Act, and can issue notices whatever the auditor concluded.
Frequently asked questions
Is ISO 45001 the same as OHSAS 18001?
No. ISO 45001 replaced OHSAS 18001, whose certificates ceased to be valid after September 2021. ISO 45001 puts much more weight on leadership and worker participation.
Does a small business need ISO 45001?
The standard applies to any organisation regardless of size, but no small business needs it by law. Every employer has the duties in sections 8 and 9 of the OHS Act. Whether certification is worth it usually depends on your customers.
Who is a worker under ISO 45001?
Anyone performing work or work-related activities under the organisation’s control. The notes to definition 3.3 include top management, managerial and non-managerial persons, contractors and agency workers.
Does ISO 45001 give workers a right to refuse dangerous work?
Clause 7.3 f) requires workers to be made aware of their ability to remove themselves from work situations they consider present an imminent and serious danger, and of the arrangements protecting them from undue consequences. The OHS Act has no general express right to refuse or leave dangerous work; that right is in the Mine Health and Safety Act and applies only on mines; section 26 protects employees from victimisation for doing what the Act allows or requires.
Do we need an OH&S manual?
No. The standard requires specific documented information, not a manual or a set of mandatory procedures.
Can ISO 45001 run alongside FSSC 22000 and ISO 9001?
Yes. ISO 45001 shares its structure with ISO 9001 and ISO 14001, so context, audit, review and improvement can run as one set of processes. A GFSI benchmarked food safety scheme is not a substitute for an OH&S system; any worker safety content in it is incidental to food safety.
Which ASC course explains ISO 45001 to your whole team?
This guide is drawn from Introduction to ISO 45001:2018, FS60, a foundation course for operators, supervisors, team leaders, health and safety representatives, administrators and new SHEQ coordinators.
R1 195, prices in rand with no VAT added. About 6 hours, self paced, lifetime access.
- The whole standard in plain words, with the OHS Act and the COID Act taught first.
- The definitions, the hierarchy of controls, and worker participation with sections 17 to 20.
- The floor interview on clause 7.3 a) to f), and how to report an incident or a near miss.
- Knowledge checks, games, scenario checks, case study assessments and a final, all at 70 percent, with two timed attempts.
- A certificate of completion with a verification code.
For the managing director, directors and section 16(2) assignees, ISO 45001 Management Awareness, FS61, R1 295, covers what the law and the standard ask of them personally. The person who has to build the system needs ISO 45001:2018 Understanding and Implementation, R3 950.
Enrol now and start the Introduction today. All eight courses and the free guides sit at ISO 45001 training. For a team, ask about a group arrangement on WhatsApp ASC.
Related guides: ISO 45001 awareness training: what every worker and supervisor must know and The OHS Act and ISO 45001: the legal duties a management system has to carry.
Sources
- ISO 45001:2018, Occupational health and safety management systems: Requirements with guidance for use (ISO), and ISO 45001:2018/Amd 1:2024, Climate action changes
- Occupational Health and Safety Act 85 of 1993
- General Administrative Regulations, 2003, made under the OHS Act
- Compensation for Occupational Injuries and Diseases Act 130 of 1993
- ISO, ISO/DIS 45001 project page, iso.org/standard/45001/rev, read 8 October 2026
- COSATU Western Cape statement, Polity, 11 January 2023, polity.org.za; eNCA, 13 January 2023, enca.com
- Scrolla via AllAfrica, 22 May 2026, allafrica.com
- OFM, 17 July 2026, ofm.co.za
ISO 45001 is copyright and is not reproduced here. ASC is not affiliated with ISO. Last updated 8 October 2026.