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ISO 45001 Occupational health and safety management systems

ISO 45001 is the international standard for an occupational health and safety management system. It helps an organisation prevent injury and ill health and keep improving safety.

Explanation

The standard describes how to organise occupational health and safety as a management system: policy, risks and opportunities, objectives, responsibilities, controls, checking and improvement. The emphasis is on prevention: recognising and controlling hazards before anyone is injured. ISO 45001 succeeded OHSAS 18001.

Workers play a big role: they are involved in determining risks and measures and can report without fear of consequences. Leadership counts too: top management is responsible for safety, not just the KAM coordinator or safety adviser.

The standard is voluntary and does not replace the Arbowet. You can apply it as a framework or have it certified by a certification body, for example because clients ask for it. If you already have VCA, many elements overlap, such as risk assessment, instructions, inspections and incident registration.

Example from practice

A transport company lets drivers join the discussion on the risks of loading and unloading, records measures, carries out inspections and discusses accidents and near misses. An auditor assesses whether the system works.

© 2026 BrydgeOne. General information, not legal or other professional advice. No rights can be derived from this explanation.

In BrydgeOne

Where you work with ISO 45001

Incidents & reportsLog incidents and turn them into follow-up. Risk assessment & action planAssess risks and set out an action plan. Workplace inspectionsCarry out inspections with clear checklists. AuditsPlan internal audits and log findings. ISO 45001Health and safety
Knowledge base

Keep reading

Implementing ISO 45001: a step-by-step plan for safe and healthy workISO 45001 is the international standard for an occupational health and safety management system. It helps you prevent accidents and work-related ill health rather than only recording them afterwards. This step-by-step plan shows how to put the standard into practice, from the first baseline to certification. How to prepare a risk assessment (RI&E): a step-by-step guideThe RI&E, the Dutch risk inventory and evaluation, is the foundation of your occupational health and safety policy. You map out the risks in your organization and what you do about them. This step-by-step guide helps you build an RI&E that is accurate, usable and kept up to date. ISO 45001 or VCA: what is the difference and which one suits your company?ISO 45001 is a management system standard for occupational health and safety that your whole organisation has certified by a certification body. VCA is a checklist for contractors and other operating companies that want to show clients they work safely, with the levels VCA*, VCA** and VCA petrochemical. In practice your client decides which one you need; the two overlap strongly and you can combine them.
Glossary

See also

ArbowetWorking Conditions Act (Arbowet)VCASafety, Health and Environment Checklist for ContractorsSafety Culture LadderSafety Culture LadderPDCA cyclePlan-Do-Check-Act (Deming cycle)Internal auditInternal audit

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