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The rule of obtaining the ISO 45001 certification is meeting regulatory compliance. Internal audits, readiness reviews, and managerial meetings play a crucial role in determining whether the system runs under the expectation or not. The ISO 45001 checklist is an essential component in understanding the state of your system concerning compliance. Being the global standard for occupational health and safety management, the ISO 45001 offers a practical list of clauses. They help to improve the present safety management system. The checklist is made to see if the clauses have been met efficiently or not. The clauses or the requirements are the fundamental base of the checklist. To prepare it, one needs to acknowledge them first.

The occupational health and safety management system ensures that the employees work in a safe infrastructure. Employers are accountable for maintaining a positive, encouraging, and secure workplace so that the workers can put their 100% into the work. The ISO 45001 is known for helping management ensure better productivity. Without a checklist, it will be hard to determine the readiness of the system for accreditation.

Companies that are new to the certification process might find it difficult to prepare an effective checklist. This blog will share significant details about the simple process for designing your checklist.

How to prepare the ISO 45001 Checklist?

The process starts with thoroughly understanding the requirements. The standard can be classified into seven crucial pieces. The first one is the organisational context. It asks that your management team better understand their internal and external issues, identify interested parties and their requirements, and define the scope of the occupational health and safety management system. The second one is leadership and worker participation. It asks for management’s commitment and leadership. Your leaders must assign individual roles and responsibilities, establish a solid policy, and ensure worker consultation and participation. The third one is the planning. It asks for the following:

• Addressing risks and opportunities.

• Identifying and assessing health and safety hazards.

• Defining objectives and planning actions to achieve them.

The fourth one is support of the relevant resources. It asks for the human, financial, and technical resources. Your management team must ensure competence, communication as well as awareness among the workers. It also highlights the requirement for documenting and controlling the information. This follows operations, performance evaluation, and improvement of the system. For that, the management must be doing the following:

• Planning and controlling operational processes.

• Managing emergency preparedness and response.

• Monitoring and measuring OH&S performance.

• Conducting internal audits.

• Performing management reviews.

• Addressing incidents and non-conformities.

• Continual improvement of the OH&S management system.

How to structure the ISO 45001 checklist?

Divide the checklist into sections that align with the ISO 45001 clauses. For each clause, include:

• Requirement: A brief description of the clause.

• Question: A specific query to assess compliance.

• Evidence Required: Documentation, processes, or observations to verify compliance.

• Status: Mark compliance as “Yes,” “No,” or “Partially Met.”

• Comments/Action Plan: Notes for improvements or corrective actions.

After completing the aforementioned, it is time to include specific questions like the following –

• Have internal and external issues impacting health and safety been identified by the management?

• Are the needs and expectations of interested parties documented timely?

• Is the scope of the health and safety management system clearly defined by the authority?

• Are health and safety risks and opportunities identified and addressed by the management?

• Are hazard identification and risk assessment processes in place?

• Are measurable health and safety objectives established and tracked?

• Are controls implemented for high-risk operations?

• Is emergency response planning documented and tested?

• Are contractors and suppliers managed for health and safety compliance?

• Are training programs in place to ensure employee competence?

• Is critical health and safety information documented and controlled?

• Are communication processes effective for internal and external stakeholders?

• Are health and safety performance indicators monitored and reported?

• Are internal audits conducted regularly?

• Are management reviews held, and are outputs documented?

• Are incidents investigated, and root causes identified?

• Are corrective actions implemented and reviewed?

• Is continual improvement demonstrated in health and safety practices?

Once you understood and finish designing the basic format of your checklist, you must customise the entire table according to risk, regulatory requirements, and core operations of the company. Finally, before using the checklist for practical use, the management must test the list with the help of a mock internal audit and seek feedback from the team members. If necessary, the authoritative must update the entire checklist according to the change requirements.

Final words

To learn about the ISO 45001 checklist preparation process in Australia, get professional assistance. At Compliancehelp, find many services for conducting internal audits, gap analysis, and readiness reviews. Besides having a comprehensive set of guidance, you have the opportunity to customise the package according to your needs. Your overall cost might come down to an unbelievable amount after the ISO 45001 consultant experts assess and evaluate the exact requirements.