45001 asks one uncomfortable question and keeps asking it: can somebody be injured doing this work — and if so, what have you actually done about it? The certificate is evidence that the answer is written down, owned by a named person, and checked when the work changes.
This is where most companies are surprised, and where the first audit finding usually lands.
The law already requires risk assessment for all work activities at every workplace, reviewed when the work changes or at least every three years — that comes from the WSH (Risk Management) Regulations, not from ISO. We build the ISO system to sit on top of what you are already required to do.
Ladders, roofs, platforms, openings, loading bays — the injuries that change lives.
Guards, lockout, hand tools, sharp edges, stored energy, the machine someone cleans while it runs.
Forklifts, reversing, pedestrians sharing a lane, deliveries at the gate, lifting operations.
Sun, confined spaces, dust, solvent, the jobs people do in a hurry on a hot afternoon.
| Requirement | In plain words | What the auditor samples |
|---|---|---|
| Risk assessment | Every activity, with the hazards, the controls and the responsible person — kept current when the work changes | A job you are doing this week, and its assessment |
| Incident reporting | Injuries, near misses and dangerous occurrences get recorded, investigated and acted on — near misses are the cheap lessons | The incident log, and what changed as a result |
| Consultation and participation | Workers get a real say in how their own safety is managed — it is a clause, not a courtesy | A worker telling the auditor how they raised something, and what happened |
| Competence and training | People are trained for the job they do, and the records prove it | Training records matched to the people on the floor |
| Emergency response | What happens in the first ten minutes, and who does what | The drill record, and the plan on the wall |
It is a strong start, and it is why 45001 is often faster than companies expect. What 45001 adds is the system around the assessment: ownership, review when work changes, incident learning, worker participation and internal audit. Pages of risk assessments with no system around them fail the audit.
They go into the system as workers whose safety you influence. In practice that means inductions, a check that they have their own assessments, and a way to raise hazards. Most sites already do a rough version of this — we make it auditable.
For many SMEs, no — 45001 does not demand one. It demands that the work has a competent owner. Where your industry requires a registered WSH officer by law, that requirement stands on its own.
Yes, and it is the cheapest way to get all three. Integrated 9001 + 14001 + 45001 starts at S$5,220.
Six to ten weeks for a first certification. The part that takes time is the paperwork already being done informally — the actual safety practice is usually already there.
Your own staff, contractors, agency workers, delivery drivers — the answer decides the size of the project. Send us the list and we will tell you what your 45001 actually has to cover.