ISO 45001 Clause 6: Planning
Clause 6 addresses the core planning activities of an OH&S management system, including hazard identification, risk and opportunity assessment, determination of legal requirements, and setting measurable OH&S objectives.
Hazard Identification
Clause 6.1.2.1 requires the organisation to establish, implement, and maintain an ongoing and proactive process for hazard identification. This process must consider how work is organised, social factors such as workload and bullying, routine and non-routine activities, past incidents, potential emergency situations, people including contractors and visitors, changes or proposed changes in processes, and the design of work areas and processes.
Hazard identification is not a one-time exercise. It must be continuous and responsive to changing conditions, new activities, and lessons learned from incidents and near-misses.
OH&S Risks and Opportunities
Clause 6.1.2.2 requires the organisation to assess OH&S risks from identified hazards, taking into account existing controls and their effectiveness. Clause 6.1.2.3 then requires assessment of OH&S opportunities to improve safety performance, including opportunities to adapt work to workers, eliminate hazards, and improve the management system itself.
Legal and Other Requirements
Clause 6.1.3 requires the organisation to determine and have access to up-to-date legal requirements and other requirements applicable to its hazards and OH&S management system. This includes legislation, regulations, codes of practice, collective agreements, and organisational policies. The organisation must determine how these requirements apply and keep this information current.
OH&S Objectives and Planning
Clause 6.2 requires the organisation to establish OH&S objectives at relevant functions and levels. Objectives must be consistent with the OH&S policy, measurable where practicable, monitored, communicated, and updated as appropriate. For each objective, the organisation must plan what will be done, what resources are needed, who is responsible, when it will be completed, and how results will be evaluated.
Key Audit Questions
- How does the organisation identify hazards on an ongoing basis, including non-routine activities, social factors, and changes to processes?
- Can you show the risk assessment methodology used to evaluate OH&S risks from identified hazards and determine appropriate controls?
- How are legal and other requirements identified, accessed, and kept up to date across the organisation?
- What OH&S objectives have been established, and do they include action plans with resources, responsibilities, and timelines?
- How are OH&S opportunities assessed and used to drive improvement in safety performance and the management system?
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