ISO 45001 Requirements: Clauses 4 to 10
Clause 4 - Context of the organization
Determine external and internal issues, the needs and expectations of interested parties (workers, regulators, contractors, unions, customers), and the scope of the OH&S MS. The scope must be documented and available. Questions often test whether an organization may exclude a clause - under ISO 45001, requirements are intended to be applied; scope determines boundaries, not permission to drop clauses.
Clause 5 - Leadership and worker participation
Top management must demonstrate leadership, establish the OH&S policy (documented, including a commitment to provide safe and healthy working conditions and to fulfil legal and other requirements), and assign roles, responsibilities and authorities. Consultation and participation of workers must be established, including removing barriers to participation.
Clause 6 - Planning
Address risks and opportunities (including OH&S risks and other risks to the system), identify legal and other requirements, and set OH&S objectives that are measurable, monitored, communicated and updated. Planning actions must be integrated into the system.
Clause 7 - Support
Resources, competence, awareness, communication (internal and external, including what, when, with whom), and documented information (creating, updating, controlling).
Clause 8 - Operation
Operational planning and control, eliminating hazards and reducing risks using the hierarchy of controls, management of change, procurement (including contractors and outsourcing), and emergency preparedness and response.
Clause 9 - Performance evaluation
Monitoring, measurement, analysis and evaluation; internal audit; management review.
Clause 10 - Improvement
Handle incidents, nonconformities and corrective actions, and pursue continual improvement.
Worked example
A warehouse introduces powered pallet trucks. Under clause 8, the organization first applies the hierarchy of controls: can the task be eliminated or mechanized differently (elimination/substitution), then engineering controls (barriers, speed limiters), then administrative controls (training, procedures), then PPE. It records the decision as documented information and updates risk assessments under clause 6.
Traps
Questions often swap internal audit (clause 9) with management review (clause 9) responsibilities, or place emergency preparedness in clause 9 rather than clause 8. Another trap is confusing corrective action (eliminating the cause of a nonconformity) with correction (fixing the immediate issue).