ISO 45002

What is ISO 45002?

The ISO family of standards on occupational health and safety management is structured around a core standard, ISO 45001, and a set of supporting documents that elaborate on specific aspects. ISO 45002 is the most general supporting document: it provides guidelines for implementing ISO 45001:2018.

Its exact code and title are ISO 45002:2023, Occupational health and safety management systems. General guidelines for the implementation of ISO 45001:2018 . It is the first edition, published in February 2023, and is listed in the official ISO catalog as a published international standard. It is prepared by ISO/TC 283, the technical committee for occupational health and safety management.

Its function is explanatory. Where ISO 45001 states what must be achieved, ISO 45002 suggests how it can be achieved, with examples and practical considerations, without adding new obligations.

What it contains and what it does not contain

• It contains guidelines for developing each block of the management system: context of the organization, leadership and participation, planning, support, operation, performance evaluation and improvement.
• It contains practical criteria on how to address hazard identification, the determination of legal requirements (in Colombia, for example, through the legal matrix of Decree 1072 of 2015), objectives, and performance evaluation.
• It does not contain requirements. It is a set of guidelines: it uses recommendations, not auditable obligations.
• It does not replace ISO 45001, which remains the reference for implementing and, where appropriate, certifying the system.
• It does not replace national prevention regulations, which are mandatory regardless of any voluntary regulations.

Who does it help?

Its primary target audience is organizations that are beginning the implementation of a management system in accordance with ISO 45001 and need to translate the requirements into concrete decisions. It is also useful for those reviewing an existing system and wanting to compare its approach, as well as for occupational health and safety professionals who support implementation processes.

In small organizations, it helps to quantify the effort: it shows what is expected in each area and helps avoid both under-documentation and unnecessary bureaucracy. In large organizations, it facilitates alignment between centers with different cultures and levels of maturity.

Relationship with ISO 45001

ISO 45002 explicitly refers to ISO 45001:2018, the standard for the family of requirements. It is important to clarify the status of the latter: the current edition is still the 2018 version, which includes the amendment ISO 45001:2018/Amd 1:2024, concerning changes related to climate action, integrated into the standard itself and not as a separate document.

The ISO/TC 283 committee is also working on the revision of ISO 45001, which is currently in the draft international standard stage. A draft standard does not supersede the current edition: until the new edition is published, the reference remains ISO 45001:2018 with its amendment.

The ISO 45001 fact sheet elaborates on the content and scope of the requirements standard.

Non-certifiable character

1. Guidelines are not subject to certification: they do not establish requirements against which to audit conformity.
2. Certification, when it exists, is done against ISO 45001 and is granted by accredited certification bodies, not ISO.
3. ISO develops and publishes standards; it does not certify companies or issue certificates.
4. Advertising an organization as certified to ISO 45002 is incorrect and may constitute a misleading claim.
5. Yes, it is legitimate to state that the system has been developed taking ISO 45002 as a guide.

Practical application

The usual approach involves reviewing the sections of ISO 45001 alongside ISO 45002, comparing what the organization already does with what the guide suggests, and noting any differences that require intervention. This exercise produces a realistic implementation plan, prioritized and tailored to the size and activity of the organization.

The guide is particularly valuable in the sections where ISO 45001 is more open: determining the context, consulting and involving workers, managing change, and evaluating performance. In all of these areas, the starting point in Spain remains the legal framework, with the prevention plan, risk assessment, and planning of preventive activities.

Limits and common mistakes

1. Treat it as a standard of requirements and audit against it.
2. Present it as an independent certification or as a seal.
3. Replace with it the analysis of the applicable legal framework, which is mandatory and prevails.
4. Copying their examples without adapting them to the activity and size of the organization.
5. Assuming that the publication of the guide modifies the requirements of ISO 45001, which does not happen.
6. Describe the ongoing revision of ISO 45001 as if it had already replaced the 2018 edition.

Differences with other publications in the family

• ISO 45001. Requirements standard, the only certifiable one in the family.
• ISO 45002. General guide for the implementation of the above.
• ISO 45003. Guidelines for the management of psychosocial risks.
• ISO 45004. Guidelines on performance evaluation in occupational safety and health.
• ISO 45006 and the ISO/PAS specifications. Documents with a more limited thematic scope, also not certifiable.

Regulatory and reference framework

• ISO 45002:2023 . Official standard data sheet in the ISO catalog.
• ISO 45001:2018 . Standard of requirements to which it serves as a guide.
• ISO 45001:2018/Amd 1:2024 . Amendment on changes relating to climate action.
• Law 31/1995 and Royal Decree 39/1997 . Mandatory framework in Spain, which prevails over any voluntary rule.