ISO 45001 audits are not usually lost on the documents. They are lost when the auditor talks to a worker. The one requirement with no equivalent in any other management system standard is that non-managerial workers take part in safety decisions — and it is the most frequently raised nonconformity in the standard.
This assessment scores 54 questions across every clause, with consultation and participation, the hierarchy of controls and incident investigation tested the way a certification body tests them. It is free, it saves as you go, and you can stop and come back to it.
What this is
A clause-by-clause pass over ISO 45001:2018 as it stands today, including the 2024 climate-change amendment, which applies now with no transition period. We have the background elsewhere — the standard explained, the mandatory documents, how certification works, implementation and risk assessment. Come here when you want a score.
What it covers
| Clause | Questions |
|---|---|
| 4 — Context, scope and climate relevance | 5 |
| 5 — Leadership and worker participation | 8 |
| 6 — Planning, hazards, risks and legal requirements | 9 |
| 7 — Support, competence and communication | 9 |
| 8 — Operation, change, contractors and emergencies | 7 |
| 9 — Monitoring, compliance evaluation and audit | 5 |
| 10 — Incident, nonconformity and improvement | 7 |
| Certification readiness | 4 |
Where ISO 45001 is not like the other standards
Consultation and participation are two different duties. Consultation means seeking workers’ views before you decide. Participation means they are involved in deciding. Both target non-managerial workers specifically, and a safety committee that exists on paper leaves no record of a worker actually shaping a decision. The clause also tells you to remove the barriers to participation, and names two of them: failing to respond to worker input, and reprisal.
Hazard, risk and opportunity are three separate things. Hazard identification is proactive finding. Risk assessment covers both the risks from hazards and the risks to the management system itself, and needs a documented methodology. An OH&S opportunity is a chance to reduce harm — not a business upside, which is what teams coming from ISO 9001 tend to record.
There is no clause 6.3. Change is handled at 8.1.3 and it is pre-implementation and hazard-focused. New chemicals and changed shift patterns are the two triggers most often missed.
How the scoring works
| Status | Weight | Means |
|---|---|---|
| Not started | 0% | No policy, process or activity exists |
| Planned | 25% | Agreed and scheduled, nothing in place yet |
| Partially implemented | 50% | In place for part of the scope, or applied inconsistently |
| Implemented, not evidenced | 75% | Operating as intended, but you could not prove it today |
| Implemented and evidenced | 100% | Operating as intended, with records someone could sample |
| Not applicable | — | A justified exclusion, removed from the score |
Use not applicable sparingly here. ISO 45001 has no exclusion mechanism — you cannot scope out a hazardous activity you control.
Free score, or the full report
The assessment and your overall score are free. The full report is a one-off $39 and gives you every question with your status and notes, the score broken down by clause, a prioritised gap list, and the documents from the ISO 45001 Toolkit that close each gap — as a PDF and a working Excel file.
How long does it take?
About 35 minutes. Clause 5 takes the longest because the consultation questions need someone who knows what was actually recorded, not what the procedure says.
What to do with your score
Below 40% — start with hazard identification and the risk assessment methodology. Almost every other clause is assessed against them.
40–70% — the usual shape: strong on operational control, weak on worker participation and on the loop from incidents back into the risk assessment.
Above 70% — go and talk to workers. Pick three at random and ask them how they take part in safety decisions and what would happen if they stopped a job. That is the audit.
Frequently asked questions
Is this assessment really free?
Yes. All 54 questions, the clause breakdown and your overall score cost nothing. The $39 report is optional.
Does it cover the climate change amendment?
Yes. Amendment 1:2024 added a climate relevance determination at clause 4.1 and it is auditable now, with no transition period. A recorded “not relevant, because…” is a valid answer; no determination at all is the finding.
Is a revision coming?
A revised edition reached draft international standard stage in September 2026 and publication is expected in 2027, with the transition period set after that. Nothing to act on yet, but worth knowing before you plan a three-year certification cycle. This assessment scores the 2018 edition, which is what you can be certified against today.
We came from OHSAS 18001. What is most likely missing?
Worker consultation and participation, psychosocial hazards, and the requirement to protect workers from reprisal. None of those existed in the same form in OHSAS 18001, and systems migrated rather than rebuilt usually still have the gap.
Can I use this for a client?
Yes. Run one assessment per client organisation.
What happens to my answers?
They are stored against your account so you can come back to them, and they are never shared. You can delete them at any time.