ISO 45001 Certification
ISO 45001 certification shows that your workplace runs an occupational health and safety management system checked by an accredited auditor. The current edition is ISO 45001:2018, and we help you get certified through a certification body accredited by NABCB or another recognised accreditation body.
What it is
ISO 45001 is the international standard for an occupational health and safety (OH&S) management system. It asks you to find the hazards in your work, control the risks with your workers’ input and learn from every incident, so fewer people get hurt or fall ill. It replaced the older OHSAS 18001 standard.
Certification comes from an independent certification body. In India, choose one accredited by the National Accreditation Board for Certification Bodies (NABCB), a constituent board of the Quality Council of India. For ISO 45001, NABCB assesses certification bodies against ISO/IEC 17021-1:2015 and ISO/IEC TS 17021-10:2018, which sets the competence needed to audit OH&S systems. NABCB signed the International Accreditation Forum (IAF) multilateral recognition arrangement for OH&S management systems. Since 1 January 2026, IAF and ILAC have merged into Global Accreditation Cooperation Incorporated (Global ACI), which now runs it.
We prepare you for that audit: the hazard register, legal register, documents and records, the choice of certification body and the surveillance calendar. Workplace monitoring or equipment testing comes from competent agencies, and the audit and certificate come from the certification body.
Who it applies to
Factories and process units
Press shops, foundries, forging, chemical and fabrication units, where machines, heat, chemicals and lifting create real risk.
Construction and contracting firms
Infrastructure, EPC and facility-management contractors frequently find ISO 45001 in tender eligibility or client safety requirements, especially where they deploy contract labour on client sites.
Warehouses, hospitals and service sites
Logistics hubs, hospitals and hotels carry their own risks, from forklifts to night shifts. The standard fits any organisation, whatever its size.
Why it matters
Fewer accidents and lost days
Near misses get reported and fixed before they turn into injuries, because the system makes someone responsible for each risk.
Keeps legal duties on one register
The standard makes you list every legal obligation, from licences to statutory inspections, and check you meet it.
Earns trust from buyers and workers
An accredited certificate helps in vendor audits and tenders. Inside the business, workers see that safety concerns are heard and acted on.
Documents required
Business and site details
- Certificate of incorporation or firm registration, and GST registration
- Site layout and list of processes at each site
- Headcount, including contract workers and shifts
Existing legal records
- Factory licence or registration, where applicable
- Fire NOC, where applicable
- Statutory test certificates for lifts, hoists, pressure vessels and similar equipment
- Accident and dangerous-occurrence records
OH&S documents we help prepare
- Scope and OH&S policy
- Hazard identification and risk assessment register
- Register of legal and other requirements
- Emergency plan, worker consultation records, training records
- Internal audit report and management review minutes
ISO 45001 and Indian safety law
| Factory and OSH law | ISO 45001 certificate | |
|---|---|---|
| Nature | Mandatory, enforced by the labour department | Voluntary, audited by a certification body |
| Main law | Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020, in force from 21 November 2025; earlier Acts’ rules continue during transition | ISO 45001:2018 with Amendment 1:2024 |
| Can one replace the other? | No | No |
Here is the catch: a certificate is not a licence. The OSH Code, 2020 brought 13 labour laws, including the Factories Act, 1948, under one code, and its registration and licensing duties apply whether or not you are certified. The ISO auditor will ask how you meet them, because ISO 45001 requires you to fulfil your legal requirements.
In practice, the gap shows up in small things. A Faridabad press shop may have guards on every machine and still fail an audit point because no one can produce the latest test certificate for its hoist. We find those gaps early.
One more point. A revised edition of ISO 45001 is in draft at ISO. Until it is published, certification is to the 2018 edition.
How it works
Walk the floor and list the hazards
We go through each process with your supervisors and workers, list hazards and rate the risks, then agree controls.
Build the legal register and fill the gaps
We list every licence, inspection and return that applies to your site and flag anything missing before the auditor does.
Pick an accredited certification body
We compare quotes from bodies accredited for OH&S and your industry scope, and verify them on the NABCB directory.
Run the system and test it internally
Training, permits and incident reporting run for a few weeks. Then an internal audit and a management review test the whole system before the outside auditor arrives.
Clear stage 1 and stage 2 audits
Under ISO/IEC 17021-1, stage 1 reviews readiness and stage 2 checks the system works on the floor, including interviews with workers. Majors are corrected before the certification decision.
Timelines
Three-year certification cycle
The cycle begins with the certification decision (ISO/IEC 17021-1 clause 9.1.3.1). Recertification is planned so renewal happens before expiry.
Surveillance every calendar year
The first surveillance audit falls within 12 months of the certification decision, then at least once each calendar year, except the recertification year.
Restore an expired certificate within six months
If the certificate expires, the certification body can restore it within six months once the outstanding recertification work is done.
What happens if your certificate lapses
Miss surveillance and face suspension
Keep postponing surveillance and the certification body can suspend or withdraw the certificate.
Start over after six months
Past the six-month restoration window, expect a new initial certification audit, with stage 1 and stage 2 again.
Lose tenders and vendor status
Clients check expiry dates. A lapsed certificate can knock you off a vendor list or out of a bid.
Frequently asked questions
Which edition of ISO 45001 is current?
ISO 45001:2018 is the current edition, with Amendment 1 published in 2024 on climate change. ISO is working on a revised edition, now at draft stage, but certification today is to the 2018 edition. When the new edition arrives, expect a transition period like the three years given for ISO 14001:2026. Your certification body will confirm the dates, and we will plan the move with you.
Is ISO 45001 the same as OHSAS 18001?
No. ISO 45001 replaced OHSAS 18001, and OHSAS 18001 certificates are no longer issued. ISO 45001 follows ISO’s common structure with clauses 4 to 10, puts more weight on leadership and worker participation, and asks you to consider the context of your organisation. If you still have an old OHSAS 18001 manual, much of the hazard and risk work can be reused, so the move is usually smoother than starting from zero.
Does ISO 45001 replace our factory licence or OSH Code registration?
No, it replaces no licence or registration. The Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020, in force from 21 November 2025, sets the legal duties; earlier Acts’ rules continue during the transition. ISO 45001 is voluntary and sits on top. The auditor will check that you meet your legal requirements, so get the licence and registrations right first. We can handle both together.
Who can issue an ISO 45001 certificate?
An independent certification body issues it, not ISO and not the labour department. For a certificate that clients accept, the body should be accredited by NABCB, part of the Quality Council of India, or by another accreditation body in the international recognition arrangement. For ISO 45001, NABCB applies ISO/IEC 17021-1:2015 together with ISO/IEC TS 17021-10:2018. We check the accreditation and its industry scope before you sign.
How long is ISO 45001 certification valid?
Three years from the certification decision, as long as surveillance audits happen on time. Under ISO/IEC 17021-1, the first surveillance audit is within 12 months of the decision and then at least once each calendar year, except the recertification year. A recertification audit before expiry starts the next three-year cycle. We keep the calendar for you, so audits are booked well before they fall due.
Will the auditor talk to our workers?
Yes, usually. ISO 45001 requires consultation and participation of workers, so auditors commonly interview workers and supervisors on the floor as well as managers. They ask about hazards, training, permits and how to report a near miss. Workers who know the emergency drill make a strong impression. We run short briefings before the audit so nobody is caught off guard.
Do contract workers come under the system?
Yes. ISO 45001 covers everyone doing work under your control, so contractors on your site fall within the hazard controls, induction and permit system. Take a Faridabad auto-parts unit using a contractor for loading and housekeeping: those workers need the same induction and protective equipment as your own staff. The auditor will check this. We build contractor controls into the system from day one.
Can we combine ISO 45001 with ISO 9001 and ISO 14001?
Yes. All three share ISO’s common structure, clauses 4 to 10 in the same order, so one integrated manual, one internal audit and one management review can cover them. Certification bodies commonly audit them together, which can save audit days. Each standard still gets its own certificate. We set up integrated systems when you want two or three certificates at once.
Is there a government fee for ISO 45001?
No, there is no government fee and no government portal. ISO 45001 certification is voluntary. You pay the certification body for audit days, set mainly by headcount, sites and the risk level of your work, plus any consulting support you take. Statutory licence fees, if a licence is also due, are separate. A written three-year quote from the certification body keeps the budget clear from the start.
What it costs
Our fee plus the government fee that applies to your case, quoted before you commit. Tell us the situation and we will price it exactly.
ISO 45001 has no government fee. The certification body charges for the initial and surveillance audits. Factory or labour licence fees, if also due, are separate and set by the state.
Ready to begin?
Tell us what your site does and how many people work there, including contractors, and we will map your route to an accredited ISO 45001 certificate.