ISO 45001 is the international standard for occupational health and safety management systems, helping organisations proactively identify hazards, assess risks and prevent accidents and occupational diseases. In Vietnam, the legal foundation is the Law on Occupational Safety and Health 2015 and its implementing regulations.
Key takeaways
- ISO 45001 uses the common structure of ISO management system standards, making it easy to integrate with ISO 9001 and ISO 14001.
- The key factors: leadership commitment and worker participation.
- Metrics worth disclosing: number of accidents, accident rate per hours worked, fatalities, occupational diseases and safety training hours (GRI 403).
The structure of an ISO 45001 system
- The context of the organisation and the needs of interested parties.
- Leadership, policy, consultation and participation of workers.
- Planning: hazard identification, risk assessment, legal requirements, objectives.
- Support: competence, training, communication, documentation.
- Operation: risk control, management of change, contractors, emergency response.
- Performance evaluation: monitoring, internal audit, management review.
- Improvement: incident investigation, corrective action, continual improvement.
Safety culture: what a standard cannot create on its own
A system on paper does not prevent accidents. It is the behaviour of middle managers that determines safety culture.
- Leaders walk the shop floor regularly and listen to workers.
- Encourage near-miss reporting and never penalise those who report.
- The right to stop work when danger is spotted.
- Apply the same standards to contractors and seasonal workers.
Safety metrics in ESG reporting
Under GRI 403, companies disclose the number and rate of recordable work-related injuries, high-consequence injuries, fatalities, occupational diseases and the coverage of the management system (including workers who are not employees). Rates are usually calculated per 1,000,000 or 200,000 hours worked to allow comparison.
Occupational safety is a core metric of the Social pillar and is closely examined in supply chain due diligence.
Frequently asked questions
Is ISO 45001 mandatory?
It is not legally mandatory, but businesses must still comply with the Law on Occupational Safety and Health; ISO 45001 certification is generally highly valued by international customers.
How does ISO 45001 differ from OHSAS 18001?
ISO 45001 replaces OHSAS 18001, placing greater emphasis on leadership, worker participation and integration with business strategy.
What is a near miss and why should it be reported?
A near miss is an event that could have caused an accident but did not result in injury; reporting and addressing near misses helps prevent real accidents.
VietESG — Independent ESG rating organisation. Ratings based on disclosed data, supporting evidence and a public methodology aligned with GRI and the SDGs.
