ISO 45001 duration: from months to a few hours

It depends on the route. The classic route with an on-site audit by a certification body runs in phases, and most of the calendar time goes into preparation and into waiting for audit dates. The Zertify route replaces the on-site audit with an online self-assessment, so there is no queue for an auditor.

The table puts both routes side by side. The figures for the classic route are indicative ranges for a small or medium business with one site. Your own timeline can fall outside them.

• Certification without an on-site audit

Each phase has to be finished before the next one starts. That is why the total grows quickly when one step stalls.

1. 01

   Preparation

   You identify the hazards at every workplace, assess the risks and write an OH&S policy. Management takes ownership, because ISO 45001 treats health and safety as a leadership task (clause 5). Workers are consulted. Indicative duration: 1 to 3 months.

2. 02

   Documentation

   Hazard registers, procedures, emergency plans and incident investigation records are written down and put to use. Records must show that the procedures are applied, not just that they exist. Indicative duration: 1 to 3 months.

3. 03

   Stage 1 audit

   The auditor checks on site whether your documentation and your readiness are sufficient and lists the findings. Plan 1 to 2 days of audit time, plus the wait for a free date. Corrections take a further 2 to 6 weeks.

4. 04

   Stage 2 audit

   The auditor walks through the workplaces, talks to workers and checks whether hazard controls and emergency preparedness work in practice. Headcount and number of sites decide whether this takes 2 days or 5.

5. 05

   Certification decision

   The certification body reviews the audit report and issues the certificate. Indicative duration: 2 to 4 weeks.

Five factors move a project from the short end of the range to the long end.

Sites and headcount

Every additional site needs its own hazard assessment and more audit days.

State of the hazard assessment

A business with a current risk register starts weeks ahead of one that has to build it from scratch.

Open findings

Each finding from stage 1 or stage 2 needs a documented correction before the certificate can follow.

Auditor availability

Audit dates are booked in advance. A missed date can cost several weeks.

Management time

Safety work competes with production and orders. When the owner or plant manager has no free hours, the project waits.

• ISO standards for small and medium businesses

Zertify certifies on the basis of an online self-assessment. There is no on-site audit and no audit date to wait for. The certificate is issued by G6 Agency AG under licence from SICE, and SICE reviews every assessment before it is issued.

1. 01

   Self-assessment

   You answer 34 yes/no questions on ISO 45001, which takes about an hour. 14 of them are mandatory requirements of the standard and must all be answered yes. Of the other 20, at least 14 must be yes.

2. 02

   Payment

   The price is CHF 699 in the first year, then CHF 469 per year including the yearly online re-audit. You do not need an account to buy.

3. 03

   Review and issue

   SICE reviews the assessment, and the certificate follows within 4 hours after passing and payment. It is valid for 3 years and confirmed each year by a short online re-audit.

4. 04

   Verification

   Your customers can check the certificate on the public verification page by number or by the QR code on the PDF.

• ISO 45001 at Zertify
• Pricing
• Start the free self-assessment

The hour covers answering the questions. It does not cover building a safety system. If your business has no hazard assessment, no OH&S policy and no emergency plan, the mandatory questions will come out as no, and the time to close those gaps comes first. That time is yours to plan, and it is usually shorter than the documentation phase of the classic route because you are not writing for an auditor.

A business that already works with a risk register and clear responsibilities can go straight in. Keep four things at hand: the hazard assessment, the OH&S policy, the emergency plan and the last incident report with its follow-up actions. The questions follow the requirements of the standard: hazards, policy, worker consultation, the hierarchy of controls, emergency preparedness and incident investigation.

• How Zertify works

With Zertify, the yearly confirmation is a short online re-audit, and it is part of the yearly fee. You do not book an auditor or plan a site visit.

On the classic route, the certification body returns for audits in the years after certification. Each visit needs audit days, a date that suits both sides and preparation on your side. The guides below compare the routes and the cost.

• What ISO certification costs
• Compare the certification routes