ISO 45001 is being revised for the first time since it was published in 2018, and the Draft International Standard gives you your earliest insight of what the revised standard will expect.

The Draft International Stage (DIS) matters because it is where a revision moves from committee drafting into formal international balloting and public comment. The technical direction is now sufficiently mature to begin planning. What follows is more likely to be refinement than reinvention.
This is a moment to review your management system, not rebuild it.

The content discussed below reflects the current Draft International Standard (DIS) and may change before publication of the final standard. Organizations should monitor updates from ISO/TC 283 and their national standards body throughout the revision process.

Why the revision is happening

ISO 45001:2018 was written for a world of work that has since changed in ways that show up directly in incident data and in the risk registers our assurance teams review.

Hybrid and remote arrangements have moved parts of the working environment outside any premises the organization controls. Contractor-heavy delivery models have distributed responsibility across parties with different safety cultures. Regulators across multiple jurisdictions have brought psychosocial risk into scope. Heat, wildfire smoke and extreme weather have become operational health and safety issues rather than business continuity ones.

The revision is a response to that gap between what the 2018 standard asks and what organizations are managing.

What the draft signals for your OH&S management system

The following reflects the direction of the draft. Content can still shift before publication, so treat these as areas to review rather than requirements to implement.

Wellbeing becomes explicit
The draft places greater emphasis on worker wellbeing and its relationship to occupational health and safety outcomes.

For most organizations this exposes a structural issue rather than a documentation one. Mental health support typically sits with HR, in an employee assistance program, outside the OH&S management system and outside its risk processes. If wellbeing remains a prominent element in the final standard, that separation may become increasingly difficult to sustain, requiring closer alignment between HR processes and the OH&S management system.

Psychosocial hazards enter core risk assessment
Psychosocial risk is being positioned inside hazard identification and control rather than beside it. Workload, role clarity, autonomy, and interpersonal conduct would run through the same processes you already apply to physical hazards.

This is the change with the longest lead time. Organizations that have never assessed these hazards systematically will need to build capability, not just add a register line, and that work is worth starting well ahead of publication.

The risk lens widens to external and emerging conditions
Climate-related exposures, new forms of work, and changes in the external environment are treated as OH&S inputs. Heat stress, air quality, extreme weather disruption, and the conditions of home-based work all sit within this expanded view.

Organizations already assessing physical climate risks for CSRD, ISSB or similar reporting frameworks may find useful overlap with OH&S considerations such as heat stress, air quality and extreme weather impacts on workers.

Leadership accountability is sharpened
Expect firmer expectations around demonstrable leadership involvement and safety culture. The audit question moves from whether leadership approved the policy to whether leadership decisions can be shown to have changed OH&S outcomes.

Inclusion and the range of workers covered
The draft points toward controls that work for the full population in and around your operations, including contractors, temporary and agency workers, remote staff, and workers requiring accommodation.

Effectiveness, not just conformity
A consistent thread through the draft is demonstrable effectiveness. Worker consultation that happens on paper but produces no evidence of influence, and controls that exist but cannot be shown to work, are likely audit focus points.

Continued alignment with the harmonized structure
ISO 45001:2027 is expected to retain the harmonized structure, keeping integration straightforward for organizations running ISO 45001 alongside ISO 9001 and ISO 14001.

Timeline

What is unlikely to change

While these areas are likely to receive increased attention, it is equally important to understand what organizations are unlikely to need to change.

While the draft introduces new emphasis areas, organizations should not expect a wholesale redesign of their OH&S management system. The core structure of ISO 45001 remains intact, including its risk-based approach, leadership and worker participation requirements, operational controls, performance evaluation and continual improvement processes.

For most certified organizations, transition is likely to be about broadening existing processes rather than creating entirely new ones. The focus will be on demonstrating that current systems adequately address emerging risks, a wider range of workers, and the effectiveness of controls already in place.

What organizations should do now

At this stage, ISO 45001:2026 remains in the Draft International Standard (DIS) phase. The proposed changes provide a useful indication of the direction of travel, particularly around leadership, psychosocial risks, climate-related considerations, inclusion, and performance evaluation. However, the content may still evolve before publication of the Final Draft International Standard (FDIS) and the final standard.

Rather than launching a formal transition program, organizations should:

  • Stay informed about the development of ISO 45001:2026 and upcoming draft revisions.
  • Review the proposed changes at a high level to understand where they may affect existing OH&S management systems.
  • Monitor the publication of the FDIS, which will provide a more reliable basis for planning any future transition activities.
  • Consider discussing potential implications internally so resources and priorities can be evaluated once the final requirements are confirmed.

For now, the DIS should be viewed as an indication of the likely direction of the revised standard rather than a definitive set of new requirements, as much can still change. Organizations will have ample opportunity to assess impacts and plan their transition once the final text is published.

Have your say
The DIS is open for comment through national member bodies. If your sector faces distinctive OH&S challenges, this is the stage at which the standard can still be shaped.

What this tells us about the future of ISO Management Systems

While ISO 45001:2027 remains in draft form and may change before publication of the FDIS and final standard, the proposed revisions are consistent with themes emerging across other recent management system updates, including ISO 9001 and ISO 14001.

Taken together, these revisions suggest a broader evolution in how organizations are expected to manage performance, risk, and resilience. Common themes include:

  • Greater leadership accountability and visibility.
  • Increased emphasis on organizational culture and worker engagement.
  • Stronger consideration of change management and external influences.
  • A more holistic view of risk, including environmental, social, and operational factors.
  • Increased focus on demonstrating effectiveness and outcomes, rather than simply documenting processes.

For occupational health and safety professionals, one of the most notable developments is the growing emphasis on the social dimension of sustainability. Topics such as worker wellbeing, psychosocial risks, inclusion, and the impact of changing work environments are becoming more visible within management system standards, reflecting broader expectations from regulators, employees, investors, and other stakeholders.

As the revision process continues, organizations should monitor developments closely and look to the FDIS for a clearer indication of the final requirements. For now, the DIS offers a useful insight into the direction of travel rather than a definitive roadmap for change.

The revision may seem a long way off, but early preparation can make the transition smoother. If you'd like to discuss your organization's readiness, contact us today.