ISO/IEC TS 17021-10:2018 is a technical specification setting out competence requirements for auditing and certification of ISO 45001. For example, an OHSAS 18001 certification from 2017 that is migrated to ISO 45001:2018 in 2020 will be considered as having run from 2017. Organizations with a pre-existing OHSAS certification that migrate to ISO 45001:2018 can consider both certifications as one. The International Accreditation Forum has published requirements for migration from OHSAS 18001 to ISO 45001.

ISO 45001 uses the management system standard structure guideline Annex SL to allow for simplified integration with other management system standards, such as ISO 9001 and ISO 14001. BSI will formally withdraw OHSAS 18001 in September 2021, at the end of the extended migration period (due to COVID-19). ISO 45001 is set to replace OHSAS 18001 over three years following its publication in March 2018. The standard was published on 12 March 2018. In the final vote, the standard garnered 62 votes in favour, nine abstentions and four votes against from France, India, Spain, and Turkey. From 2015 to 2017, a first draft failed to gain sufficient approval from ISO members and was revised in a second draft, which was approved and refined into a final draft. Preparation and committee work lasted until December 2015. At least 70 countries contributed to the drafting process. The committee ISO/PC 283, created in 2013, had direct responsibility for the standardization process. ISO 45001 was proposed at the ISO in October 2013.

Final draft 10 system requirements