Auditing ISO 45001 Clause 6.2 OH&S Objectives and Action Plans

Purpose and Structure of Clause 6.2 Requirements

Under ISO 45001:2018 Clause 6.2, an organisation must establish occupational health and safety objectives at relevant functions and levels. The primary purpose of this requirement is to provide a structured mechanism for maintaining and continually improving the occupational health and safety management system and its overall performance. Setting objectives translates high-level policy commitments into concrete targets across strategic, tactical, and operational layers of the workplace.

Top management holds overall accountability for ensuring that OH&S objectives are established and remain compatible with the strategic direction of the business. Objectives must directly reflect commitments made within the formal OH&S policy, including commitments to prevent work-related injury and ill health, fulfil legal requirements, eliminate hazards, and reduce safety risks.

An effective objective setting process ensures that occupational health and safety priorities are systematically addressed throughout the organisation. Rather than treating safety as an isolated administrative obligation, Clause 6.2 requires organisations to align safety targets with core operational activities, capital expenditure plans, and performance monitoring.

Mandatory Criteria for Setting OH&S Objectives

Clause 6.2.1 dictates strict baseline criteria that every OH&S objective must fulfill. Objectives must be consistent with the documented OH&S policy and must be measurable where practicable, or otherwise capable of performance evaluation. When quantitative measurement is not practical, qualitative evaluation methods such as structured observations, interviews, or surveys may be utilised to assess progress.

When establishing objectives, the organisation must explicitly take into account three critical inputs. First, it must account for applicable legal requirements and other requirements. Second, it must incorporate the results of its assessment of OH&S risks, operational hazards, and system opportunities. Third, it must consider the outputs of formal consultation with non-managerial workers and worker representatives, as mandated under Clause 5.4.

Beyond initial establishment, Clause 6.2.1 mandates ongoing lifecycle management of objectives. Organisations must ensure that objectives are actively monitored against performance criteria, formally communicated across relevant functions, and updated as circumstances or operational risks change. Importantly, the standard does not require an organisation to establish a distinct objective for every single risk or opportunity identified within its management system.

Audit Evaluation Matrix for Objectives and Planning

Internal auditors and compliance leads must verify both the technical substance of OH&S objectives and the robustness of supporting planning processes. The following requirement matrix details what auditors evaluate during an assessment and the specific documented evidence required.

Implementing Action Plans and Performance Indicators

To fulfill Clause 6.2.2, organisations must establish detailed action plans that define how established OH&S objectives will be achieved. A compliant plan must specify what will be done, what financial, human, or technological resources are required, who will be responsible, when implementation will be completed, and how results will be evaluated using monitoring indicators.

Organisations must follow a systematic, five-step procedure when converting safety policies into executable action plans:

• Identify priority areas by reviewing significant hazards, legal obligations, risk assessment results, and worker consultation feedback.
• Formulate specific objectives at strategic, tactical, or operational levels, ensuring each target is measurable or capable of performance evaluation.
• Draft action plans detailing discrete tasks, resource requirements, individual accountabilities, completion milestones, and monitoring indicators.
• Integrate planned actions directly into core business processes, such as procurement specifications, maintenance schedules, or operational procedures.
• Monitor progress periodically, evaluate results against defined indicators, and update objectives and plans whenever operational changes occur.

Example

A manufacturing facility identifies excessive noise in its stamping department during hazard identification and worker consultation. Top management sets a strategic objective to eliminate hazardous noise exposure across the facility. To support this, the engineering lead sets a tactical objective to reduce noise levels at the stamping process to below 80 decibels.

At the operational level, the maintenance manager establishes an action plan to install acoustic enclosures around two stamping presses. The plan assigns the senior maintenance engineer as the responsible officer, allocates a capital budget of £15,000, sets a completion deadline of 30 November, and specifies post-installation sound level testing as the monitoring indicator. The action is integrated into the plant overhaul schedule, and progress is reviewed during monthly safety committee meetings.

Before your audit

• Verify that documented OH&S objectives are established at all relevant functions and levels within the organisation.
• Ensure every objective aligns directly with the commitments outlined in the official OH&S policy.
• Confirm that documented evidence exists demonstrating consultation with non-managerial workers during objective setting.
• Check that action plans explicitly state tasks, required resources, designated responsibilities, deadlines, and evaluation methods.
• Review performance indicators to ensure objectives are being actively monitored and tracked over time.
• Confirm that actions to achieve objectives are integrated into operational procedures and business workflows.
• Ensure management review records reflect evaluations of progress made towards achieving OH&S objectives.
• Retain all documented information regarding objectives and achievement plans in an easily accessible format.

Questions people ask

Must an organisation set an OH&S objective for every risk identified under ISO 45001?

No, ISO 45001 does not require an organisation to establish an OH&S objective for every single risk or opportunity identified. Organisations may prioritise their objectives based on legal requirements, significant hazards, risk assessment outcomes, and worker feedback.

Can an OH&S objective be qualitative rather than quantitative?

Yes, objectives may be qualitative if quantitative measurement is not practicable, provided they are capable of performance evaluation. Qualitative evaluations can rely on approximations obtained through structured surveys, interviews, or operational observations.

Who is accountable for ensuring OH&S objectives are established?

Top management holds ultimate accountability under Clause 5.1 for ensuring that the OH&S policy and related OH&S objectives are established. Top management must also ensure that these objectives remain compatible with the strategic direction of the business.

What information must be included in an ISO 45001 action plan?

Under Clause 6.2.2, an action plan must define what will be done, what resources are required, who is responsible, when it will be completed, how results will be evaluated, and how actions integrate into business processes.

How must workers be involved in setting OH&S objectives?

Under Clause 5.4, organisations must emphasize the consultation of non-managerial workers when establishing OH&S objectives and planning to achieve them. This requires providing timely information and incorporating worker feedback before finalizing safety targets.

Reference documents

• ISO 45001:2018 Occupational health and safety management systems — Requirements with guidance for use