Management Systems Certification Bodies Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems (OHSMS)

Action required

MD21:2018 Requirements for the Migration to ISO 45001:2018 from OHSAS 18001:2007 was published in March 2018.  It outlines the validity of OHSAS 18001:2007 certificates and the requirements of migration to ISO 45001:2018 for accreditation bodies and certification bodies, with a transition deadline of March 31, 2021.  

MD 22:2019 Application of ISO/IEC 17021-1 for the Certification of Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems (OHSMS)  has been revised to reflect the introduction of ISO/IEC 17021-10:2018.  This document applies to certification to OHSAS 18001 as well as other OHSMS, including ISO 45001.   

ISO/IEC 17021-10:2018 Conformity assessment – Requirements for bodies providing audit and certification of management systems – Part 10 Competence requirements for auditing and certification of occupational health and safety management systems was published in March 2018. 

The transition period is two years from the date of publication; therefore SCC accredited certification bodies (CBs) shall demonstrate conformity to the requirements of ISO/IEC 17021-10:2018 no later than March 31, 2021.

SCC will assess conformity to the requirements of ISO/IEC 17021-10:2018 as part of the regularly scheduled office assessments. The CB is expected to demonstrate that it has conducted a gap analysis and it has documented the necessary changes to meet the requirements of ISO/IEC 17021-10:2018. At the end of the transition period, the CB shall demonstrate to SCC that it has implemented the changes necessary to meet the requirements of the ISO/IEC 17021-10:2018. 

CBs are requested to take note of the requirements detailed above.

Affected customers

SCC accredited CBs providing audit and certification of occupational health and safety management systems, as well as SCC assessors and technical experts working in SCC MSAP. 

Background

ISO 45001:2018 Occupational Health and Safety Management System was published in March 2018.  These documents are mandatory for the consistent application of ISO/IEC 17021-1:2015.

New requirements

Migration requirements for accreditation bodies and certification bodies are clearly outlined in MD21:2018.

MD22:2019 includes mandatory appendices for Legal Compliance as Part of Accredited OHSMS certification and scope of accreditation.  

ISO 17021-10:2018 specifies the additional competence required for personnel involved in the audit and certification process for occupational health and safety management systems. 

Deadline

This policy is effective immediately.  

Questions?

Please contact Abdel Kassou, Manager, Compliance and Assessment Services, at abdel.kassou@scc.ca or +1 613 238 3222 for more information.