How to prepare your company for ISO 45001:2027 before the standard comes into force

The new version of the standard has not yet been published, so the natural reaction of many companies is to put the matter on hold — “we’ll deal with it once the standard actually comes into force”. This approach has one drawback: the scope of the changes introduced by the revision—particularly in the area of psychosocial risk management and employee wellbeing—is not something that can be implemented in a matter of weeks just before an audit. It is a change that requires time to build robust processes, rather than simply updating documentation.

What timetable should be borne in mind

According to the current status of the revision work, the standard is currently progressing through the successive stages of the standardisation process — following the Committee Draft, it is now in the Draft International Standard phase, after which there will be an FDIS stage before final publication. The final version of the standard is expected in 2027, and following its publication, a transition period of several years — most likely around three years — is anticipated, during which organisations certified to the current version will be able to adapt their systems and undergo an audit under the new rules.

Although these deadlines may still change slightly, the logic of the process is familiar from previous revisions of ISO standards — the closer we get to final publication, the less time there is to implement the changes at a leisurely pace, and the more companies simultaneously apply to certification bodies for transitional audit slots. Starting preparations in advance is not an excess of caution, but sensible resource planning.

What you can start implementing right now — without waiting for the final standard

The good news is that a significant proportion of the expected changes do not require you to wait for the final text of the standard before you start working on them. Here are a few areas worth starting to develop today:

Preliminary mapping of psychosocial risks. Even without a formal obligation, it is worth starting to identify areas within the organisation linked to excessive workload, time pressure or team dynamics. The sooner a company begins collecting data in this area, the easier it will be to demonstrate the continuity and maturity of the process during a future audit — rather than presenting data gathered at the last minute, just before the assessment.

Review of management’s genuine commitment. The revised standard places great emphasis on leadership and organisational culture, rather than merely on the formal approval of health and safety policies. It is worth assessing now whether the company’s management is genuinely involved in creating a safe working environment, or whether health and safety remains solely the responsibility of a dedicated department.

Establishing channels for reporting issues. An effective, trustworthy way of reporting difficulties — whether related to physical safety or mental strain — is something that is easier to develop gradually, by observing what actually works within a given organisation, rather than implementing it straight away in a ready-made, fully-fledged form.

Analysis of management system integration. Organisations that already operate other certified management systems have an additional reason to prepare early — the harmonised structure of ISO standards facilitates the joint management of documentation and processes, but requires careful consideration before it is imposed by an audit deadline.

Who should start preparing as soon as possible

Not every organisation needs to treat this issue as a priority right now, but there are certain groups of companies for which early preparation is particularly important:

• companies operating in sectors characterised by high time pressure and high staff turnover, where psychosocial risks are already a real, albeit unformalised, problem,
• organisations employing large, dispersed or shift-working teams, where identifying such risks requires more time and a systematic approach,
• companies planning to recertify or renew their certificate in the coming years and wishing to avoid a situation where the audit date coincides with the end of the transition period for the new version of the standard,
• organisations for which the health and safety certificate serves a reputational or tendering purpose and which wish to keep it up to date without any gaps in validity.

How to approach this without unnecessary chaos

The greatest risk with changes of this kind is not the scale of the new requirements themselves, but the moment at which the company begins to address them. Spreading the preparations over a longer period — rather than cramming everything in just before the audit — allows you to:

1. Collect data over time, rather than compiling it retrospectively for the purposes of the audit, which usually appears less credible to the auditor.
2. Test solutions and refine them before they become subject to a formal compliance assessment.
3. Avoid a build-up of costs and workload at a single point in time, when many companies will be applying for transitional audit slots simultaneously.
4. Naturally integrate the new requirements into the existing organisational culture, rather than imposing them from above in the form of yet another procedure to be signed off.

The revision of ISO 45001, although not yet formally published, already provides sufficient information to begin preparations — particularly in the area of identifying and managing psychosocial risks, which requires time to build realistic, reliable processes, rather than simply updating documentation just before an audit. Companies that begin this process early will avoid the time pressure typical of the transition period and gain a real advantage over those that leave it until the last minute.