ISO 45001 OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH & SAFETY MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS
LEAD AUDITOR EXAM READY - VERIFIED QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS -
COMPREHENSIVE LATEST VERSION 2026/2027
Q1. What is ISO 45001?
ANSWER : ISO 45001 is an international standard that specifies
requirements for an Occupational Health and Safety (OH&S)
Management System, providing a framework for organizations to
manage risks and opportunities to prevent work-related injury and ill
health to workers.
Q2. When was ISO 45001 published?
ANSWER : ISO 45001 was published on March 12, 2018, replacing
OHSAS 18001:2007.
Q3. What is the primary purpose of ISO 45001?
ANSWER : The primary purpose is to enable organizations to provide
safe and healthy workplaces by preventing work-related injury and ill
health, and to proactively improve OH&S performance.
Q4. What framework does ISO 45001 follow?
ANSWER : ISO 45001 follows the High-Level Structure (HLS), also
known as Annex SL (now Annex L), which provides a common
framework for all ISO management system standards.
Page 1 | ISO 45001:2018 OH&S Lead Auditor Study Guide
,Q5. Which standard did ISO 45001 replace?
ANSWER : ISO 45001 replaced OHSAS 18001:2007 (Occupational
Health and Safety Assessment Series 18001).
Q6. How many clauses does ISO 45001 contain?
ANSWER : ISO 45001 contains 10 main clauses (Clause 1 through
Clause 10), following the High-Level Structure format.
Q7. What is the scope of ISO 45001?
ANSWER : ISO 45001 is applicable to any organization regardless of its
size, type, and nature. It specifies requirements for an OH&S
management system applicable to all organizations that wish to
establish, implement, maintain, and continually improve their OH&S
performance.
Q8. What does the Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) cycle refer to in ISO
45001?
ANSWER : PDCA is an iterative, four-stage approach used for continual
improvement: Plan (establish OH&S objectives and processes), Do
(implement processes), Check (monitor and measure against policies
and objectives), Act (take actions to continually improve).
Q9. What are the key benefits of implementing ISO 45001?
ANSWER : Key benefits include: reduction in workplace accidents and
ill health, reduced legal liability, improved employee morale, enhanced
reputation, lower insurance costs, better regulatory compliance, and a
systematic approach to managing OH&S risks.
Q10. What is the definition of 'worker' in ISO 45001?
Page 2 | ISO 45001:2018 OH&S Lead Auditor Study Guide
, ANSWER : A worker is a person performing work or work-related
activities that are under the control of the organization. This includes
employees, contractors, self-employed persons, agency workers,
volunteers, and interns.
Q11. What is meant by 'workplace' in ISO 45001?
ANSWER : A workplace is any place under the direct or indirect control
of the organization where a person needs to go to or be in for work
purposes.
Q12. Define 'hazard' as per ISO 45001.
ANSWER : A hazard is a source with a potential to cause injury and ill
health. Hazards can include physical, chemical, biological, psychosocial,
and ergonomic sources or situations.
Q13. What is a 'risk' in the context of ISO 45001?
ANSWER : A risk is the effect of uncertainty, typically characterized by a
combination of the likelihood of occurrence of a hazardous event and the
severity of its consequences.
Q14. Define 'OH&S opportunity' in ISO 45001.
ANSWER : An OH&S opportunity is a circumstance or set of
circumstances that can lead to improvement of OH&S performance.
Q15. What is an 'OH&S risk'?
ANSWER : An OH&S risk is the combination of the likelihood of
occurrence of a work-related hazardous event(s) or exposure(s) and the
severity of injury and ill health that can be caused by the event(s) or
exposure(s).
Page 3 | ISO 45001:2018 OH&S Lead Auditor Study Guide
, Q16. What does 'continual improvement' mean in ISO 45001?
ANSWER : Continual improvement is the recurring activity to enhance
OH&S performance. It is an ongoing process of improvement and does
not require activities to occur simultaneously or without interruption.
Q17. What is 'documented information' in ISO 45001?
ANSWER : Documented information refers to information required to be
controlled and maintained by an organization and the medium on which
it is contained. It can be in any format and media from any source.
Q18. What is the definition of 'competence' in ISO 45001?
ANSWER : Competence is the ability to apply knowledge and skills to
achieve intended results. It involves education, training, and/or
experience.
Q19. How does ISO 45001 define 'interested parties'?
ANSWER : Interested parties (stakeholders) are persons or
organizations that can affect, be affected by, or perceive themselves to
be affected by a decision or activity.
Q20. What is 'nonconformity' in ISO 45001?
ANSWER : A nonconformity is non-fulfilment of a requirement. In
auditing, it refers to failure to meet a specified requirement of the OH&S
management system standard.
Q21. Define 'corrective action' in ISO 45001.
ANSWER : Corrective action is action to eliminate the cause of a
nonconformity and to prevent recurrence. It differs from correction, which
addresses the nonconformity itself.
Page 4 | ISO 45001:2018 OH&S Lead Auditor Study Guide
LEAD AUDITOR EXAM READY - VERIFIED QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS -
COMPREHENSIVE LATEST VERSION 2026/2027
Q1. What is ISO 45001?
ANSWER : ISO 45001 is an international standard that specifies
requirements for an Occupational Health and Safety (OH&S)
Management System, providing a framework for organizations to
manage risks and opportunities to prevent work-related injury and ill
health to workers.
Q2. When was ISO 45001 published?
ANSWER : ISO 45001 was published on March 12, 2018, replacing
OHSAS 18001:2007.
Q3. What is the primary purpose of ISO 45001?
ANSWER : The primary purpose is to enable organizations to provide
safe and healthy workplaces by preventing work-related injury and ill
health, and to proactively improve OH&S performance.
Q4. What framework does ISO 45001 follow?
ANSWER : ISO 45001 follows the High-Level Structure (HLS), also
known as Annex SL (now Annex L), which provides a common
framework for all ISO management system standards.
Page 1 | ISO 45001:2018 OH&S Lead Auditor Study Guide
,Q5. Which standard did ISO 45001 replace?
ANSWER : ISO 45001 replaced OHSAS 18001:2007 (Occupational
Health and Safety Assessment Series 18001).
Q6. How many clauses does ISO 45001 contain?
ANSWER : ISO 45001 contains 10 main clauses (Clause 1 through
Clause 10), following the High-Level Structure format.
Q7. What is the scope of ISO 45001?
ANSWER : ISO 45001 is applicable to any organization regardless of its
size, type, and nature. It specifies requirements for an OH&S
management system applicable to all organizations that wish to
establish, implement, maintain, and continually improve their OH&S
performance.
Q8. What does the Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) cycle refer to in ISO
45001?
ANSWER : PDCA is an iterative, four-stage approach used for continual
improvement: Plan (establish OH&S objectives and processes), Do
(implement processes), Check (monitor and measure against policies
and objectives), Act (take actions to continually improve).
Q9. What are the key benefits of implementing ISO 45001?
ANSWER : Key benefits include: reduction in workplace accidents and
ill health, reduced legal liability, improved employee morale, enhanced
reputation, lower insurance costs, better regulatory compliance, and a
systematic approach to managing OH&S risks.
Q10. What is the definition of 'worker' in ISO 45001?
Page 2 | ISO 45001:2018 OH&S Lead Auditor Study Guide
, ANSWER : A worker is a person performing work or work-related
activities that are under the control of the organization. This includes
employees, contractors, self-employed persons, agency workers,
volunteers, and interns.
Q11. What is meant by 'workplace' in ISO 45001?
ANSWER : A workplace is any place under the direct or indirect control
of the organization where a person needs to go to or be in for work
purposes.
Q12. Define 'hazard' as per ISO 45001.
ANSWER : A hazard is a source with a potential to cause injury and ill
health. Hazards can include physical, chemical, biological, psychosocial,
and ergonomic sources or situations.
Q13. What is a 'risk' in the context of ISO 45001?
ANSWER : A risk is the effect of uncertainty, typically characterized by a
combination of the likelihood of occurrence of a hazardous event and the
severity of its consequences.
Q14. Define 'OH&S opportunity' in ISO 45001.
ANSWER : An OH&S opportunity is a circumstance or set of
circumstances that can lead to improvement of OH&S performance.
Q15. What is an 'OH&S risk'?
ANSWER : An OH&S risk is the combination of the likelihood of
occurrence of a work-related hazardous event(s) or exposure(s) and the
severity of injury and ill health that can be caused by the event(s) or
exposure(s).
Page 3 | ISO 45001:2018 OH&S Lead Auditor Study Guide
, Q16. What does 'continual improvement' mean in ISO 45001?
ANSWER : Continual improvement is the recurring activity to enhance
OH&S performance. It is an ongoing process of improvement and does
not require activities to occur simultaneously or without interruption.
Q17. What is 'documented information' in ISO 45001?
ANSWER : Documented information refers to information required to be
controlled and maintained by an organization and the medium on which
it is contained. It can be in any format and media from any source.
Q18. What is the definition of 'competence' in ISO 45001?
ANSWER : Competence is the ability to apply knowledge and skills to
achieve intended results. It involves education, training, and/or
experience.
Q19. How does ISO 45001 define 'interested parties'?
ANSWER : Interested parties (stakeholders) are persons or
organizations that can affect, be affected by, or perceive themselves to
be affected by a decision or activity.
Q20. What is 'nonconformity' in ISO 45001?
ANSWER : A nonconformity is non-fulfilment of a requirement. In
auditing, it refers to failure to meet a specified requirement of the OH&S
management system standard.
Q21. Define 'corrective action' in ISO 45001.
ANSWER : Corrective action is action to eliminate the cause of a
nonconformity and to prevent recurrence. It differs from correction, which
addresses the nonconformity itself.
Page 4 | ISO 45001:2018 OH&S Lead Auditor Study Guide
