ISO 45001 and the Legal Register: What you Need to Know
What is ISO 45001?
ISO 45001 is the international standard for Occupational Health & Safety (OH&S) Management Systems. It gives organisations a framework to reduce workplace injury and ill health, provide safe working conditions, and continually improve OH&S performance. Certification demonstrates a credible, systematic approach to protecting your workforce — increasingly expected by clients, insurers and regulators alike.
Where the legal register sits in ISO 45001
As with ISO 14001, this requirement is explicit. Clause 6.1.3 (Legal Requirements and Other Requirements) requires organisations to:
- Determine and have access to up-to-date legal requirements and other requirements applicable to their OH&S hazards, risks and management system
- Determine how these requirements apply to the organisation and what needs to be communicated
- Take them into account when establishing, implementing and maintaining the OH&S management system
ISO 45001 requires you to identify your legal obligations.
This is evidenced through a legal register covering health and safety legislation, approved codes of practice, HSE guidance, and any other applicable requirements. Clause 9.1.2 requires periodic evaluation of compliance against the register, and clause 5.2 (OH&S policy) requires a commitment to fulfilling these obligations — so the register underpins several parts of the standard at once.
What does a health & safety legal register cover?
For each entry, a well-built register typically records:
- The legislation, ACOP, or guidance it relates to
- The specific hazards or activities it applies to in your organisation
- Controls and actions demonstrating compliance
- Responsible person(s)
- Review dates, given how frequently H&S guidance and enforcement expectations shift
Why a bespoke register is essential
A generic template register misses sector-specific hazards (e.g. work at height, confined spaces, occupational disease exposure, lone working) and doesn’t reflect the actual risk profile of your operations. A bespoke register is built around:
- Your specific work activities, sites and hazards
- Sector-specific legislation and ACOPs relevant to your industry
- The jurisdictions you operate in
- Direct alignment with clauses 6.1.3, 9.1.2 and 5.2, so it stands up to auditor scrutiny
How Ashbrooke can help
We build and maintain bespoke OH&S legal registers that fully satisfy ISO 45001 requirements. Our service includes:
- A hazard and activity review to identify every applicable legal and other requirement
- A structured, audit-ready register mapped to clause 6.1.3
- Ongoing legislative monitoring so your register never falls out of date
- Support with the compliance evaluation required under clause 9.1.2
- Practical gap-closure guidance and audit support
Get in touch to discuss a bespoke health & safety legal register for your business
