Management system guidance
5.0 Leadership and Worker Participation
ISO Navigator Pro™ is a free tool that provides practical, expert guidance for businesses wishing to interpret and better implement the requirements of ISO 9001:2026, ISO 14001:2026 and ISO 45001:2018.
Our range of ISO templates cover the requirements of ISO 9001:2026, ISO 14001:2026 and ISO 45001:2018, and offer an easy way to implement your next management system.
5.1 Leadership and commitment
Clause 5.1 asks top management to show, through what they personally do and direct, that they lead the OH&S management system. ISO 45001 goes further than the leadership clauses in ISO 9001 and ISO 14001: top management must take overall responsibility and accountability for preventing work-related injury and ill health and for providing safe and healthy workplaces and activities. This accountability stays with top management even when day-to-day tasks are delegated (see 5.3 Organizational roles, responsibilities and authorities).
What top management must do
In plain English, top management demonstrates leadership and commitment by:
- Taking overall responsibility and accountability for preventing work-related injury and ill health and for safe and healthy workplaces;
- Making sure the OH&S policy and OH&S objectives are in place and fit the strategic direction of the organization;
- Building OH&S requirements into normal business processes rather than running a separate “safety system”;
- Making the resources needed for the OH&S management system available;
- Communicating why effective OH&S management, and following the system, matters;
- Making sure the system achieves its intended outcomes;
- Directing and supporting people so they can contribute to the system’s effectiveness;
- Driving and promoting continual improvement;
- Supporting other managers to show leadership in their own areas;
- Developing, leading and promoting a culture that supports the intended outcomes of the system;
- Protecting workers from reprisals when they report incidents, hazards, risks and opportunities;
- Making sure a process for consultation and participation of workers is established and implemented;
- Supporting the setting up and running of health and safety committees, where they exist.
The standard notes that “business” can be read broadly as the core activities for which the organization exists, so these requirements apply equally to charities, public bodies and other not-for-profit organizations.
Accountability cannot be handed to a safety manager
It is not enough to appoint a health and safety manager, sign the policy and attend the annual management review. Top management is accountable for the success of the OH&S management system and should lead, promote and direct others so that it delivers health, safety and business benefits. Top management can be one person or a group, but they need cross-functional influence so they can integrate OH&S into existing business processes and keep it aligned with the organization’s strategic direction.
Ask yourself: is top management engaged and leading OH&S, or delegating it to someone further down the organization? Are workers directly involved in protecting themselves and others, improving performance and supporting the OH&S management system?
Leading a positive OH&S culture
An organization’s OH&S culture is shaped largely by top management. It reflects the values, attitudes, management practices and behaviors of individuals and groups, and shows itself in active worker participation, open communication based on trust, and confidence that preventive and protective measures work.
Effective safety management cannot be achieved by mandate or strict adherence to procedures alone. Safety promotion influences both individual and organizational behavior and supplements the organization’s policies, procedures and processes, providing a value system that supports safety efforts. It combines technical competence, continually enhanced through training and education, with effective communication and information-sharing.
Protecting workers from reprisals
One of the clearest ways top management shows leadership is to encourage workers to report incidents, hazards, risks and opportunities, and to make sure nobody is threatened with dismissal, disciplinary action or other reprisals for doing so. Consider:
- A clear, published statement that reporting is expected and protected;
- Reporting routes that allow anonymity where needed;
- Prompt feedback to the person who raised the report, explaining what was done (see 10.2 Incident, nonconformity and corrective action);
- Reviewing disciplinary and bonus arrangements so they do not discourage reporting.
Securing commitment at the start
Implementation takes time, money and other resources. Make sure top management is solidly behind the OH&S management system before going further, because without that commitment implementation becomes almost impossible. Top management should demonstrate their initial commitment by ensuring that:
- The implementation mandate is communicated and understood;
- Appropriate resources are made available;
- An appropriate budget is made available.
Understand why your organization is implementing an OH&S management system. Is it because a client or the market requires certification? Is it to reduce injuries, ill health and their costs? Is the motivation coming from top management? Whatever the reasons, keep them visible during the project, as this helps to retain commitment and maintain focus on the end goal.
Engagement can be further enhanced by reviewing the safety achievements your organization has already made. These are often broader than expected because initiatives were categorized as economic or operational rather than safety improvements. This realization builds commitment to do more and makes top management more likely to contribute to related work such as the context review and the analysis of workers and other interested parties.
Practical ways to demonstrate leadership
- Regular, visible safety walks or site tours by directors, with findings followed up;
- OH&S performance as a standing item on board or management meeting agendas;
- Personally reviewing serious incident reports and corrective action progress;
- Attending, chairing or supporting the health and safety committee;
- Including OH&S responsibilities and performance in managers’ objectives and appraisals;
- Leading the management review and acting on its outputs.
You should seek and record evidence that top management are personally involved in the OH&S management system: for example, minutes showing OH&S discussed and decided at senior level, approved budgets and resources, signed and communicated policy, records of safety walks and committee attendance, and communications that protect workers who report hazards and incidents. Interview workers at different levels to confirm that they recognize top management’s commitment and feel free to raise concerns without fear of reprisal.
More information on PDCA
Planning
Context
Planning
Support
Doing
Support
Operations
Checking
Monitoring, measurement, analysis and evaluation
Acting
Improvement
Want to know more?
- Read our customer's feedback
- Client list - who's using our templates?
- How the templates are formatted and download examples
- Why we use turtle diagrams and process maps
- What's the difference between a process and a procedure?
- About documented information
SSL certification
A certificate guarantees the information your internet browser is receiving now originates from the expected domain - https://www.iso9001help.co.uk. It guarantees that when you make a purchase, sensitive data is encrypted and sent to the right place, and not to a malicious third-party.
Free PDCA guidance
ISO Navigator™ is our FREE online training tool that shows you how to apply the principles of PDCA to your operations. We also offer many helpful templates that get you on the road to documenting your management system, please visit the download page.