Management system guidance
7.0 Support
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7.1 Resources
Clause 7.1 is short but far-reaching. Your organization must work out, and then make available, whatever resources it needs to establish, implement, maintain and continually improve its OH&S management system. An OH&S management system that exists on paper but has no people, time, equipment or budget behind it will not protect workers, and auditors will quickly see the gap between documented arrangements and what happens in practice.
Ensuring the availability of resources is also one of top management’s leadership commitments under 5.1, so this clause links directly to leadership, and to planning: when you plan actions under 6.1.4 and objectives under 6.2.2, you must decide what resources each will need.
What counts as a resource?
ISO 45001 Annex A gives examples of human, natural, infrastructure, technology and financial resources. In practice, OH&S resources typically include:
- People – competent managers and supervisors, OH&S advisers, first aiders, fire wardens, emergency response teams, occupational health providers and worker representatives (see 7.2);
- Time – paid time for workers to attend training, take part in safety committees, risk assessments and incident investigations;
- Infrastructure – buildings, plant, machinery guarding, local exhaust ventilation, welfare facilities, safe access and egress, information and communication systems, and emergency equipment such as alarms, spill kits and fire suppression;
- Equipment and supplies – personal protective equipment, safe lifting aids, inspection and test equipment, first aid materials;
- Technology and information – incident reporting software, safety data sheets, access to legal updates and technical guidance;
- Financial – a budget for hazard elimination and engineering controls, training, health surveillance, external specialists and audits;
- External resources – consultants, occupational hygienists, accredited trainers, inspection bodies and competent contractors.
Determining resource needs
Resource needs flow from the rest of the management system. A practical approach is to review each element and ask what it needs to work:
- Hazard identification and risk assessment (6.1.2) – which controls require investment, and in what order of priority under the hierarchy of controls (8.1.2)?
- Legal requirements and other requirements (6.1.3) – what is needed to fulfil them, e.g. statutory inspections, health surveillance, appointed competent persons?
- OH&S objectives (6.2.1) – what does each action plan require?
- Consultation and participation (5.4) – clause 5.4 a) specifically requires mechanisms, time, training and resources for worker consultation and participation;
- Emergency preparedness (8.2) – equipment, trained responders and exercise time;
- Monitoring, audit and review (9.1.1, 9.2) – calibrated monitoring equipment, trained auditors.
Resources are not static. Growth, new processes, new legal requirements, changes in the workforce and the results of incident investigations can all create new needs. Consider resource implications as part of management of change (8.1.3), and remember that workers are often the first to notice when resources are inadequate, for example when PPE is in short supply or when there is not enough time to carry out a task safely. Encourage them to report such issues and act on what they tell you.
Providing and reviewing resources
Determining needs is not enough; resources must actually be provided. Most organizations confirm resource allocation through budgeting and at management review, where top management considers the adequacy of resources for maintaining an effective OH&S management system (see 9.3). Keep a record of decisions on resources so you can show how needs were identified, approved and delivered. Where resources are constrained, record how priorities were set, giving priority to the highest OH&S risks.
Auditors may look at the budget to check that funding has been allocated to OH&S, but they will usually dig deeper, checking whether the organization has really identified the types of resources it needs and has taken action to make them available when needed, including resources provided externally.
You should seek and record evidence that your organization has determined the internal and external resources needed for its OH&S management system; that these resources are provided and adequate (e.g. budgets, staffing levels, equipment, time allowed for consultation and training); that resource needs arising from risk assessments, objectives and changes are identified and acted on; and that top management reviews the adequacy of resources, typically in management review minutes.
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