Management system guidance
7.0 Support
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7.3 Awareness
Competence (7.2) is about having the knowledge and skills to do a job safely. Awareness is broader: it is about every worker understanding why OH&S matters, how they fit into the OH&S management system and what it means for them personally. Clause 7.3 sets out six things workers must be made aware of:
- The OH&S policy and the OH&S objectives;
- How they contribute to the effectiveness of the OH&S management system, and the benefits of improved OH&S performance;
- What the implications and possible consequences are when OH&S management system requirements are not followed;
- Incidents, and the outcomes of investigations, that are relevant to them;
- The hazards, OH&S risks and actions determined that are relevant to them;
- That they are able to withdraw from any work situation they believe poses an imminent and serious danger to their life or health, and how they are protected from undue consequences when they do so.
The last three items are specific to ISO 45001 and go further than the awareness requirements in other management system standards. Items 4 and 5 mean awareness must be tailored: a maintenance technician needs to know about isolation failures and near misses in the workshop, not just the headline accident rate. Item 6 means workers must know, in plain terms, that they can stop and withdraw from imminent and serious danger and that they will not be disciplined or otherwise penalized for doing so in good faith.
Who needs to be aware?
The requirement applies to workers, which includes temporary and agency staff, who are often most at risk. Annex A also advises that contractors, visitors and other parties should know about the OH&S risks they are exposed to. Site inductions, visitor briefings, signage and contractor permits are common ways of achieving this.
Ways to build awareness
Awareness does not need to follow the format of long classroom sessions. Effective methods include:
- Induction – every new worker, contractor and temporary worker receives a briefing on the OH&S policy, key hazards, emergency arrangements, how to report incidents and hazards, and their right to remove themselves from danger;
- Toolbox talks and team meetings – short, regular sessions led by supervisors to share safety alerts, incident and investigation outcomes, changes to risk assessments and OH&S performance data, and to give workers a forum to raise concerns;
- Visual communication – notice boards, posters, safety signs, digital screens and newsletters showing objectives and progress;
- Pre-task briefings – reviewing the risk assessment or method statement with the team before high-risk work starts;
- Safety alerts and lessons learned – issued promptly after significant incidents or near misses, here or elsewhere in the industry;
- Leadership visibility – managers discussing OH&S on site visits and recognizing workers who report hazards or stop unsafe work.
Make sure the content is understandable to everyone. Consider language, literacy and shift patterns, and use pictures, demonstrations and translated material where needed. Clause 5.4 b) requires workers to have timely access to OH&S management system information that is clear, understandable and relevant, and clause 5.4 e) emphasizes worker participation in deciding what needs to be communicated and how, so ask workers which methods work best for them. Awareness activities are closely linked to internal communication (7.4.2).
Protecting workers who remove themselves from danger
Clause 5.1 k) requires top management to protect workers from reprisals when they report incidents, hazards, risks and opportunities, and clause 10.2 requires incidents to be reported and investigated. Awareness of the right to withdraw from imminent and serious danger only works if workers trust that it is genuine. State the arrangement in your OH&S policy or procedures, explain it at induction, and make sure supervisors respond positively when it is used. Check legal requirements, as many countries give workers a statutory right to stop work in these circumstances.
Checking that awareness is effective
Records of attendance at inductions and toolbox talks show that awareness activities took place, but not that they worked. Interview workers during audits and inspections: can they describe the main hazards of their job, the controls, recent relevant incidents, how to report a concern and what to do if they face imminent danger? Perception surveys, near-miss reporting rates and worker feedback through consultation (5.4) also provide useful indications.
You should seek and record evidence that workers, including temporary workers, are aware of the OH&S policy and objectives, their contribution and the benefits of improved OH&S performance, the consequences of not conforming, relevant incidents and investigation outcomes, the hazards, risks and actions relevant to them, and their ability to remove themselves from imminent and serious danger without undue consequences; that contractors and visitors are made aware of the OH&S risks they face; and that worker interviews confirm this awareness in practice.
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