Setting OH&S Objectives and Planning Under ISO 45001

ISO 45001 Clause 6.2

Set OH&S objectives that drive improvement, plan how to achieve them, and measure progress.

ISO 45001 Clause 6.2 - OH&S Objectives and Planning to Achieve Them

ISO 45001:2018 Clause 6.2 requires the organisation to set OH&S objectives at relevant functions and levels in order to maintain and continually improve the OH&S management system and OH&S performance. Objectives must be consistent with the OH&S policy, measurable where practicable, take account of applicable requirements and the results of risk assessments, be monitored, communicated and updated as appropriate.

The clause splits into two parts. Sub-clause 6.2.1 covers what objectives must look like. Sub-clause 6.2.2 covers planning to achieve them - what will be done, the resources required, who is responsible, when it will be completed, how the results will be evaluated, and how the actions will be integrated into business processes.

What Good OH&S Objectives Look Like

Effective OH&S objectives are specific, measurable and link to actual OH&S performance rather than process-level activity. Reduce slip, trip and fall incidents by 30 percent within 12 months is a good objective. Improve health and safety is not. The standard does not require a fixed number of objectives - some organisations have three, others have a dozen, depending on the scale and nature of activities.

Objectives are usually informed by the risk assessments under Clause 6.1.2, the legal landscape under Clause 6.1.3, accident and ill-health data, worker consultation feedback, and the management review outputs. They are documented, monitored, communicated to the people whose activities affect them, and updated when circumstances change.

Setting health and safety objectives gets easier when you start with what the data is telling you. If your accident statistics show a pattern of manual handling injuries, that points straight at an objective. If your audit findings keep flagging the same training gap, that is your next objective. The objectives should not be invented in isolation from what is actually happening on the ground.

I provide input to objective setting from my walk round checks, observations and worker feedback. The most useful objectives I have seen are the ones that link a specific risk we already know about to a specific outcome we want to see in the next year, with a way of measuring whether we got there.

I look at objectives carefully because they are evidence of whether the system is being used to drive improvement or just being maintained. I expect specific, measurable objectives that link to results of risk assessments and consultation with workers. If they are vague, I will raise an observation. If they cannot be measured at all, that is a finding.

Practical Compliance Guidance

The IMS1 Manual sets out how OH&S objectives are recorded and tracked. Section 5 Performance Evaluation covers the link between objectives, monitoring and management review.

The following alphaZ documents support compliance with ISO 45001:2018 Clause 6.2.

alphaZ document	How to use it
ISO 45001 Toolkit	The full set of documents needed to build an OH&S management system that meets ISO 45001:2018.
F-Q11 Company Objectives Form	Records the objective, target, owner, dates, resources and evaluation method. Use as the working record for each OH&S objective.
F-Q3 Management Review Form	Captures progress against objectives at management review. Use to feed objective performance into the wider review of the management system.

Note - all the above files can be downloaded with an alphaZ subscription.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many OH&S objectives should an organisation have?

The standard does not specify a number. Most organisations set between three and ten objectives at company level, with additional objectives at department or site level where the system runs at multiple levels. The number should be enough to drive improvement across the main risk areas without becoming unmanageable.

Do objectives have to be measurable in numbers?

The standard says measurable if practicable, or otherwise capable of performance evaluation. A numerical target is the cleanest evidence of measurability, but qualitative objectives that have a clear way of judging progress are acceptable. The key is that an auditor can see how progress is judged.

How often should objectives be reviewed?

Objectives are reviewed as part of the management review under Clause 9.3, and progress is monitored more frequently. Annual cycles are common, with quarterly checkpoints to confirm objectives are still on track.

UK Legislation

Clause 6.2 is a planning clause that does not map to specific legislation, but the underlying duty to plan and improve OH&S performance flows from UK statutory law. Organisations outside the UK should identify equivalent legislation in their jurisdiction.

Further Resources