Published 21 July 2026 by the RLM Consult Certify Comply team
ISO/TC 283 announced on 18 June 2026 that the Draft International Standard of the revised ISO 45001 is out for ballot, with voting and comment closing on 9 August. The committee expects the new edition to be published in the middle of 2027. With ISO 14001:2026 published in April and ISO 9001’s revision due within months, the three standards that make up almost every Australian contractor’s integrated management system are all changing inside eighteen months. Here is what the ISO 45001 draft signals and how to plan for it.
Where the revision is up to
ISO 45001 was first published in 2018 and, apart from the 2024 climate amendment, has not changed since. The revision has moved through the working draft and committee draft stages over the past two years and is now at Draft International Standard, the first stage at which the text is close to final. After the ballot closes, the committee resolves comments and issues a Final Draft International Standard, usually within six to nine months, and publication follows. Mid 2027 is a realistic estimate, and the transition period is expected to follow the three year pattern used for ISO 14001:2026.
What the draft signals
Reading the draft alongside the two standards that have already been revised, the direction is consistent. Our reading of the themes, which may change through the ballot:
- The harmonised structure. Alignment with the current harmonised structure used by ISO 9001 and ISO 14001, which simplifies integrated systems and updates the common text on context, leadership, planning and change.
- Climate change in context. The 2024 amendment’s requirement to consider whether climate change is a relevant issue is carried into the body of the standard, which for outdoor work means heat, storms, smoke and flood as occupational hazards.
- Psychosocial hazards. A more explicit expectation that psychosocial risks are identified and controlled within the OH&S management system, consistent with the ISO 45003 guidance and with the direction of Australian WHS regulation.
- Contractors, procurement and outsourcing. Clearer requirements for how the organisation controls the OH&S risks introduced by contractors and outsourced processes, mirroring the operational control changes in ISO 14001:2026.
- Change management and worker participation. Reinforcement of the management of change and consultation requirements that were already stronger in ISO 45001 than in the other standards.
None of that should worry a contractor with a working system. All of it will worry a contractor whose safety management system is a folder of safe work method statements with a policy on the front.
Why it matters commercially
ISO 45001 is the certification clients ask about most, because safety performance is the first thing a head contractor’s HSE manager checks. Once the new edition is published, prequalification questionnaires will start asking which edition your certificate covers, as they will for ISO 14001 this year. Planning the transition now, alongside the ISO 14001 and ISO 9001 transitions, means one gap analysis, one system update and one set of transition audits rather than three separate projects.
ISO/IEC 27000:2026 and information security for contractors
ISO also published the sixth edition of ISO/IEC 27000 this month, the overview and vocabulary standard for information security management. It is not a certification standard, but it is the reference for ISO/IEC 27001, which is appearing in more infrastructure tenders as operators and government clients push cyber security requirements down their supply chains. Contractors that handle client drawings, access control systems or operational data increasingly find ISO/IEC 27001 certification listed alongside the quality, safety and environmental standards.
The proposed modern slavery offence
On 16 July the Federal Government announced its intention to reform the Modern Slavery Act, including a proposed offence of failing to prevent modern slavery in operations and supply chains. The detail is subject to consultation, but the direction matches the United Kingdom’s approach and would move modern slavery from a reporting obligation for large entities to a compliance duty with defences based on reasonable procedures. For contractors, supply chain due diligence on labour hire, cleaning, security and offshore materials will move from the head contractor’s questionnaire into your own procurement controls.
Frequently asked questions
When will the new ISO 45001 be published?
ISO/TC 283 expects the revised standard to be published in the middle of 2027. The Draft International Standard ballot opened in June 2026 and closes on 9 August 2026, after which a Final Draft International Standard is prepared.
Will my ISO 45001:2018 certificate still be valid?
Yes. Certificates to ISO 45001:2018 remain valid until the transition period ends, which is expected to be three years from publication of the new edition, in line with the transition set for ISO 14001:2026.
What is ISO/IEC 27000:2026?
The sixth edition of the overview and vocabulary standard for information security management systems, published by ISO in July 2026. It defines the terms used in ISO/IEC 27001, the certification standard for information security.
What is the proposed modern slavery ‘failure to prevent’ offence?
A reform announced by the Federal Government on 16 July 2026 that would make it an offence for an organisation to fail to prevent modern slavery in its operations and supply chains, with a defence where reasonable procedures were in place. The proposal is subject to consultation and has not yet been legislated.