ISO 45001 and ANSI Z10: Essential Guides for Effective Safety Management Systems
July 26, 2022
7 minute read
Industry standards provide the foundation for a safety management system (SMS). If you don’t have a system yet or want to improve your current one, these standards offer a clear guide to the essential components and practices.
Two of the most most widely used are ISO 45001 from the International Organization for Standardization and ANSI Z10 from the American National Standards Institute.
A 37-second explanation of ISO 45001
ISO 45001 is considered the first international standard for occupational health and safety systems. It provides organizations with a framework to improve health and safety and to help control risks that could cause injury, illness, or death at work.
ISO 45001 is a process-based standard that considers both risks and opportunities. It also specifically includes mental health as something the program should protect.
ISO 45001 also encourages organizations to include stakeholders beyond employers and employees in their safety programs. It suggests considering the local community that could be affected by the organization’s activities. The goal is to make health and safety part of the entire company culture, not just a separate department. This often means combining environment, health, and safety roles with other business support functions.
Related article: ISO 45001: How to Keep Your Workers and Business Safe
A 42-second explanation of ANSI Z10
The ANSI Z10 standard aims to help organizations continuously improve their occupational health and safety performance. While its structure and content are similar to ISO 45001, Z10 is more detailed in some areas.
ANSI Z10 recommends that, when possible, a safety management system should be built into existing business practices. It focuses on the strategic side of health and safety policies, rather than providing detailed procedures or job instructions.
ANSI Z10 is based on U.S. laws, regulations, business practices, labor relations, and health and safety methods. In contrast, ISO 45001 takes into account business practices, health and safety approaches, and legal requirements from ISO member countries around the world.
Comparing ANSI Z10 vs ISO 45001
The chart below from the American Society of Safety Professionals (ASSP) compares these two standards.
| Aspect | ANSI Z10 | ISO 45001 |
|---|---|---|
| Primary Focus | Comprehensive, systems-based standard | Global standard for OSH management systems |
| Unique Characteristics | Aligned with ISO 45001 for organizations seeking dual compliance. Gold Standard of OHSMS in the US | Helps create a global foundation of worker safety standards that can be used by all global supply chains. Covers contractors and subcontractors in every country within these supply chains |
| Certification | Not currently used by certification bodies | Developed with the goal of certification along the lines of other management systems standards such as ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 |
| Ease of Use | Easier to understand and implement, based on United States business practices, legal system, and union/management relations | With 64 countries involved, consideration was given to a wide array of cultures, business practices and legal system |
| Language | Only available in English | Available in many languages |
| Flexibility and Scalability | Provides flexibility in tailoring its requirements to an organization’s health and safety risks | Does have some flexibility but is more specific in some sections |
| Occupational Health | Includes an occupational health section with a strong emphasis on health | Not as focused on occupational health as the Z10 Standard |
| Worker Participation | Much greater emphasis on worker participation than ISO 45001 | Very extensive but more specific on worker participation than ANSI Z10 due to certification requirements |
| Implementation and Support | A Guidance and Implementation Manual is available. ASSP offers a guidance document for smaller organizations at no cost | A Guidance and Implementation Manual is available. ASSP sells the US adoption of the standard and it costs much less than the international version |
“I probably like Z10 better than ISO 450001. If you lay them side-by-side, they’re fairly comparable,” says Scott Gaddis, the vice president and global practice leader for safety and health at Intelex Technologies. “ISO 45001 allows you the ability to do what you think are the best things to do. It’s almost written as performance guidelines.”
“Z10 is also a performance guideline, but it describes what the processes should look like. It’s similar to an audit that shows what your auditor will check. I like that Z10 focuses on what I call the predictable parts of a management system.”
Free help is available for ANSI Z10 and ISO 45001
If your organization isn’t ready to use ISO 45001 or ANSI Z10 as a template for its safety management system, there are other simple and free resources to help you get started.
Malcolm Jacobs, senior director for environmental health and safety at TDX Holdings in Anchorage, Alaska, suggests reaching out to your workers’ compensation insurance provider.
“If you have a good program, you’re saving them money,” he says. “They may have sample programs for different activities, and some even have guidance to share on developing your hazard analysis. They’ll also have a team that could come to your company to observe and make recommendations for your ergonomic programs.”
acobs also says that insurance companies are often willing to do a safety audit of your organization, which you can compare with your own audit. During their visit, insurers may list areas that need improvement, which you can then address. Some insurance companies also offer onsite safety training for your employees.
Related article: Safety Management Systems: Building a Foundation on Data
“Insurance companies offer quite a bit,” he says. “It just depends on your provider and it’s always worthwhile calling them. When you purchase insurance, they certainly ask you a lot of questions so it’s only fair that you can ask them questions, too.”
OSHA’s Voluntary Protection Program (VPP) is another good option and a helpful place to start when considering a safety management system.
“Employing your country or state OSHA organization is an excellent resource,” Jacob says. “If you look at their check sheet for building a VPP program, it follows the Z10 and ISO 450001 standards closely. The program also gets you involved with other companies that have been through VPP and have safety management systems in place. Many are willing to share their audits with you and provide feedback.”
Jacob also shares some final advice for anyone looking to set up a safety management system:
- Review relevant information that’s available on safety management systems.
- Look at your organization and determine what’s currently in place, what’s needed or what can be improved.
- Build relationships with your organization’s management and with your workforce.
- Understand the mission of the company and where it is going in the future and make sure your plan incorporates your company’s business vision.
- Benchmark and follow the best practices of other companies that already have and utilize a SMS.
Ready to improve your safety management system? Try a custom demo tour to see how Intelex can help you smoothly add ISO 45001 or ANSI Z10 to your operations.
