The consequences of ISO 45001: preliminary analysis of cases in Korea

OBJECTIVES: Using cases in the Korean workplace, this study preliminarily investigated whether ISO 45001-certified and non-certified workplaces differ in 4 aspects of occupational safety and health (OSH) management. METHODS: Data were obtained from the 2021 Survey on the Status of Safety and Health in the Workplace in Korea. This study used a matched-pair analysis of certified and non-certified workplaces. RESULTS: The results suggest that although ISO 45001-certified workplaces have a more safety-friendly internal institutional context than non-certified workplaces, there is no significant difference in the number of injuries and fatalities. CONCLUSIONS: The results indicate that ISO 45001-certified workplaces do not achieve better OSH performance than non-certified workplaces because ISO 45001 remains in the early stages of expansion, and certification does not require the achievement of OSH performance. A longitudinal analysis is needed to confirm the accurate outcomes of ISO 45001 certification.