Multiple-choice questions are a quick way to find out what you know about ISO 45001, the occupational health and safety (OH&S) management system standard. This page gives you 20 questions with three answers each. The set works as revision as well as a test. It is written for learners preparing for the CQI (Chartered Quality Institute) and IRCA (International Register of Certificated Auditors) ISO 45001 Lead Auditor course and for anyone refreshing their knowledge of the standard.

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Q1. What is the primary purpose of implementing corrective action within an OHSMS?

A. To address the root cause of an existing nonconformity or incident

B. To identify potential hazards and risks in the workplace

C. To prevent all accidents and incidents before they occur

D. To demonstrate compliance with legal and regulatory requirements

None

Q2. Which activity belongs to the Check phase of the PDCA cycle in an OHSMS?

A. Establishing OHS objectives

B. Identifying workplace hazards

C. Monitoring OHSMS performance against established objectives

D. Implementing corrective actions from audit findings

None

Q3. What is the primary purpose of conducting an OHSMS audit?

A. To establish the audit scope and criteria

B. To determine the overall effectiveness and conformity of the management system

C. To identify every individual nonconformity within the organization

D. To define the areas and processes that will be examined

None

Q4. During a third-party certification audit closing meeting, which information should be communicated to the auditee?

A. The auditor's personal opinions about the organization's safety culture

B. The detailed corrective actions management must implement

C. The certification body's internal audit procedures

D. The overall assessment and summary of audit findings

None

Q5. A Safety Manager asks an auditor to modify the audit plan to spend less time in production. What is the most appropriate response?

A. Accept the request and immediately revise the audit schedule

B. Ignore the request and continue without acknowledging the concern

C. Decline the request but consider the concern during the audit

D. Replace the production audit with an additional document review

None

Q6. What is one key advantage of using a sampling plan during an OHSMS audit?

A. It improves audit efficiency by focusing on relevant areas

B. It eliminates the need for auditor professional judgment

C. It guarantees that every process will be examined

D. It increases the audit duration for greater coverage

None

Q7. During an ISO 45001 audit, several emergency exits are blocked by stored materials. Which area is most directly relevant to the potential nonconformity?

A. Legal and other requirements

B. Hazard identification and risk assessment

C. Worker participation and consultation

D. Emergency preparedness and response

None

Q8. During a second-party audit, an organization identifies chemical exposure as a hazard and states that gloves will be provided. What should the auditor do?

A. Accept PPE as sufficient evidence of risk control

B. Recommend eliminating the chemical process immediately

C. Request evidence that the PPE is suitable for the chemicals used

D. Raise a nonconformity without reviewing the existing controls

None

Q9. During a surveillance audit, a previous internal audit identified an increasing trend in incident rates. What should the auditor examine first?

A. The corrective actions implemented in response to the increased incident rate

B. A nonconformity based solely on the increased incident rate

C. The current audit scope without considering previous findings

D. Only five years of historical incident data

None

Q10. A company has a nonconformity involving inadequate control of contractors' chemical handling practices. Which action directly addresses contractor management?

A. Increase general OHS awareness training for all employees

B. Require contractors to submit hazard assessments for their work activities

C. Increase internal audits of the organization's own departments

D. Review the organization's general emergency response procedures

None

Time's up

What do these ISO 45001 MCQs cover?

They cover the key terms, the plan, do, check, act cycle and the main clauses of ISO 45001:2018.

The table shows the topics the quiz covers, so you can see which area to revise after you finish.

Know the words first. Most audit mistakes start with a muddled definition.

Which edition of ISO 45001 do the questions follow?

The questions follow ISO 45001:2018, the edition that introduced the standard.

They test ideas such as hazard, risk, incident and worker, which carry across the standard. Wording in the questions is a plain summary, not a quotation, so always check the exact text, and any amendments, in the edition your organization or audit program uses. Our guide to how an ISO 45001 audit works shows how these ideas appear in practice.

How should you use the ISO 45001 MCQs?

Answer from memory, review every wrong answer and note the topics where you slipped.

1. Answer from memory the first time, so the score shows what you know.
2. Review each wrong answer and find the idea behind it in the standard.
3. Note the weak topics using the table above.
4. Revise those topics in the standard and in our guides.
5. Retake the quiz a few days later to see what stuck.

How do you read your score?

Use the bands below as a guide to where to focus. They are 3FOLD Training’s own guide, not an official pass mark.

One score does not predict how you will do in an exam. The pattern of what you missed matters more.

How are MCQs different from the CQI IRCA exam?

MCQs test knowledge of the standard, while the exam tests how you apply the standard and the audit method.

CQI and IRCA set the exam rules, and we prepare you for the exam; CQI and IRCA examine and certify. Check the current exam format on the 3FOLD Training ISO 45001 Lead Auditor course page. Our guide to internal auditor versus lead auditor in ISO 45001 explains how the two roles differ, and our eligibility guide explains what you need before you book.

What should you revise after the MCQs?

Revise the topics where you lost marks, then move to scenario practice.

• Leadership and policy. Read our guide to the role of top management in ISO 45001.
• Worker participation. Read our guide to worker consultation and participation in ISO 45001.
• Controls and objectives. Read our guides to the hierarchy of controls and OH&S objectives.
• Performance evaluation. Read our guides to monitoring and measurement and evaluation of compliance.
• Audit documents. Read our guide to the documents required for an ISO 45001 audit.

Always check the exact wording in the standard you are working to.

Frequently asked questions

Where 3FOLD Training fits

3FOLD Training is a CQI IRCA Approved Training Partner (ATP 6039853), licensed by the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) in Dubai. The ISO 45001 Lead Auditor course is delivered as 40 hours of Virtual Instructor Led Training (VILT), with learning management system (LMS) access for class recordings and mock exams, and you can check the next available batch on the course page. We prepare you for the exam; CQI and IRCA examine and certify. Before you book, read what you need in our eligibility guide.