Many organizations planning for ISO 45001 certification ask whether they must send people on an auditor course first. The honest answer is that the standard asks for competent and impartial auditors rather than a named certificate, but training is the most common and easiest way to show competence. This guide explains what ISO 45001:2018 requires, how to prove competence and what to expect from the certification body. It also helps anyone considering the CQI (Chartered Quality Institute) and IRCA (International Register of Certificated Auditors) ISO 45001 Lead Auditor course. Always check the exact wording in the current standard.

What does ISO 45001 require for internal auditors?

It requires planned internal audits carried out in an objective and impartial way.

Clause 9.2 of ISO 45001:2018 requires the organization to conduct internal audits at planned intervals, to plan, establish and maintain an audit program, to select auditors and conduct audits so as to ensure objectivity and impartiality, and to report the results to relevant managers and workers. Our guide to how an ISO 45001 audit works shows what an audit looks like from start to finish, and our guide to the role of top management in ISO 45001 explains who is accountable for the program.

Is there a required qualification for ISO 45001 auditors?

No. The standard asks for competence, not for one named certificate.

The standard does not name a certificate, but it does ask you to prove your auditors are competent.

How do you show that your auditors are competent?

Keep records of training, experience and practice audits for each auditor.

Competence under ISO 45001 means a mix of education, training and experience, with documented evidence. For an auditor, that evidence usually includes a training certificate, a record of audits carried out under supervision, and a review of how well the auditor performed. Our guide to documents required for an ISO 45001 audit shows how competence records fit with the rest of your documented information.

Who can audit your ISO 45001 management system?

Anyone competent who is independent of the activity being audited.

Auditors can be employees from another area, people from a sister site or an external consultant. What matters is that they are competent and do not audit their own work. In a small organization, bringing in an outside auditor is often the simplest way to keep the audit impartial. Our guide to ISO 45001 internal auditor vs lead auditor explains which role suits which person, and our eligibility guide explains the entry requirements for the Lead Auditor course.

What does the certification body check about your auditors?

It normally expects a completed internal audit and may sample your auditor competence records.

Before the certification audit, a certification body normally expects the internal audit and the management review to have been carried out. It may look at the audit program, the audit reports, the follow-up actions and the competence evidence for your auditors. Requirements can differ between certification bodies, so ask yours early. Our guide to how long ISO 45001 certification takes shows where the internal audit fits in the timeline, and our guide to auditing management review in ISO 45001 covers the other step.

What should you do step by step?

Decide who will audit, show their competence, plan the audit and act on the results.

1. Choose auditors who are independent of the areas they will audit.
2. Check competence and arrange training or supervised practice where there are gaps.
3. Record the evidence for each auditor as documented information.
4. Plan the audit program using our ISO 45001 audit plan and checklist guide.
5. Report and follow up so that findings reach managers and workers and are acted on.

What mistakes do organizations make with auditors?

Common mistakes are self-auditing, no competence record and back-dated audits.

• Self-auditing. People audit their own department, so the audit is not impartial.
• No competence record. Training happened, but nothing was kept as evidence.
• Believing a certificate is required. The standard asks for competence and does not name a certificate.
• Leaving it late. The first internal audit is rushed just before the certification audit.
• No follow-up. Findings are written but nobody acts on them.

Treat these as prompts and confirm what applies to your organization. Our guide to continual improvement in ISO 45001 shows how audit findings feed improvement.

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.