Covid-19 cut off date extension

With regards to a delay in the implementation timeline of ISO 45001:2018 due to the Covid-19 crisis around the world, any delay in transition from OHSAS 18001 does not seem to have come from ISO as it I not recorded on their information page (https://www.iso.org/iso-45001-occupational-health-and-safety.html). However, it does appear that the International Accreditation Forum (IAF) has allowed an extension for 6 months (to September 2021, Question 15 on their FAQ, https://iaffaq.com/), and this has been repeated by one of their member accreditation bodies, the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS, https://www.ukas.com/news/technical-bulletin-extension-of-migration-period-for-iso-45001/) and several of their certification bodies.

Note, this extension is applicable to companies that are transitioning from OHSAS 18001 to ISO 45001, this does not mean that that new certifications to the OHSAS 18001 standard are being done and a new OHSMS should be implemented to the ISO 45001 standard. Another note, this extension is by the IAF, and would only be applicable to accreditation bodies under their jurisdiction, and the certification bodies that are accredited by these accreditation bodies. It is important to check with your certification body to find out what directives they have from their accreditation body.

For a bit more on how the certification audit works, see our whitepaper on: What to expect at the ISO certification audit, https://info.advisera.com/free-download/what-to-expect-at-the-iso-certification-audit