ISO 45001 is a global standard for occupational health and safety produced by national and international standards committees. ISO 45001 deployment may assist the organization in demonstrating compliance with health and safety laws. However, it goes over and above what the law requires in several ways, therefore consider deeply when implementing it. The organization must successfully pass the audit carried out by the ISO 45001 lead auditor to implement the standard.
If you have been involved in auditing the organization's Occupational Health & Safety Management System (OHSMS), certifying that you satisfy the standards of the ISO 45001:2018 standard, you may be wondering what your next step in your auditing career should be. You could also work as a health and safety consultant.
When conducting a certification audit, the lead auditor is required, especially when there are several auditors; in such circumstances, the principal individual to head the audit team is referred to as the "lead auditor." Here are the steps you must take if you wish to become an external (certified) lead auditor:
- Prior experience. To audit ISO 45001 and the OHSMS, you must have the necessary formal education and OH&S work experience. Working in a job with OH&S obligations is required.
- Pass the lead auditor exam. The ISO 45001 Lead Auditor training course contains a final written exam on the last day of the training, and you must pass this exam to be considered for a position as a lead auditor.
- Find a certification body. You must identify a certification body that not only does ISO 45001 certification audits but also requires an auditor. Many will already have the required auditors.
- Go through training. Finding an interested certification body does not guarantee that you will begin auditing immediately. The certification body will then guide you through the stages of becoming an observer, co-auditor, and lead auditor. This will help you understand how certification auditing works and how it varies from your experience as an internal auditor.
- Gain audit experience. Before being able to lead a team, you must participate in certification audits as a member of the audit team. After completing multiple audits, you will be able to lead the audit team.
Lead auditors are first and foremost auditors and hence must own all auditory abilities. To begin, all auditors must be capable of conducting an effective audit. These skills help the auditor in gathering and evaluating audit evidence to determine if the operations under audit are taking place as planned. All auditors, including lead auditors, must have these competencies, which include knowledge of the ISO 45001 standard, awareness of risk and the firm structure, and a variety of additional skills for analyzing processes. Being a successful lead auditor requires a thorough understanding of the audit process, so it is vital that a lead auditor first learn how to conduct effective audits.
It cannot be emphasized that becoming a good lead auditor requires starting as a good auditor. To become a good auditor, first, learn how to conduct process audits and comprehend the ISO 45001 standard (or any other ISO standards that apply to the organization). Once you've figured out how to accomplish it, practicing and applying these abilities while focusing on growth is critical to becoming a lead auditor.
So, if you've gotten to the point where you've improved your auditing skills and want to work toward becoming a qualified ISO 45001 lead auditor, look into the various lead auditor training courses. This could be the first step toward a rewarding career assisting companies to obtain management system certification.
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