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ISO 45001 is not just about policies, procedures, and site controls — it is about leadership.
One of the most common gaps identified during ISO 45001 audits is not the absence of a health and safety management system, but a lack of clear, auditable evidence that directors and senior leaders actively understand, influence, and lead health and safety within the organisation.
The Director Role Health & Safety (DRHS) programme has been designed to address this challenge. It focuses on the governance, decision-making, and accountability expectations placed on directors under ISO 45001, helping organisations demonstrate top-level commitment without turning directors into health and safety practitioners.
In this blog, we explain how DRHS supports ISO 45001, what auditors look for, and why director-level health and safety training plays an important role in maintaining and strengthening certification.
Director Role Health & Safety (DRHS) and ISO 45001
The Director Role Health & Safety (DRHS) programme supports organisations that are working towards, maintaining, or strengthening an ISO 45001 Occupational Health & Safety Management System by addressing one of the most critical — and commonly challenged — elements of the standard: leadership and accountability.
ISO 45001 places clear expectations on directors and senior leaders to actively lead, review, and influence health and safety performance. DRHS helps organisations evidence this leadership in a clear, practical, and auditable way, particularly during audits, surveillance visits, and re-certification.
Frequently Asked Questions
The DRHS programme directly supports ISO 45001 Clause 5 – Leadership and Worker Participation by ensuring directors understand and can demonstrate their health and safety responsibilities.
It helps organisations evidence:
This is particularly relevant during ISO 45001 audits, surveillance visits, and re-certification.
DRHS aligns most strongly with the leadership and governance elements of ISO 45001, including:
It complements operational health and safety systems by strengthening the governance and leadership aspects of ISO 45001.
Yes. The DRHS programme aligns with the Plan–Do–Check–Act framework used within ISO 45001.
This alignment helps organisations demonstrate that leadership involvement is ongoing and systematic.
ISO 45001 auditors increasingly ask how directors are involved in health and safety, how senior leaders review and influence performance, and how leadership competence is demonstrated.
DRHS provides evidence that directors understand their health and safety responsibilities, are competent to oversee risk and compliance, and contribute to management review and improvement. This supports audit confidence in leadership involvement.
Yes. DRHS is particularly relevant for organisations that are preparing for surveillance or re-certification audits, have new or changing directors, want clearer evidence of leadership competence, or are responding to incidents or near misses.
It supports continual improvement, which is a core requirement of ISO 45001.
ISO 45001 requires organisations to identify and comply with legal and other requirements.
DRHS supports this by improving director understanding of personal and corporate health and safety duties, reinforcing accountability for compliance and risk oversight, and supporting informed governance of contractors, organisational change, and emergency planning.
This is important where leadership involvement needs to be visible and demonstrable.
ISO 45001 leadership and governance requirements apply to organisations across all sectors. DRHS supports these requirements by focusing on director-level understanding and accountability, regardless of industry.
Most health and safety training focuses on operatives, supervisors, and site-level controls.
DRHS is different because it focuses on:
– Director and board-level responsibilities
– Leadership, governance, and accountability
– What ISO 45001 expects from senior leadership
It addresses a common gap in otherwise well-developed ISO 45001 management systems.
Yes.
DRHS can be used as evidence of director competence and awareness, supporting documentation for leadership and commitment, and input into management review and competence records.
It demonstrates proactive consideration of leadership capability within the ISO 45001 framework.
If you are preparing for an ISO 45001 audit, surveillance visit, or re-certification — or reviewing how health and safety leadership is evidenced at board level — the Director Role Health & Safety (DRHS) programme can help address common leadership and governance gaps.
To find out how DRHS can support your ISO 45001 management system and director responsibilities, get in touch to discuss your requirements or request further information.