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HEALTH AND SAFETY
ISO 45001 AND COR 2020
Accreditation frameworks - Not safety systems
By KEVIN BROWN, Founder & CEO, Cobalt Safety
Safety is not proven in binders, audits,
or certificates.
N OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY, confusion between frameworks and
systems can cost lives. Two names dominate the discussion:
ISO 45001 and COR 2020. Both are well-recognized, both are
voluntary, and both are frequently used as benchmarks by
industries and procurement departments. Yet one truth is
often overlooked—ISO and COR are not safety systems. They
are accreditation frameworks. Understanding this distinction
is essential for employers, workers, procurement teams, and
regulators alike.
I
Standards, Systems, Programs, and Audits – They Are All Different
A standard is a documented set of requirements or guidelines.
ISO 45001 sets requirements for an occupational health and safety management system (OHSMS). COR 2020 provides a nationally
recognized audit framework in Canada. But a standard is not a
system—it is only the framework to build a system against.
A system is the actual way a business manages safety in daily
operations: policies, responsibilities, processes, controls, and over-
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