Safety Management System Evaluation

Upon completing this program, participants will be able to:

• Evaluate a safety management system against ISO 45001:2018 requirements: context of the organisation (Clause 4), leadership and worker participation (Clause 5), planning (Clause 6), support (Clause 7), operation (Clause 8), performance evaluation (Clause 9), and improvement (Clause 10).
• Conduct gap analysis comparing an organisation’s current safety system against ANSI Z10, ISO 45001, and OSHA Recommended Practices, identifying conformities, non-conformities, and opportunities for improvement.
• Plan and execute safety management system audits aligned with ISO 19011: audit programme management, audit planning, opening meetings, evidence collection (document review, interviews, observation), finding classification, closing meetings, and audit reporting.
• Evaluate safety performance using leading indicators (training completion, inspection scores, near-miss reporting rates, safety observation frequency, corrective action closure rates) and lagging indicators (TRIR, DART, LTIFR, severity rate) to determine whether the system is producing intended outcomes.
• Apply safety culture maturity models (Bradley Curve, Hudson Ladder, Hearts and Minds) to assess the organisation’s cultural maturity and identify the leadership, behavioural, and systemic interventions needed to advance to higher maturity levels.
• Evaluate the management review process per ISO 45001 Clause 9.3: assessing whether management reviews are conducted at planned intervals, address all required inputs (audit results, incident trends, risk changes, compliance status, performance data), and produce meaningful outputs (decisions, resource allocations, improvement actions).
• Assess the effectiveness of the PDCA cycle within the management system: whether planning drives action, action is monitored, monitoring produces findings, and findings drive improvement in a genuine continuous improvement loop rather than a static compliance exercise.
• Evaluate specific programme elements: hazard identification effectiveness, risk assessment quality, incident investigation thoroughness, training programme adequacy, emergency preparedness readiness, and contractor safety governance.
• Produce evaluation reports that present findings, root causes of system weaknesses, prioritised recommendations, and implementation timelines in formats suitable for management review, certification bodies, and regulatory authorities.
• Develop corrective action plans from evaluation findings: classifying non-conformities (major, minor, observation), assigning responsibility, setting deadlines, defining verification methods, and tracking to closure.

Core Curriculum Topics

• ISO 45001:2018 Evaluation Framework: clause-by-clause assessment criteria for evaluating management system conformity and effectiveness
• ANSI Z10 and OSHA Recommended Practices: US-specific safety management system frameworks and how to evaluate against their requirements
• ISO 19011 Audit Methodology: audit programme management, planning, execution, evidence collection, finding classification, reporting, and follow-up
• Gap Analysis Methodology: systematic comparison of current state versus standard requirements, gap prioritisation, and improvement roadmap development
• Performance Evaluation: leading and lagging indicator design, data collection, trend analysis, benchmarking, and the interpretation of safety metrics
• Safety Culture Maturity Assessment: Bradley Curve, Hudson Ladder, Hearts and Minds toolkit, and how cultural maturity evaluation informs system improvement strategy
• Management Review Evaluation: assessing whether the management review process meets ISO 45001 Clause 9.3 requirements and produces actionable outputs
• PDCA Cycle Assessment: evaluating whether the Plan-Do-Check-Act cycle functions as a genuine improvement engine rather than a documentation exercise
• Programme Element Evaluation: criteria for evaluating specific system components, including hazard identification, risk assessment, incident investigation, training, emergency preparedness, and contractor management
• Evaluation Reporting and Corrective Action: report writing, non-conformity classification, corrective action planning, verification, and closure tracking
• Continuous Improvement Planning: translating evaluation findings into phased improvement plans with milestones, resource allocation, accountability assignments, and management oversight

• Basic safety management knowledge recommended
• Familiarity with ISO 45001 or ANSI Z10 helpful but not required
• No formal auditing experience required
• All instruction in English; professional proficiency required

Upon completion, graduates receive an American Institute of Safety Professionals certificate, wallet card, and transcript. Employer-verifiable at amiosp.com/student-verifications.

• Safety managers preparing for ISO 45001 certification or surveillance audits who need to evaluate their system before the external audit arrives
• Internal auditors and safety auditors responsible for evaluating safety management system conformity and effectiveness
• Safety directors and EHS managers who need to assess whether their organisation’s safety system is actually delivering results or merely producing documentation
• Quality managers responsible for integrated management system (IMS) auditing where safety is one component alongside quality and environmental
• Safety consultants who provide SMS evaluation, gap analysis, and improvement advisory services
• Safety officers preparing for advancement to management roles where SMS governance and evaluation are core competencies
• Professionals preparing for ISO 45001 lead auditor or internal auditor certification

• Safety Management System Evaluation — YOU ARE HERE (evaluation and auditing methodology)
• CSS: Certified Safety Specialist (includes SMS implementation as one competency)
• CHSM / RHSM (management certifications where SMS governance is a core function)
• International Diploma in OSH Management (Unit 2 covers management system effectiveness at diploma depth)
• International Diploma in Industrial Safety Management (Unit 6 covers safety auditing and sustainability)