Two-minute brief
ISO 39001 requirements explained: video brief
A two-minute brief on the road traffic safety content inside ISO 39001's management system clauses.
Key takeaways
- ISO 39001 uses clauses 4 to 10 with road traffic safety content.
- Clause 6.3 covers road traffic safety performance factors.
- Coordination across functions is a support requirement.
- Emergency preparedness sits in clause 8.2.
- Crash investigation sits in clause 9.2.
Road traffic safety inside a familiar structure
ISO 39001 is organised on the clause structure shared by the ISO management system standards, clauses 4 to 10, with road traffic safety content inside it: performance factors in clause 6.3, objectives and planning in 6.4, coordination in 7.1, emergency preparedness in 8.2 and crash investigation in 9.2. This short film walks through them.
Clause 4 asks the organisation to understand its context, the interested parties that matter and the scope of the system, including what it can control and what it can only influence. In practice that means a scope statement naming the sites, activities and vehicle classes covered, the organisation's role in the road traffic system and a register of parties from regulators to suppliers. Clause 5 covers leadership, policy and roles.
Performance factors, coordination and investigation
In planning, the organisation identifies the road traffic safety performance factors relevant to it, covering exposure to road traffic risk, final safety outcomes and intermediate factors relating to vehicles, journeys and the fitness of drivers, and sets objectives and plans to achieve them. Support requires coordination across the functions that influence road safety, along with competence and awareness. Operation includes emergency preparedness and response. Performance evaluation includes the investigation of road traffic crashes and other incidents, so their causes are understood and acted on.
The standard applies to any public or private organisation that interacts with the road traffic system: fleets, logistics, passenger transport, contractors, platforms and road authorities. ISO 39001:2012 with Amendment 1:2024 is current, with a revision in progress. Certification is assessed and decided by an independent, accredited certification body.
Clause 6.3 describes three kinds of RTS performance factor: risk exposure factors such as distance travelled, final safety outcome factors such as deaths and serious injuries, and intermediate safety outcome factors such as safe speed, driver fitness, vehicle safety and journey planning. The standard distinguishes what an organisation can control from what it can influence, so subcontracted hauliers and employees driving their own cars are addressed through contract requirements and checks of licences, vehicles and hours. ISO 45001 treats driving as one hazard to workers; ISO 39001 also addresses crashes involving other road users.
ISO 39001 at a glance
- Purpose
- Road traffic safety management: reducing, and ultimately eliminating, death and serious injury from road traffic crashes the organisation can influence
- Relevant to
- Any public or private organisation that interacts with the road traffic system: fleets, logistics, passenger transport, contractors, platforms and road authorities
- Edition
- ISO 39001:2012 with Amendment 1:2024; a revision is in progress at working-draft stage, with no publication date announced
- Certification
- Assessed and decided by an independent, accredited certification body
- Sterling's role
- Consulting with your team, Effivity, training, internal audit and certification readiness, then Sustain™
- Cost and timing
- Total investment for an ISO 39001 RTS management system depends on the current maturity of your processes, the scope, locations and number of employees. The process typically takes 4 to 8 months
ISO 39001: questions people ask
Is ISO 39001 only for transport companies?
No. The standard is written for any public or private organisation that interacts with the road traffic system. A contractor whose engineers drive to sites, a sales fleet, a food distributor, a platform whose riders deliver on motorcycles and a municipality that operates roads all have exposure they can measure and factors they can influence.
We already hold ISO 45001. Why would we add ISO 39001?
ISO 45001 protects your workers, and driving at work is one of its hazards. ISO 39001 is about death and serious injury from road traffic crashes you can influence, including crashes involving other road users, and it asks for things an OH&S system does not: performance factors built on exposure and outcome data, objectives with targets and action plans, and crash investigation as a requirement in its own right. The two share a clause structure and integrate well.
Does ISO 39001 cover subcontracted hauliers and employees who drive their own cars?
The standard distinguishes what you can control from what you can influence, and expects you to address both within your scope. For subcontractors and owner-drivers that usually means requirements in contracts, verification of licences, vehicles and hours, and their incidents in your register. The scope statement must say where your influence ends.
What are the RTS performance factors, and do we have to measure all of them?
Clause 6.3 describes three kinds: risk exposure factors such as distance travelled, final safety outcome factors such as deaths and serious injuries, and intermediate safety outcome factors such as safe speed, driver fitness, vehicle safety and journey planning. You identify the factors relevant to your organisation and manage those on evidence; a warehouse fleet and a coach operator will choose differently.
Is ISO 39001 certification mandatory?
No law requires it in general, although principals in oil and gas, mining, utilities and public transport, some tenders and some insurers ask for an audited road traffic safety system. Many organisations implement it with no external demand at all, because road crashes are their largest and most expensive safety risk.
Keep exploring
Related to this video
The complete guide
Everything on ISO 39001
Start with the ISO 39001 page, or go straight to the guide you need.
On the ISO 39001 page
Often combined with ISO 39001
Talk to a consultant
Plan your ISO 39001 certification with confidence.
Tell us your goals, locations and target date. We’ll help you define the scope, timeline and next steps.
hello@sterling-grc.com+1 201 263 4443 (global headquarters) · your nearest office and its number are at the top of this page
What would you like to achieve?
Choose a starting point. The enquiry form takes about a minute.
Book my free discovery callContinue to the enquiry form to share your details. Please do not include passwords, sensitive personal information or confidential files. A Sterling consultant replies within one working day. Privacy notice