ISO 45001 certification in Switzerland

ISO 45001 certification in Switzerland at a glance

Safety duties in Switzerland sit with the employer. The Accident Prevention Ordinance applies to every establishment whose employees work in Switzerland, requires the employer to take the protective measures it sets out and the recognised occupational safety and medicine rules, to check their effectiveness at suitable intervals, and to call in occupational physicians and other safety specialists where necessary. For work in Switzerland, the Public Procurement Act has authorities award contracts only to tenderers that comply with workplace health and safety regulations. ISO 45001 is not named in either text, but it organises those duties into a management system that can be audited. The mechanical, electrical and metal industries, a focus industry for Switzerland Global Enterprise, carry many of the hazards the Ordinance addresses. Certification is voluntary and is issued by a certification body, preferably one accredited by the Swiss Accreditation Service. Sterling's Frankfurt office supports Swiss employers through hazard identification, risk assessment and audit preparation, with Effivity and Sterling Academy included with the engagement.

Who needs ISO 45001 in Switzerland, and what happens without it

In Switzerland the question rarely comes from a law. It comes from the buyer, the regulator or the partner that wants proof before it signs. These are the organisations that get asked.

• Employers with staff working in SwitzerlandThe Accident Prevention Ordinance applies to all establishments whose employees work in Switzerland and requires the employer to take protective measures and check them.
• Manufacturers in the mechanical, electrical and metal industriesMachinery, metal processing and electrical work carry the occupational risks the Ordinance addresses.
• Contractors bidding for public workThe Public Procurement Act awards contracts for work in Switzerland only to tenderers that comply with workplace health and safety regulations.
• Firms using occupational physicians and safety specialistsThe Ordinance requires the employer to call in occupational physicians and other occupational safety specialists where necessary.

ISO 45001 requirements in Switzerland

Strip away the vocabulary and ISO 45001 requires a company to prove six things about keeping its people safe and healthy at work.

In Switzerland these six sit alongside the local laws and regulations listed under drivers below; one system can evidence both. The detail is on the global hub: ISO 45001 explained →

• ISO 45001 requirements, clause by clause in plain language
• The documents ISO 45001 expects
• ISO 45001 checklist

How to get ISO 45001 certified in Switzerland

One team from the Frankfurt office carries the work from scoping to certificate. Clients across Switzerland are served from Sterling's Frankfurt office, on-site where the work needs it and remotely otherwise.

1. Discovery call and scopeEntities, locations, regulators and target date, agreed before any proposal.
2. Gap assessment against ISO 45001 and the Swiss requirements that apply to youControls you already run for your regulators and customers are reused, not rebuilt.
3. Your system built with your team in EffivityRisks, controls, evidence, incidents and reviews in one live system the auditor can see.
4. Internal audit, management review and corrective actionsYour internal auditors trained by Sterling; the evidence proven before the certification body arrives.
5. Certification body stage 1 and stage 2, then surveillanceAn accredited body audits and decides. Sterling supports the audits and the three-year cycle.

The Sterling Promise: 100% on-time completion, 100% success, 8,100+ client engagements.Sterling does not certify. Certification decisions stay with independent bodies.

• The ISO 45001 certification process, step by step
• ISO 45001 gap analysis
• ISO 45001 implementation plan
• ISO 45001 internal audit

How long does ISO 45001 certification take in Switzerland?

There is no standard duration: it depends on your scope and on how much of the system already runs. In Switzerland these are the factors that set the timeline.

• Number of sites, shifts and contractor interfaces
• Maturity of risk assessments and incident records
• Existing safety specialist arrangements
• Certification body scheduling around the Swiss holiday period

Sterling agrees a dated plan with you on the discovery call, once the scope is known.

• What drives the ISO 45001 timeline
• Scope and timeline estimator

How much does ISO 45001 certification cost in Switzerland?

The cost has two parts: the consulting work to build and prove the system, and the certification body’s audit fees, which are quoted separately. In Switzerland these factors move both.

• Number of sites and employees
• Hazard complexity and contractor activity
• Certification body fees quoted separately from consulting
• Integration with ISO 9001 or ISO 14001

Sterling gives one customised, all-inclusive proposal after the discovery call, never before the scope is agreed.

• What makes up the cost of ISO 45001

ISO 45001 consultants and certification bodies in Switzerland

Two different organisations are involved. A consultant helps you build the system and prove it works; an accredited certification body then audits or assesses it and decides. Keeping the two separate is what makes the result credible to buyers and regulators.

• Check that the body’s accreditation or approval covers ISO 45001 and your sector, and that its certificates can be verified online.
• Ask the consultant how the local requirements in Switzerland are mapped into the same system, so nothing runs twice.
• Ask for client references in your sector; Sterling’s client letters are available on request.
• Agree who owns the evidence and the tool after the engagement; with Sterling the system stays yours, in Effivity.

• Choosing an ISO 45001 certification body
• How to verify an ISO 45001 certificate

ISO 45001 in Switzerland: questions clients ask

More on ISO 45001 for Swiss organisations

• ISO 45001: the complete guide
• Watch: How to implement ISO 45001
• Construction and engineering: ISO 45001 for the sector
• Facilities and security: ISO 45001 for the sector
• Healthcare: ISO 45001 for the sector
• Logistics and warehousing: ISO 45001 for the sector
• Manufacturing: ISO 45001 for the sector
• Oil, gas and energy: ISO 45001 for the sector
• Professional services and offices: ISO 45001 for the sector
• ISO 45001 certification in Switzerland and every other standard Sterling delivers there

Other standards Swiss businesses ask Sterling for

Organisations in Switzerland often combine ISO 45001 with one of these, under one management system where the scopes allow.

All 21 standards Sterling delivers in Switzerland →