How Contractor Prequalification and Management Align with ISO 45001 Requirements

By Peter Spence, VP of Sales & Partnerships, AuditSoft

Peter has 10+ years of experience in the regulatory technology and safety & compliance industry. He was involved in the early rollout of the Certificate Of Recognition (COR®) program in Ontario and has completed the IHSA COR® Internal Auditor and the Basic Auditing Principles courses. Prior to AuditSoft, Peter worked for the leading provider of global legal and regulatory compliance content, consulting Fortune 500 companies and supporting their rollout of global corporate compliance and auditing programs. Connect with Peter on LinkedIn.

ISO 45001:2018 is a globally recognized standard for occupational health and safety (OHS) management systems. Achieving certification under this standard demonstrates that an organization is actively working to eliminate hazards, reduce OHS risks, and create a safer workplace.

However, as organizations grow and outsource work to contractors and subcontractors, one area often becomes a blind spot: contractor prequalification and ongoing management.

Let’s explore where ISO 45001 directly links to contractor oversight—and why organizations pursuing or maintaining certification must take contractor management seriously.

(Note: The following relates specifically to ISO 45001 and does not imply that it is the only or preferred occupational health and safety standard.)

ISO 45001: Key Clauses Linked to Contractor Prequalification and Management

Clause 5.3: Organizational Roles, Responsibilities and Authorities

• Why it matters: This clause requires that roles and responsibilities for OHS are clearly defined and communicated—including responsibilities related to contractors.

• Prequalification linkage: Organizations must clearly establish who is responsible for selecting, vetting, and overseeing contractors to ensure they meet safety requirements.

Clause 6.1.1 & 6.1.2: Actions to Address Risks and Opportunities / Hazard Identification

• Why it matters: ISO 45001 mandates proactive identification of OHS risks, including those introduced by external parties.

• Prequalification linkage: Contractors bring their own crews, equipment, and methods. Prequalifying them ensures their practices don’t introduce unmanaged risks to your operations.

Clause 7.2: Competence

• Why it matters: Workers must be competent to do their job safely—including third-party workers.

• Prequalification linkage: Contractor management systems must collect and verify licenses, certifications, and training records to confirm worker competence before they arrive on site.

Clause 8.1.4: Procurement and Outsourcing

• Why it matters: This clause directly addresses control over outsourced processes and activities.

• Prequalification linkage: Organizations must ensure contractors conform to OHS requirements. This is the most explicit linkage between contractor prequalification and ISO 45001 compliance.

• What’s expected: Prequalification, contract clauses, documented safety expectations, and performance monitoring throughout the lifecycle of the contract.

Clause 9.1 & 9.3: Monitoring, Measurement, and Management Review

• Why it matters: Performance must be tracked and reviewed to drive improvement.

• Prequalification linkage: A contractor management system should track metrics like document compliance rates, incident history, and audit findings. These can feed into formal management reviews to evaluate contractor performance and risk exposure.

Contractor Oversight Is Not Optional Under ISO 45001

Whether a contractor is on-site for a day or embedded in daily operations, their work and safety practices affect your OHS outcomes—and your certification. ISO 45001 doesn’t treat contractors as external or isolated; it considers them part of your operational ecosystem.

This means due diligence is required before, during, and after engaging contractors. Prequalification is the start. Ongoing verification and performance management close the loop.

Managing Contractor Risk in Line with ISO 45001

A compliant contractor management system should support:

• Standardized prequalification questionnaires

• Verification of submitted safety programs and credentials

• Tracking and alerts for expiring documents

• On-site performance feedback and incident tracking

• Automated reporting for audits and management reviews

By aligning contractor management processes with ISO 45001, you strengthen your organization’s ability to demonstrate compliance—not only during audits, but every day in operations.

Need a Better Way to Manage Contractor Risk?

Platforms like ContractorXchange are designed with ISO-aligned workflows, allowing organizations to efficiently prequalify, track, and verify contractors based on safety performance. If your goal is to align with ISO 45001 or improve how you manage third-party risk, now is the time to modernize your approach.