Last edited 26 Jan 2021

ISO/PAS 45005 Guidance for working safely during COVID-19

1 Introduction
2 Background
3 Scope of guidance
4 Related articles on Designing Buildings Wiki
5 External resources

[edit] Introduction

The COVID-19 pandemic that began in 2020 prompted ISO occupational health and safety (OH&S) experts to develop comprehensive generic guidance about protecting staff while continuing to function effectively.

Published in December 2020, ISO/PAS 45005:2020, Occupational health and safety management – General guidelines for safe working during the COVID-19 pandemic was created in response to the urgency of the situation and the immediate need for such information.

The document is available to view for free and can also be purchased from the ISO Store.

[edit] Background

The publicly available specification (PAS) was approved in three months by the 80 member countries of ISO/TC 283 - ISO’s technical committee for occupational health and safety management. The secretariat of ISO/TC 283 is held by BSI, which is ISO’s member for the UK.

The format of the guidance allows it to be updated or developed into a formal standard, depending on the future course of the pandemic and the emergence of new information.

[edit] Scope of guidance

ISO/PAS 45005 includes international best practice about how to manage the health and safety of employees and stakeholders during the COVID-19 pandemic and is intended to complement existing national guidelines and regulations.

It provides guidance for organisations about how to manage the risks arising from COVID-19 to protect work-related health, safety and wellbeing. However, it is not intended to provide guidance about how to implement specific infection control protocols in clinical, healthcare and other settings.

It is suitable for organisations of all sizes and sectors, including those that:

Have been operating throughout the pandemic.
Are resuming or planning to resume operations following full or partial closure.
Are re-occupying workplaces that have been fully or partially closed.
Are new and planning to operate for the first time.

It also provides guidance relating to the protection of workers (including those workers employed by an organisation, workers of external providers, contractors, self-employed individuals, agency workers, older workers, workers with a disability and first responders), and other relevant parties (including visitors to a workplace and members of the general public).