Templates and records · ISO 45001 · Clause 5.4

ISO 45001 record of worker consultation and participation

The requirement that sets ISO 45001 apart from its predecessor and where most systems stumble: showing that non-managerial workers have a say and a hand in prevention, not just that they are informed.

In one sentence

The record of consultation and participation documents which health and safety matters have been put to non-managerial workers, through which channel, what they answered and what was decided, and what they have taken part in —hazard identification, incident investigation, actions—; ISO 45001 does not require it as a document (5.4), but it is the only way to demonstrate a requirement the auditor always checks by talking to the workforce.

Content reviewed on 17 October 2026

Where the standard requires it: ISO 45001 · Clause 5.4 Clauses are cited using the numbering of ISO 45001:2018, the current edition, which includes the 2024 amendment on climate change.
Type of information: Good practice Clause 5.4 requires the consultation and participation process, not a specific record
Who fills it in: Management and health and safety practitioner With safety representatives and workers from each area; the response to each consultation is signed by whoever makes the decision
When: Before deciding Whenever something that affects safety changes: equipment, shifts, methods, objectives or preventive measures
How long it is kept: Set by the organisation ISO 45001 sets no retention periods (7.5.3). Spanish Law 31/1995 also requires prevention documentation to be kept available to the labour authority (art. 23), so it is wise not to destroy anything while the role or risk it refers to still exists.

What the standard requires

What ISO 45001 demands and what it leaves to your judgement

The standard distinguishes two things. Consultation means seeking views before a decision is made: on the needs of interested parties, the policy, roles, how to meet legal requirements, objectives, controls applicable to contractors and purchasing, monitoring and the audit programme. Participation means being involved in the decision itself: identifying hazards and assessing risks, deciding on measures, determining training needs, investigating incidents and deciding on corrective actions.

It also requires the removal of barriers to participation —language, fear of reprisals, lack of time— and the provision of training and time to take part.

In Spain, Law 31/1995 governs worker consultation and the roles of safety representatives and the health and safety committee (arts. 33 to 38). The committee is a valid channel, but the standard expects you to reach non-managerial workers, and quarterly committee minutes are not enough on their own.

Read it in context: Leadership, in the ISO 45001 Academy

Structure

Fields the template should include

Matter consulted on and the clause of the standard or legal article it relates to
Type: consultation or participation
Channel: committee, area meeting, suggestion box, survey, working group
People consulted or taking part, including non-managerial workers
Date of consultation and deadline for responses
Views or proposals received
Decision taken, with the reasoning if it departs from what was proposed
Communication of the decision to those who took part

Example

Example: consultation on buying new forklifts

Company, people and figures are fictitious: the example only shows what a properly completed record looks like.

Field	Content
Matter	Choice of three new forklift trucks for the warehouse
Type	Consultation before purchase (controls on procurement)
Channel	Meeting with the 9 forklift drivers and the safety representative, 14 April 2026
Proposals	Heated cab for the night shift; rear camera; suspension seat
Participation	Two forklift drivers trial the two shortlisted models for a week
Decision	The model with camera and suspension seat is bought; the cab is ruled out on visibility grounds
Reasoning	The trial showed the cab reduces side visibility in narrow aisles
Communication	Explained at the shift briefing on 5 May

At the audit

Mistakes auditors commonly flag

There are only health and safety committee minutes: no direct consultation of non-managerial workers is on record.
Decisions already taken are announced and called “consultation”.
Workers’ proposals never receive a reply.
In audit interviews, staff do not know how to report a hazard.
Workers do not take part in investigating accidents in their own area.

In Kimobox

How this record is kept in Kimobox

1Consultations with workers and their responses are recorded with a date within the health and safety workflow itself.
2Interested parties and the consultation channel are registered in a versioned table.
3The health and safety policy is published as a controlled document, with read receipts from staff.
4Any user can raise a health and safety nonconformity with its evidence, and the root cause captures worker participation.

Frequently asked questions

What people ask us before getting started

Is the health and safety committee enough?

It is an important channel, but ISO 45001 requires non-managerial workers to be consulted and involved, and the auditor checks this by asking on the shop floor. The usual approach combines the committee with area-level consultations, suggestion boxes and direct involvement in investigations and assessments.

What is the difference between consultation and participation?

Consulting means gathering views before deciding; participating means being involved in the decision. The standard lists the matters of each type, and participation —identifying hazards, investigating incidents, deciding actions— is the more demanding of the two.

What if the company has no worker representatives?

Consultation takes place directly with the workforce. The standard does not depend on there being legal representation; it calls for genuine mechanisms, with the time and training to use them.

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Sources

Where each figure comes from

References to the official text in force. If a standard is revised, this page is updated and the review date says so.

ISO 45001:2018 — Occupational health and safety management systems — Requirements with guidance for use ISO · 2018 ed., with Amd 1:2024
Ley 31/1995 of 8 November on the prevention of occupational risks BOE-A-1995-24292 · Consolidated text