What is ISO 45001?
ISO 45001 is the international standard for occupational health and safety (OHS) management systems. ISO says it helps organisations provide safe and healthy workplaces by preventing work-related injury and ill health, managing risks and continually improving OHS performance (ISO 45001 explained; see also the ISO 45001:2018 page). Its requirements include leadership commitment and worker participation, hazard identification and risk assessment, operational controls and emergency preparedness, and performance monitoring. ISO states that certification is voluntary, and that in some markets clients, supply chains or public procurement ask for it. For mining suppliers, ISO 45001 is the one most often tied to safety prequalification.
What is ISO 9001?
ISO 9001 is the international standard for quality management systems. ISO describes it as a framework that helps organisations deliver consistent products and services and meet customer and regulatory expectations. It sets out requirements for a quality management system but does not prescribe how an organisation must operate (ISO 9001 explained). ISO notes that certification is voluntary and is commonly requested in situations such as supplier approval processes and tenders. Only organisations can be certified; individuals cannot.
What is ISO 14001?
ISO 14001 is the international standard for environmental management systems. ISO says it helps organisations manage their environmental impacts, comply with applicable legal requirements, prevent pollution and improve environmental performance over time (ISO 14001 explained). Certification is voluntary and may be required by customers, supply chains or public tenders where environmental performance is part of selection.
Which edition applies? Editions change. ISO’s explainer pages cite ISO 45001:2018, ISO 9001:2015 and ISO 14001:2026, and the ISO site announces a new edition of ISO 9001. Ask your certification body which edition it will audit you against and what transition arrangements apply.
Why miners ask for them
We found no official source stating why individual miners ask for these certificates, so this is our reading, not a rule. A third-party audited certificate gives a buyer a quick signal that a supplier has documented systems for quality, safety or environment, which reduces the checking the buyer has to do itself. It does not replace the buyer’s own requirements. Some tenders list a certificate as mandatory and some list it as preferred. Read the request.
How do you get ISO certified?
You build a management system that meets the standard, then an independent, accredited certification body audits it and issues the certificate. ISO does not certify companies (ISO conformity assessment). The steps below follow the process described by a certification body for ISO 45001; the sequence is similar for ISO 9001 and ISO 14001, but confirm details with the body you choose (Amtivo).
- Gap analysis. Compare your current practices with the requirements of the standard to find what is missing.
- Build and document the system. Write the policies, procedures and records the standard requires, and put them into practice so you have records to show.
- Internal audit. A qualified in-house or external auditor checks your system against the standard before the certification audit, and you fix what they find.
- Management review. Management reviews the performance and effectiveness of the system before the certification audits.
- Choose an accredited certification body. Compare several. ISO advises checking whether a body is accredited, and notes accreditation is not compulsory by itself, but buyers commonly expect it. In Australia, check the JAS-ANZ register. You can verify a certificate through IAF CertSearch, as described on ISO’s certification page.
- Stage 1 and Stage 2 audits. Stage 1 reviews your documented system and highlights gaps. Stage 2 evaluates how well the controls are actually working. Any nonconformities raised must be closed with corrective action.
- Certificate issued. If the requirements are met, the body issues a certificate with a defined scope.
We do not publish a cost or a timeline because we found no official source for either. Ask two or three accredited bodies for a quote and a realistic timetable for a business like yours.
How long does certification last?
An ISO certificate typically runs on a three-year cycle. After the initial certification audit, the certification body carries out surveillance audits each year, then a recertification audit at the end of the three years, and the cycle starts again (Amtivo). This cycle is described by certification bodies rather than set in the standards themselves, so confirm the exact arrangement with your own body.
What JAS-ANZ accredited means
In Australia and New Zealand, JAS-ANZ accredits certification bodies. JAS-ANZ publishes a register where you can check whether a body is accredited and for which schemes (JAS-ANZ register; you can also search accredited bodies). Before you pay a body, check it appears for the standard you want. Also check the scope on any certificate you are shown: it must cover the activities the buyer cares about.
Before you start
- Find out which standard the buyer actually asks for, and whether it is mandatory.
- Ask two or three accredited bodies for quotes and a timeline. We do not publish costs or timelines.
- Check the scope wording on the certificate matches what you sell to mining.
- Keep the certificate and audit records ready to upload to the buyer’s prequalification platform.
- Do not treat a certificate as a substitute for task-level safety documents such as SWMS and JSA.
Frequently asked questions
What is ISO 45001?
ISO 45001 is the international standard for occupational health and safety management systems. ISO says it helps organisations provide safe and healthy workplaces by preventing work-related injury and ill health. Certification against it is voluntary.
What is ISO 9001?
ISO 9001 is the international standard for quality management systems. It sets requirements for a framework that helps an organisation deliver consistent products and services. Certification against it is voluntary.
How do you get ISO certified?
Typically you run a gap analysis against the standard, document and implement your management system, carry out an internal audit and a management review, then engage an accredited certification body for a Stage 1 and Stage 2 audit. If nonconformities are closed, the body issues a certificate.
How long does ISO certification last?
Certification bodies describe a three-year cycle: the initial certification audit, annual surveillance audits in the following years, then a recertification audit at the end of the three years. Confirm the exact cycle with your chosen body.
Does ISO certify my company?
No. ISO writes the standards but does not issue certificates. Certification is carried out by independent certification bodies, as ISO explains on its conformity assessment page.
What is JAS-ANZ and why does it matter?
JAS-ANZ is the joint accreditation body for Australia and New Zealand. It accredits certification bodies. A certificate from a JAS-ANZ accredited body is the one buyers are most likely to trust, because the body that issued it has itself been assessed. JAS-ANZ publishes a register of accredited bodies you can search.
How much does certification cost and how long does it take to get?
We do not publish a figure because we found no official cost or timeline. It depends on your size, scope and the certification body, and bodies quote for their own services. Ask two or three accredited bodies for quotes and a typical timetable for a business like yours.
Do I need all three?
Not necessarily. It depends on what your buyers ask for. Many suppliers start with the one their key client requires and add others later. Check each tender or prequalification request.
Does ISO certification replace prequalification?
No. Prequalification platforms and mine-specific requirements are separate. A certificate may satisfy part of a buyer's questionnaire but rarely all of it. Site inductions and role-specific licences are also separate.
Sources
Last checked 8 October 2026. Every legal or regulatory statement in this guide comes from one of these pages. Rules and platform terms change, so confirm against the source before you rely on them.
- ISO: Conformity assessment (certification is done by external bodies, not ISO)
- ISO: ISO 9001 explained
- ISO: ISO 14001 explained
- ISO: ISO 45001 explained
- ISO: ISO 45001:2018 standard page
- ISO: Certification (choosing and verifying a certification body)
- Amtivo (certification body): What is ISO 45001? Certification steps and 3-year cycle
- JAS-ANZ: About the JAS-ANZ register
- JAS-ANZ: Search accredited bodies