At the end of last year, ISO published a new international specification related to health and safety at work. The uncertainty caused by the COVID-19 pandemic in all aspects of human life has created an urgent need to develop comprehensive guidance on protecting staff. Having this in mind, experts from several ISO member countries have prepared this document in record time.

ISO/PAS 45005, Occupational health and safety management - General guidelines for safe working during the COVID-19 pandemic, as stated in the ISO, was developed in just three months, while under normal circumstances the average time required for the development of an ISO standard is almost twelve times longer. Publicly available specification (PAS) designation that accompanies the title of this standard indicates that this document is a publicly available specification which, as announced by ISO, has been published in a format that allows the document to be updated in its present form, or, if necessary, to be developed into a formal standard.

ISO/PAS 45005 provides practical recommendations on managing any risks arising from COVID-19, and is applicable to all types of organizations. As it brings together international best practice, this specification can be extremely useful to all those organizations that do not have a dedicated OH&S department within their activities.

The specification is now available online, free of charge.