Introduction
Becoming an ISO 45001 Lead Auditor involves more than completing a training course. If your goal is to achieve the IRCA Lead Auditor grade in the Occupational Health and Safety scheme, you need to complete the relevant IRCA Certified Training and meet the applicable audit experience requirements.
ISO 45001:2018 is the international management system standard for occupational health and safety. For professionals who want to develop their career in OH&S management system auditing, Lead Auditor training provides the foundation for understanding how to plan, conduct, report and follow up management system audits.
If you are also exploring other management system auditing pathways, read How to become ISO 9001 QMS Lead Auditor and How to become ISO 14001 EMS Lead Auditor.
To become an ISO 45001 Lead Auditor and apply for the IRCA Lead Auditor grade, you need to successfully complete the relevant IRCA Certified auditor/Lead Auditor training and meet IRCA’s required auditing experience. If you do not already hold the IRCA Auditor grade, the current requirements amount to at least 7 management system audits and 35 audit days, including at least 25 on-site days. Three of those audits must be completed as the leader of an audit team, with at least one other person on the team.
Completing the training course is therefore an important step, but course completion alone does not mean you hold the IRCA Lead Auditor grade.
What Does an ISO 45001 Lead Auditor Do?
An ISO 45001 Lead Auditor works with Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems and leads management system audit activities.
A Lead Auditor may be responsible for coordinating the audit process, working with an audit team, evaluating the management system against applicable requirements and supporting the completion of the audit process.
The role requires both knowledge of the management system standard and practical auditing competence. This is why the pathway involves training as well as documented audit experience.
If you are new to the standard itself, read What is ISO 45001:2018 Occupational Health and Safety Management System? before exploring the Lead Auditor pathway.
Requirements to Become an ISO 45001 Lead Auditor and CQI IRCA Requirements
The requirements depend on what you mean by “become a Lead Auditor.”
There is an important distinction between successfully completing an ISO 45001 Lead Auditor course and obtaining the IRCA Lead Auditor grade.
Complete the Relevant IRCA Certified Training
Training is one of the key requirements.
IRCA’s current certification requirements state that an applicant for the Auditor or Lead Auditor grade needs to have passed the relevant IRCA Certified Auditor/Lead Auditor course, or an applicable IRCA Certified conversion course where appropriate.
You can review the ISO 45001:2018 OHSMS Lead Auditor training course for course information.
Completing the course demonstrates successful completion of the required training. It should not, however, be confused with automatically becoming an IRCA Lead Auditor.
Meet the IRCA Audit Experience Requirements
To obtain the Lead Auditor grade, applicants must also demonstrate the audit experience required by IRCA.
The requirements differ depending on whether you already hold the IRCA Auditor grade.
If you already hold the Auditor grade, you need to meet the additional Lead Auditor audit requirements.
If you do not hold the Auditor grade, you must meet both the Auditor and Lead Auditor audit requirements.
Current Audit Experience Requirements
The following requirements are based on current official IRCA information.
Auditor Grade Requirements
For the Auditor grade, IRCA requires a minimum of:
- 4 management system audits
- Audits covering all elements of the audit cycle
- 20 audit days
- At least 15 on-site audit days
Lead Auditor Grade Requirements
If you already hold the IRCA Auditor grade, IRCA requires a minimum of:
- 3 full management system audits as leader of an audit team
- The audit team must include at least one other person
- 15 audit days
- At least 10 on-site audit days
If You Do Not Already Hold the IRCA Auditor Grade
You must meet both sets of requirements.
IRCA currently summarizes this as a minimum of:
| Requirement | Minimum |
|---|---|
| Management system audits | 7 audits |
| Total audit experience | 35 days |
| On-site audit experience | 25 days |
| Audits as Lead Auditor | 3 audits |
For the three Lead Auditor audits, you must act as leader of an audit team that includes at least one other person.
When Must the Audits Be Completed?
IRCA specifies that qualifying audits must:
- Be performed after successfully completing an IRCA Certified Training Course in the scheme for which you are applying
- Be audits against the standard of the scheme for which you are applying
- Be completed within five years of the date of your application
This is important if you already have auditing experience. Audits completed before successfully completing the relevant IRCA Certified Training Course are not accepted toward these certification requirements.
IRCA also states that remote audits can be accepted where the interaction between auditor and auditee is comparable to what would occur during an on-site audit.
Maintaining appropriate records of your auditing experience is therefore important as you work toward the Lead Auditor grade.
Where to Take ISO 45001 Lead Auditor Training
If your objective is the IRCA certification pathway, make sure you choose the relevant IRCA Certified Training Course.
3FOLD Training is a CQI IRCA Approved Training Partner and provides ISO 45001:2018 OHSMS Lead Auditor training.
The course provides training and learning activities designed to develop knowledge and skills related to Occupational Health and Safety Management System auditing.
You can also review the course calendar for upcoming training options.
For learners who prefer remote participation, read more about online Lead Auditor courses.
Conclusion
Becoming an ISO 45001 Lead Auditor involves two important stages: developing the required knowledge through appropriate training and building the audit experience required for the grade you want to achieve.
For professionals pursuing the IRCA Lead Auditor grade, successfully completing the relevant IRCA Certified Training Course is not the end of the process. You must also satisfy IRCA’s applicable audit-experience requirements.
If you do not already hold the IRCA Auditor grade, the current pathway requires meeting both Auditor and Lead Auditor audit requirements: a minimum of 7 audits, 35 audit days and 25 on-site days, including three audits as leader of an audit team with at least one other person.
Understanding these requirements before starting can help you plan your training and future audit experience more effectively.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. How do I become an ISO 45001 Lead Auditor?
If your objective is the IRCA Lead Auditor grade in the Occupational Health and Safety scheme, you need to successfully complete the relevant IRCA Certified training and meet IRCA’s applicable audit experience requirements.
2. Does completing an ISO 45001 Lead Auditor course automatically make me an IRCA Lead Auditor?
No. Successfully completing the relevant training satisfies the training component, but the IRCA Lead Auditor grade also has audit experience requirements.
3. How much audit experience is required for the IRCA Lead Auditor grade?
If you do not already hold the IRCA Auditor grade, you need to meet both the Auditor and Lead Auditor requirements. IRCA currently states this means a minimum of 7 audits, 35 audit days and 25 on-site days, with three audits performed as Lead Auditor while leading at least one other auditor.
4. What if I already hold the IRCA Auditor grade?
If you already hold the Auditor grade, the Lead Auditor requirement is at least three full management system audits as leader of an audit team, including at least one other person, totaling at least 15 audit days, of which at least 10 are on-site.
5. Do audits completed before my IRCA Certified Training count?
No. IRCA states that qualifying audits must have been performed after successfully completing the relevant IRCA Certified Training Course.
6. How recent must my audit experience be?
The audits used toward the application requirements must have been performed within five years of the application date.
7. Can remote audits count toward IRCA audit experience?
IRCA states that remote audits can be accepted where there has been as much interaction between the auditor and auditee as would occur during an on-site audit.
8. Where can I take ISO 45001 Lead Auditor training?
You can review the ISO 45001:2018 OHSMS Lead Auditor training offered by 3FOLD Training and check the course calendar for upcoming training options.
Take the Next Step Toward ISO 45001 Lead Auditor Training
If ISO 45001 Lead Auditor training is the next step in your auditing journey, explore the course details and upcoming training options.
