ISO 45010:2026 · OHS management and ISO 45001

    ISO 45010 and your OHS work

    ISO 45010:2026 is a guidance standard on menstruation and menopause in working life. This page explains soberly where it belongs in ordinary occupational health and safety work: how it relates to ISO 45001, how it relates to national law, what it is not — and what you can do first.

    How it relates to ISO 45001

    ISO 45001 is the requirements standard for occupational health and safety management systems. ISO 45010 is guidance. It can be used as subject support inside a system you already run: in risk assessment, in routines, in worker participation and in reviewing whether something works.

    If you do not have ISO 45001, nothing is lost. The guidance can be used directly in your internal control work. A certified system is not needed for the guidance to be useful.

    How it relates to national law

    A standard does not replace national law. In Norway, the Working Environment Act sections 3-1 and 4-1 require systematic health and safety work and a fully satisfactory working environment, and the Internal Control Regulations section 5 sets out what must be documented and that workers must take part. Other countries have their own duties, which this page does not review.

    Information about menstruation or menopause can be health data — a special category under Article 9 of the GDPR. Practical consequence: start with arrangements that are available without anyone having to explain themselves, and avoid turning a survey of symptoms into your evidence that something is being done.

    Use the standard as a subject reference, and keep legal duties where they belong.

    What ISO 45010 is not

    It cannot be certified. There is no audit, no certificate and no label attached to ISO 45010, because it is guidance and not a requirements document.

    It is not a guarantee of legal compliance either. An organisation that follows the guidance can still be in breach of national duties — and the other way around.

    Four steps that fit what you already do

    None of the steps require new systems, new forms or information about individuals. They can be done in meetings you already hold.

    1. 1. Read what is written down

      Open the handbook or the routine closest to the topic. See what it actually says about temperature, breaks, toilet facilities and who answers when something does not work.

    2. 2. Decide something in advance

      Write down what should be available by default, where it is, and who is responsible. Then nobody has to turn a predictable need into an application.

    3. 3. Connect it to the routine

      The handbook says what the organisation has decided. The routine says how it is done. Being systematic means the two hang together — and that what happens leaves traces that can be reviewed.

    4. 4. Check whether it works

      Add one question to your safety round or your regular one-to-one: does the arrangement work? Ask about conditions, not about who has symptoms.

    Tools that follow the steps

    The worksheets in the guide cover the same steps. They are filled in locally, nothing is stored, and they ask for no personal data. The worksheets themselves are in Norwegian; here is what each one covers.

    • Getting started: responsibility, first action and what is agreed in the meeting.
    • The risk round: how the topic can enter an assessment you already carry out.
    • Participation: how employees and safety representatives can contribute without disclosing their own health.
    • Data flow: which information may arise at all, and how it is handled.
    • National framework: how the topics connect to Norwegian working environment duties.
    • Evaluation: how you notice when an arrangement fails.

    Questions and answers

    Can we be certified against ISO 45010?

    No. The standard is guidance and cannot be certified. A certifiable occupational health and safety management system follows ISO 45001.

    Do we need ISO 45001 to use ISO 45010?

    No. The guidance can be used directly in internal control work. If you do run ISO 45001, it can be used as subject support inside that system.

    Does the standard replace national law?

    No. National occupational health and safety duties apply regardless. A standard can support the work, but it does not replace the duties.

    Do we have to map who menstruates or is going through menopause?

    No. Such information can be health data, a special category under Article 9 of the GDPR. Start with arrangements that are available without anyone having to explain themselves.

    How often should this be reviewed?

    On significant changes in operations, risk or organisation — and at least once a year is common practice.

    Is there a checklist?

    Yes. The tool pages in the guide «Kroppen følger med» contain worksheets and checklists covering the steps above. They are free and need no account. The worksheets are in Norwegian.

    Sources

    This page does not reproduce text from ISO 45010 or ISO 45001. It builds on publicly available information about the standards and Sydera's own notes.

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