The OHSAS 18001 standard was developed to bridge the gap where no international standard existed for occupational health and safety. Development involved input from a number of leading bodies, including certifiers, trade bodies and expert consultancies.

Despite not being an ISO standard, OHSAS 18001 has been designed to be compatible with the ISO 9001 (Quality) and ISO 14001 (Environmental) standards, thus helping organizations to achieve an integrated management strategy.

Every employer is under a statutory duty to arrange for a "competent person" to assess all risks arising at the workplace, or created by work activities.