Clause 7.2: Competence
The organization decides what competence workers need where their work affects, or could affect, OH&S performance.
What clause 7.2 asks
The organization decides what competence workers need where their work affects, or could affect, OH&S performance. It makes sure workers are competent, which includes being able to spot hazards, through education, training or experience; where applicable it acts to gain and keep that competence and checks whether those actions worked; and it keeps documented information as proof of competence.
Competence is the ability to do the work and to recognise the hazard in it. Attendance at a course is not evidence of either.
Draft 7.2 Competence, from clause 7.2. The public summaries report that training must in future be provided free of charge and during paid working hours, a point the 2018 edition carried only as a note. The clause stays at 7.2 in the draft contents.
Evidence for clause 7.2
An auditor will ask a worker to explain a hazard in their own task, then check the competence record against that answer.
- CompetenceCompetency matrix by role including hazard identification ability
- CompetenceTraining records and competence assessments
- CompetenceEffectiveness evaluations of training
- CompetenceLicence and certification records for high-risk work
Where clause 7.2 commonly fails
- Competence defined as attendance at training
- Hazard identification competence not assessed
- Contractor competence not verified
What to do about clause 7.2 before the revision
Add hazard recognition to the competence matrix for every role, not only high-risk work. Move training into paid time and record the cost. Assess competence after training, and re-assess after a change.
What the record shows for clause 7.2
An auditor working on clause 7.2 will start with Competency matrix by role including hazard identification ability. The failure this record sees most often is Competence defined as attendance at training. Both are carried into the kit as row 18, with an owner field and a dated action.
Read across from clause 7.2
Read the next clause in the group, or open the full index. The revision map shows the draft structure.
Source for clause 7.2: ISO 45001:2018, clause 7.2, retrieved 18 October 2026. The draft note rests on the public DIS contents and the two named summaries; the requirement, evidence and gaps are written from the held clause record. Every source.