Topic Standard for Occupational Health and Safety
Best practice for ensuring the safety, health and well-being of employees
The importance of this Standard
In 2018, the Global Sustainability Standards Board (GSSB), reviewed and updated GRI 403: Occupational Health and Safety 2016. The goal was to ensure alignment with internationally agreed best practice that reflects recent developments in occupational health and safety management and reporting.
As with all our Standards, a multi-stakeholder working group was appointed by the GSSB. An exposure draft of the updated Standard was made available for a 60-day public comment period between 10 August to 9 October 2017.
The GSSB received 55 submissions on the exposure draft from organizations and individuals. All received comments were considered by the Working Group and the GSSB.
In April 2018, the GSSB approved the updated Standard GRI 403: Occupational Health and Safety 2018. The project followed the GSSB Due Process Protocol, the implementation of which was overseen by the Due Process Oversight Committee.
Basis for conclusions
An exposure draft of the updated Standard was made available for a 60-day public comment period between 10 August to 9 October 2017. The GSSB received 55 submissions on the exposure draft from organizations and individuals. Access the links below for a summary of the public comments received and how the GSSB responded to these comments. For any questions, email [email protected].
About the project
In October 2016, the GSSB initiated a project to update the content of GRI 403: Occupational Health and Safety to ensure it is in line with internationally agreed best practice and reflects recent developments in OHS management and reporting. The scope of work included updating, expanding, or deleting existing content, where appropriate.
The final Standard, published on 28 June 2018, represents global best practice on reporting about occupational health and safety management systems, prevention of harm and promotion of health at work. The Standard was developed with expert, multi-stakeholder contributions and is rooted in the public interest.
GRI 403: Occupational Health and Safety 2018 will be effective for reports or other materials published on or after 1 January 2021. Earlier adoption is encouraged. GRI 403: Occupational Health and Safety 2016 can continue to be used for reports or other materials published on or before 31 December 2020.
Want to know more
- ‘Can new metrics stop safe-wash?’ – Read the article prepared together with the working group member Sharron O’Neill.
Related documents
| GRI Topic Standards Project for Occupational Health and Safety – Exposure draft | file | 19 Sep 2020 | English | 962 KB | |
| GRI Topic Standards Project for Occupational Health and Safety – Project proposal | file | 19 Sep 2020 | English | 485 KB | |
| GRI Topic Standards Project for Occupational Health and Safety – Working group terms of reference | file | 19 Sep 2020 | English | 531 KB | |
| GRI 403 Occupational Health and Safety Project Working Group Members | file | 19 Sep 2020 | English | 1.2 MB | |
| GSSB Due Process Protocol 2018 | file | 18 Oct 2018 | English | 213 KB | |
| GSSB Work Program 2020-2022 | file | 01 Dec 2020 | English | 221 KB | |
| GSSB Terms of Reference | file | 18 Oct 2018 | English | 108 KB | |
| Occupational Health and Safety Topic Standard FAQs | file | 16 Jan 2023 | English | 124 KB |
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