There have been a number of significant changes to the standard since first published in 1999 which reflects its widespread and growing use. The changes include much greater emphasis on "health" rather than just "safety", with a significantly improved alignment to ISO 14001:2004 to allow businesses to more easily develop integrated management systems.

OHSAS 18001:2007 will supersede OHSAS 18001:1999 which will be withdrawn. There will be a two year transition period (which commenced 1 July 2007 with the publication of OHSAS 18001:2007) for those organizations that have already achieved certification to the existing 1999 specification, or are in the final stages of achieving it. It is not anticipated this will cause any significant problems for businesses. For more info, you may down load attached presentation for reference .