ISO 45001 GAP Analysis for Greater Manchester Business

We recently finished an ISO 45001 gap analysis for a manufacturing business, SaltSep (Salt Separation Services) in Greater Manchester. They’re heading for certification and wanted a straight answer to a simple question: how far off are we?

What a gap analysis actually is

Nothing mystical. We measure what you already do against what ISO 45001 expects, clause by clause. Some of it you’ll already be doing without realising it counts. Some of it exists on paper but not on the floor. Some of it is genuinely missing. The job is to sort which is which, honestly.

How we did it

On site, not from a desk. We walked the floor, talked to operators and supervisors as well as managers, and went through what already existed: policies, risk assessments, training records, incident reporting. Paperwork tells you what a system says. People tell you what actually happens.

What they got

A prioritised list of findings in plain English: what’s already compliant, what needs tightening, what’s missing, and what order to tackle it in. Each item sized roughly by effort, so the team can plan the work around production rather than the other way round. No hundred-page report.

They’re doing the work themselves

This client has a capable team, so they took the findings and are closing the gaps in-house. That’s exactly how it should work. A good gap analysis doesn’t create dependence on a consultant; it gives your own people a map. We’re at the end of the phone if anything awkward comes up, and when they go for certification, the groundwork will already be done. Their words, from the review they kindly left us: “thorough, professional and delivered in a way that added real value”.

When a gap analysis makes sense

Before you commit to certification, so you know the size of the job before you’re on the clock. After a near miss or an HSE visit, when you need to know where you really stand. Or when a customer or tender asks for ISO 45001 and you need a realistic plan rather than a guess.

If that’s where you are, our free self-assessment checklists are a decent first look, or book a stress-free chat and we’ll talk through what a gap analysis would look like on your site.