The best answer is B .

Under ISO 45001, worker consultation and participation is required by Clause 5.4 , but the standard does not require a specific documented procedure for that clause. The organization must provide mechanisms, information, time, training, and resources for consultation and participation, but ISO 45001 does not say it must maintain a formal procedure specifically for this.

Also, ISO 45001 Clause 7.5.3 requires documented information to be controlled so that it is available and suitable for use, and adequately protected. An “obsolete” document is not automatically a nonconformity just because it exists. It may be retained for reference or historical reasons, provided the organization controls it properly and it is not being used unintentionally as current information. That is why the correct audit reaction is to note it and verify on site whether it is actually part of the current controlled documented information .

Why the other options are not the best:

A is weak because using an obsolete procedure to prepare the checklist risks relying on invalid information before confirming what the current controlled version is.

C is unnecessary as the first response. You already have enough evidence to note a potential document-control point and verify it during the audit.

D is incorrect because you should not raise a nonconformity before verifying the facts on site. An obsolete-marked document alone does not prove a breach of Clause 7.5.3. A nonconformity must be based on objective evidence gathered during the audit.

The correct answer is A .

This is a serious attempted bribe and a direct threat to audit integrity, impartiality, and credibility . A third-party auditor must not accept gifts, inducements, or favorable treatment in exchange for changing, hiding, or weakening audit findings. The auditor must act ethically and protect the certification process from improper influence.

The organization has also failed to implement the agreed corrective action , so that failure must be recorded accurately. Any attempt to conceal it would be dishonest and would invalidate the audit outcome. In certification auditing, impartiality and objective evidence are fundamental principles. An offer of discounted personal work in exchange for suppressing an audit finding is unacceptable and must be escalated.

Therefore, the correct response is to:

stop the audit activity , because the integrity of the audit has been compromised;

leave the site ;

report the attempted bribe immediately to the individual(s) managing the audit programme or certification body;

avoid further direct contact with the auditee until instructions are given.

Why the other options are wrong:

B is unethical because it ignores both the failed corrective action and the attempted bribe.

C is fraudulent because it involves knowingly recording false audit information and accepting the improper benefit.

D is also unethical because it accepts the benefit indirectly and delays the audit to help the auditee avoid the finding.

Audit objectives for the audit team focus on ensuring the audit process is executed effectively, efficiently, and without causing undue disruption to the organization being audited. ISO 19011:2018 provides guidance on setting audit objectives.

Analysis of Options:

A. To reduce instances of injury and ill health: Incorrect. This is an objective of the OH and S management system, not of the audit itself.

B. To minimise risk resulting from the audit process: Correct. ISO 19011 emphasizes managing risks to the auditee and the audit process during audits (Clause 5.4).

C. To improve overall health and safety performance: Incorrect. Improving health and safety performance is an outcome of the OH and S management system, not the audit team ' s objective.

D. To complete the audit on time: Correct. Ensuring timely completion of the audit aligns with effective audit management.

E. To implement any necessary corrective action: Incorrect. Implementing corrective actions is the auditee’s responsibility, not the audit team’s.

Analysis of Each Option:

The correct answers are E, F .

ISO 45001 Clause 8.1.4.2 Contractors requires the organization to coordinate its procurement processes with its contractors, in order to identify hazards and to assess and control the OH and S risks arising from the contractors’ activities and operations that impact the organization, the organization’s activities and operations that impact the contractors’ workers, and the contractors’ activities and operations that impact other interested parties in the workplace . It also requires the organization to ensure that contractors and their workers meet the organization’s OH and S management system requirements.

In this case, the objective evidence already found during the audit supports the nonconformity:

the hazards list did not include contractor-related hazards;

the Purchase Manager relied on trust rather than controlled OH and S coordination;

the OH and S team said chemical safety had never been a problem, which is not evidence of hazard identification, risk assessment, or control.

The email shown at the closing meeting only states that contractors carry out a site risk assessment . That does not automatically demonstrate that Shelf-Fit itself has met Clause 8.1.4.2 requirements for coordinated procurement control, hazard identification, and control of contractor OH and S risks within its own management system. Therefore, the nonconformity should not simply be withdrawn on the spot.

E. Advise management that the information provided will be reviewed at the audit follow-up stage is acceptable because the auditee can submit corrective-action evidence after the audit. The certification decision and close-out process can consider additional evidence later, but that does not erase the nonconformity already supported by audit evidence gathered during the audit.

F. Note the OHS Manager ' s comments but indicate that there is evidence of a nonconformity that needs to be addressed is also acceptable because this is exactly what the audit team leader should do at the closing meeting: acknowledge the auditee’s response, but maintain the finding where objective evidence supports it.

Why the other options are not acceptable:

A is not appropriate at the closing meeting. The audit team should base findings on evidence gathered within the audit scope and timing, not start a new off-line investigation with contractors at that point.

B is weak audit management. The audit team leader should control the discussion and decision, not hand it over informally.

C is incorrect because the information is not irrelevant; it is relevant, but not sufficient to invalidate the nonconformity.

D is not acceptable because the email does not remove the original evidence of failure in Shelf-Fit’s contractor control process.

Clause 0.2 of ISO 45001 emphasizes the involvement of top management and alignment of OH and S objectives with the organization’s OH and S policy.

Nonconformities Identified:

The objectives were developed by an external consultant without involving top management, which undermines leadership accountability and commitment.

The objectives were based on a competitor’s framework, not aligned with the organization’s unique OH and S policy or context.

Analysis of Options:

A. Establishing OH and S objectives did not include top management. True. Clause 5.1 (Leadership) and Clause 6.2 (Objectives) emphasize that top management must be involved in defining and supporting OH and S objectives.

B. OH and S objectives are not being implemented by personnel. Implementation relates to operationalization, not the development phase, and is not relevant to Clause 0.2.

C. OH and S objectives are not maintained as documented information. While documentation is required, the absence of documented information is a separate issue under Clause 7.5, not Clause 0.2.

D. OH and S objectives were not established in alignment with the organization’s OH and S policy. True. Clause 6.2.1 requires objectives to align with the OH and S policy, which reflects the organization’s commitment to safety and health.

E. The consultant has not interpreted ISO 45001 correctly. While possibly true, the issue here is the organization’s failure to involve top management, not the consultant’s interpretation.

F. The organization cannot afford to undertake OH and S objectives all at once. Financial constraints are not relevant to Clause 0.2; objectives can be prioritized for phased implementation.

ISO References:

Clause 0.2: Leadership commitment and alignment with organizational policy.

Clause 5.1: Top management’s role in leadership and participation.

Clause 6.2.1: Establishing OH and S objectives aligned with the policy.

ISO 45001 Clause 8.1.3 Management of change states that the organization must establish processes for the implementation and control of planned temporary and permanent changes that impact OH and S performance . It also says this includes new products, services and processes , and changes to existing products, services and processes . That makes A true. It also supports B , because the clause is specifically about changes that impact the organization’s OH and S performance .

Statement E is also true. If the organization decides, after an emergency preparedness and response exercise, that it needs to change part of the OHSMS to improve OH and S performance, then that change has to be implemented in a controlled way under the organization’s management-of-change process. ISO 45001 links emergency preparedness with improvement and requires changes impacting OH and S performance to be controlled.

Why the others are false:

C is false because ISO 45001 does not limit management of change to planned changes only. It says the organization must also review the consequences of unintended changes and take action to mitigate adverse effects.

D is false because Clause 8.1.3 does not require retaining documented information of all changes . The clause requires establishing processes for implementation and control, but it does not state a blanket requirement to retain documented information for every change.

F is false because developments in knowledge and technology are explicitly included in management of change, not excluded.

G is false because changes are not limited to those identified by the organization itself; the clause also includes changes in legal and other requirements , and changes in knowledge or information about hazards and risks .

H is false because ISO 45001 explicitly says management of change applies to temporary and permanent planned changes.

Audit reports should focus on objective evidence, observations, and findings relevant to the management system and the audit process. Personal opinions, unrelated remarks, or derogatory comments are inappropriate.

Analysis of Statements:

A. The guide was trying to be helpful and would not stop talking during the audit: Incorrect. This is irrelevant to the audit findings or conclusions.

B. The Sales Manager was kind and seems to be a nice person: Incorrect. Personal opinions about individuals are not appropriate in audit reports.

C. The audit client’s objectives for this audit were never realistic. That’s why we were unable to complete the audit plan: Correct. This is relevant as it relates to the audit process and highlights challenges in meeting objectives.

D. The maintenance team could not replace a lightbulb, let alone an air conditioning unit: Incorrect. This is derogatory and irrelevant to the audit report.

E. The OHS Management team were extremely helpful and went out of their way to facilitate access to required records: Correct. This is a valid observation about cooperation during the audit process.

F. The OHS Manager disagreed with me in respect of all of the nonconformances I raised. He still does not accept any of them: Incorrect. While disagreements may occur, this statement is overly subjective and not constructive.

G. The Production Manager is lucky to have a job as he does not appear to understand how anything works around here: Incorrect. Personal attacks or irrelevant judgments have no place in the report.

H. The Sales Manager said he had forgotten the password to the Sales Ordering system and so too had everyone else in his department: Correct. This relates to system access and could indicate a nonconformance or an opportunity for improvement.

ISO References:

ISO 19011:2018, Clause 6.7: Reporting audit results.