ISO 45010:2026
Occupational health and safety management — Menstruation and menopause in the workplace — Guidance
Standard Introduction
ISO 45010:2026 is the first international standard dedicated to workplace policies and practices that support menstrual and menopausal health and experiences. Published on 7 September 2026, it helps organizations identify practical adjustments and reduce avoidable barriers without treating normal life-course experiences as illnesses.
The guidance can be adapted by organizations of any size or sector. It covers physical aspects of work, policy, culture, work design, confidential disclosure, privacy, inclusion, small-organization needs, evaluation and manager tools. It complements ISO 45001 but is voluntary guidance, not a certifiable standard or medical guidance.
Practical Workplace Guidance
Helps organizations identify policies, work-design choices, physical adjustments, manager practices, and support mechanisms for workers experiencing menstruation or menopause.
Inclusive and Adaptable
Applies to organizations of any size or sector and addresses privacy, disclosure, culture, diverse experiences, demanding work environments, and cost-effective action for smaller employers.
Fits Existing OH&S Systems
Can be embedded into occupational health, wellbeing, human-resources, workplace-design, and ISO 45001 processes instead of operating as a separate certification program.
list_alt Implementation Focus Areas
- Physical aspects of work and facilities
- Policy guidance and consistent practices
- Supportive workplace culture and manager capability
- Work design and practical adjustments
- Confidential disclosure and privacy
- Inclusive support for different worker experiences
- Proportionate action for small and medium-sized organizations
- Evaluation, feedback, and outcome metrics
Who Needs to Comply?
Organizations of any size or sector that want to reduce workplace barriers linked to menstruation and menopause. The guidance is particularly useful to leaders, line managers, HR, occupational health and safety, wellbeing, diversity and inclusion, facilities, and workplace-design teams.
Key Requirements
Understand Needs Without Assumptions
Use worker consultation and suitable evidence to identify barriers and support needs without assuming that every worker has the same experience or wants to disclose personal health information.
Review the Physical Workplace
Assess facilities, uniforms, temperature, rest access, sanitation, hydration, task demands, travel, and other physical factors that may create avoidable barriers.
Define Policy and Adjustments
Set a clear, proportionate route for requesting and agreeing support, including flexible or practical adjustments that reflect the role, workplace, and individual circumstances.
Prepare Managers and Support Roles
Give managers, HR, OH&S, and relevant support personnel the awareness, boundaries, escalation routes, and resources needed for respectful and consistent responses.
Protect Privacy and Inclusion
Limit personal information, keep conversations confidential, avoid forced disclosure and stereotyping, and account for cultural, gender, disability, neurodivergence, and other intersecting factors.
Evaluate and Improve
Use appropriate indicators, anonymous feedback, policy usage, retention or absence trends, and periodic review to test whether support is accessible and effective without monitoring individuals intrusively.
Implementation Roadmap
Set scope and listen safely
Assign an accountable sponsor and a cross-functional working group. Review the work settings, roles, existing OH&S and people processes, then gather worker input through confidential and voluntary channels without requiring personal disclosure.
Design policy, adjustments and safeguards
Define practical support routes, decision authority, privacy boundaries, workplace and job-design adjustments, manager escalation paths, and links to occupational health or qualified external resources. Test the design against varied roles, locations and worker needs.
Prepare managers and launch support
Train managers and support teams on respectful conversations, confidentiality, limits of their role, available adjustments and escalation. Communicate the process in inclusive language and pilot it in representative work settings before wider rollout.
Evaluate outcomes and improve
Monitor access, worker feedback, response consistency and suitable organizational trends without tracking individuals intrusively. Review the policy after feedback, workplace changes or evidence of uneven access, and document improvement decisions.
Compliance Checklist
checklist Governance and worker input
checklist Policy, workplace and manager practice
checklist Privacy, inclusion and improvement
ISO 45010, ISO 45001 and ISO 45003
The three standards are complementary, but they have different purposes and certification roles.
| Standard | Primary purpose | Typical output | Certification role |
|---|---|---|---|
| ISO 45010:2026 | Menstruation and menopause support at work | Policies, adjustments, manager practice, privacy safeguards and evaluation | Guidance; not independently certifiable |
| ISO 45001:2018 | Occupational health and safety management system | Organization-wide OH&S governance, risk controls and improvement system | Certifiable requirements standard |
| ISO 45003:2021 | Psychological health and safety and psychosocial risk | Psychosocial hazard identification, controls and wellbeing practices | Guidance; supports ISO 45001 |
Common Misconceptions
ISO 45010 requires every worker to discuss private health information with a manager.
Support should be accessible without forced disclosure. Confidentiality, privacy and respectful conversations are part of a workable process.
A generic menopause policy is enough.
The guidance spans physical work, culture, work design, manager practice, inclusion, privacy and evaluation. A policy has limited value if workers cannot obtain practical support.
The standard is only relevant to office employers.
It is designed for organizations of any size or sector, including physically or psychologically demanding environments where facilities, uniforms, shifts or task design may need attention.
Following ISO 45010 automatically proves legal compliance.
ISO 45010 is voluntary international guidance. Employment, equality, privacy, disability-accommodation and OH&S obligations vary by jurisdiction and require separate legal mapping.
Penalties & Enforcement
ISO 45010:2026 is voluntary guidance, not a certifiable requirements standard, and creates no direct legal penalty. Employment, equality, privacy, disability-accommodation, and occupational health and safety duties still depend on the applicable jurisdiction and must be assessed separately.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is ISO 45010:2026?
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ISO 45010:2026 is an international guidance standard for developing workplace policies and practices that support workers' menstrual and menopausal health and experiences. It covers practical action across workplace design, policy, culture, work design, privacy, inclusion and evaluation.
Who should use ISO 45010?
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It can be adapted by organizations of any size and sector. Likely users include leaders, managers, HR, occupational health and safety, wellbeing, diversity and inclusion, facilities, and workplace-design professionals responsible for working conditions or support.
Can an organization be certified to ISO 45010?
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No. ISO 45010 is a guidance standard rather than a requirements standard for certification. An organization can use it for internal improvement or to support an ISO 45001 system, but should not describe itself as ISO 45010 certified.
Does ISO 45010 provide medical advice?
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No. It addresses workplace policies, practices and adjustments, not clinical options or medical diagnosis. Organizations should direct health questions to qualified sources and keep managers within their workplace-support role.
Do workers have to disclose menstruation or menopause information?
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The standard's workplace approach does not justify forced disclosure. Organizations should create voluntary, confidential routes to request support, limit collection of personal information, and avoid assumptions about who may need an adjustment.
Can small organizations apply ISO 45010?
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Yes. ISO states that the guidance can be adapted to an organization's circumstances, needs and resources, and it includes considerations for small and medium-sized organizations. A clear support route and low-cost practical adjustments can be a credible starting point.
How does ISO 45010 relate to ISO 45001?
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ISO 45001 specifies certifiable occupational health and safety management-system requirements. ISO 45010 provides topic-specific guidance that can be integrated into worker consultation, hazard and opportunity assessment, competence, operational planning, wellbeing and continual-improvement processes.
Official Documentation
ISO 45010:2026 Catalogue
ISO • Published standard • Edition 1
ISO 45010 Launch
ISO • Official publication announcement • 7 September 2026
ISO Online Browsing Platform
ISO • Free read-only access to ISO 45010