Plain answer

Does ISO 45008 apply to my organization?

It applies to an organization of any size that has regular remote workers who work remotely on a recurring basis at a workplace outside the organization's direct control. Occasional offsite work and business trips are outside the intended population.

The scope

The BSI project page says the document gives guidelines for an organization to manage the health, safety and well-being at work of remote workers, is applicable to any organization regardless of size, type and activities, and can be used independently or as part of an OH&S management system including ISO 45001.

The coverage

It covers work performed at workplaces not under the direct control of the organization, and includes work for which the remote worker selects the workplace as well as work at workplaces the organization determines. Home work, mobile roles, client sites and co-working spaces can all be inside it.

The exclusion

The ISO abstract says the document is intended for regular remote workers who perform remote work on a recurring basis and does not include offsite work and business trips. A one-off arrangement is not the same as a recurring remote pattern.

The practical test

List the worker groups, the locations and the frequency. If a group works remotely on a recurring basis at a place the organization does not control, the guidance is relevant to how the system reaches that group. The free check applies the published scope and returns incomplete, not a lighter answer, when a fact is missing.